story
at texas a&m the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) the bush school of government and public service and the college of agriculture & life sciences (coals) all participated in creating content for this course
the field experience in one health and outbreak investigation course was held for the second year this summer and had 12 graduate students enrolled most from the participating universities and one from the north carolina state college of veterinary medicine two of these phd students came from texas a&m one studying biomedical sciences and the other studying industrial engineering
we had a mixture of students coming from a variety of different perspectives essentially feeding into the one health approach of tackling complex problems said dr craig coates coals instructional associate professor of entomology
for each week of the course the students traveled to one of the three universities to participate in workshops field activities and case updates for a vector-borne disease outbreak simulation
students were able to meet with dozens of faculty members from all three institutions including 10 from texas a&m to represent the variety of people involved in real-life disease outbreak response
we have different expertise in different colleges coates said the complexity of a disease outbreak from the human perspective the pathogens and the vectors requires people from all sorts of different places
the one health perspective part of it is the understanding that even if you might be a veterinarian and youre working on companion animals you may come across something that would be an indicator of a disease that could be transmitted to humans he said
the first week of the course took place at ut rio grande valley where students practiced tick identification visited a usda facility studying the cattle fever tick and received the first pieces of information about the simulated disease outbreak
the second week at texas a&m began with lectures on a community health perspective on an outbreak response bioterrorism genetic engineering of vectors and other relevant topics the coalss department of entomology hosted lectures and workshops throughout the week in the heep center rooms and laboratories
next the students toured the texas a&m veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory and spent tuesday evening setting mosquito traps in the gardens at texas a&m which were gathered the next morning to practice mosquito identification
throughout the week the students continued to receive updates on the disease outbreak simulation and used the knowledge they were accumulating to identify the possible disease vector and pathogen and develop response strategies
later in the week dr sarah hamer cvm associate professor and director of the schubot exotic bird health center took the students to a local field site managed by the texas a&m department of wildlife & fisheries to teach them how to trap wild animals including common disease reservoir hosts such as birds and rodents
we saw all of the things that we had captured and we brought all of those mammals or birds back to a central area so the students could get hands-on processing hamer said we were able to plunge students right in so they could get experience with blood draws and holding birds
i think that was a lot of fun for them to be able to get up close and personal with the animals and learn how that is important from an outbreak perspective she said
for the third week of the course students visited the utmb to focus on the human side of a disease outbreak response at the end of the week they participated in a mock media conference to learn how to educate the general public on a spreading disease
this course was one of five the cvm is funding with the 2018-2019 tier one program (top) educational grant translating science into policy: preparing for pandemics and bioterror attacks granted to andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute of international affairs dr gregory brian colwell director of the program on global health research at the texas a&m school of public health and dr gerald parker cvm associate dean of global one health director of the biosecurity and pandemic policy program at the bush school and strategic advisor of the institute for infectious animal diseases in agrilife research
this grant is largely managed by christy blackburn assistant research scientist at the scowcroft institute of international affairs who also conducted the first course funded by the grant
high-consequence disease outbreaks are becoming a new normal and one health experiential learning opportunities linking multiple colleges and universities are essential to prepare students for 21st century challenges parker said
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
dr weihsueh chiu a professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) was appointed to the national toxicology program (ntp) board of scientific counselors this spring
this federal board serves as an advisory committee to the ntp and evaluates the scientific merit of ntp intramural and collaborative programs members are appointed by the secretary of the us department of health and human services (hhs) from a variety of scientific fields
as part of the ntp board of scientific counselors chiu will participate in multiple meetings for the next three years to provide his advice and expertise on present and future scientific matters related to the ntps mission to evaluate agents of public health concern by developing and applying the tools of modern toxicology and molecular biology
agents evaluated by the ntp cover a broad range from industrial chemicals to drugs and from dietary supplements to radio waves emitted by cell phones
chiu who joined the cvm in 2015 after a 14-year career as a scientist at the us environmental protection agency (epa) is a member of the cvms interdisciplinary faculty of toxicology where he mentors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers
chiu also teaches several core graduate classes including principles of human health risk assessment of chemicals
he earned his phd from princeton university in 1998 and has since focused his career on the studies of toxicology environmental health and public health
i am honored to have been chosen to serve on the ntps board of scientific counselors chiu said i am looking forward to helping the ntp advance the science of toxicology so that we as a society can make more informed health-based decisions about the multitude of chemicals and other agents to which we are exposed every day
along with chiu the texas a&m university system will also be represented on the board by dr kenneth ramos assistant vice chancellor for health services
more information about the ntp board of scientific counselors can be found at https://ntpniehsnihgov/about/org/bsc/indexhtml
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
dr joanne hardy a clinical associate professor of veterinary surgery at the texas a&m large animal hospital (lah) hails from quebec canada she received her doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) degree from the university of montreal the only french veterinary school in north america after veterinary school she completed a residency at the ohio state university
hardy joined the faculty at ohio state and obtained board certifications in veterinary surgery and in veterinary emergency and critical care during this time she was invited to texas a&m university to speak at a conference and she really liked the environmentand the college station area in generaland when a job opened up at texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) she immediately applied for it and got the job
as a clinician hardy is responsible for the emergency and critical care service in the lah which consists of medical surgical and food animal faculty who deal with the daytime cases and share the after-hours emergency duty
what we see is anything from a horse with a fever to major surgical candidates such as abdominal surgery and colic to neonatal emergency cases hardy said we receive many food animal emergencies which can include llamas pigs cattle goats and sheep in fact im bringing my own sheep today to be looked at by the food animal faculty so its a heavy after-hours schedule for sure
the problem is people come home from work at 5 oclock and then they find their animals sick so that becomes an after-hour problem we see everything; if its a concern for the owner its a concern for us she said
students participate in all of the work at the lah which is a great opportunity for them to see more emergent or urgent disease and illnesses as well as to participate in the triaging of those cases whether the animal needs to have immediate surgery or just monitored its a good opportunity for the students to learn in the hospital environment
the lah also has a great intensive care service the service is top-of-the-line and the technicians are some of the best in the country
there are at least two technicians oftentimes three or four in the hospital after hours at all times; they participate in receiving the emergencies and getting started with the diagnostics the hospital staff can perform pretty much any diagnostics that need to be done according to hardy
ive seen times when weve had horses with head injuries that needed to get an mri imaging or a ct doneor whatever needs to be done reallyon a sunday and we got it done she said so at any time i think our faculty and our technicians are absolutely fantastic to jump in and help out it takes a village and weve got a great village thats for sure
hardy also fulfills the college mission of teaching with the colleges recent implementation of a new curriculum clinicians teach with a more hands-on approach
the students from day one learn a lot of hands-on skills she said there are a lot more hands-on laboratories and sessions with live animals but also with models so a lot of the techniques that we teach them can first be learned on models
the professional programs office has come up with some really creative ways to teach the students different techniques she said they learn first on the model so they can really get the hang of doing a procedure and then when they get to the actual animal theyre a lot more proficient
with so many good things happening in the teaching world hardy said she thinks most faculty are much more involved from day one
it used to be we were more centered on the third and fourth years; now were more involved throughout the curriculum she said
hardy also participates in research projects currently she is involved with dr paul lindahl from the texas a&m college of sciences department of chemistry lindahl has an interest in iron metabolism and so working collaboratively across colleges hardy and lindahl are attempting to learn how iron is absorbed in the body
even though iron is a really common nutrient iron deficiencies result in world-wide problemsespecially in developing countriestheres actually a lot to learn about how iron is used by the body hardy said
she is also collaborating with a few cvm faculty members by using remote monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate and ecg etc in testing some different machineries to explore for example early detection of illness among cattle from a herd
hardy also oversees the residents who are pursuing their specialty programs in surgery
i think the way we learn is different today hardy said i remember going through vet school and having to learn everything by rote memory because you had to knowyou couldnt look up things on your phone right
now what students are having to learn is to look for good information good resources but then they dont have to memorize so much hardy said now they can really think and assess and apply what theyre learning; its a different way of learning it really is but its a good way i think
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
the study published in plos one will be used to help with lion conservation and wildlife management in and around the southern african country
dna evidence suggests that modern lions as a species originated in the republic of zambia a u-shaped country in southern africa known for its rugged terrain and diverse wildlife
today zambia has one of the largest lion populations with more than 77 000 square miles of protected land the population is approximately 1 200 strong
modern lion inhabitants live in what has been thought to be two isolated genetically distinct subpopulations divided by an area that includes zambias capital and largest city lusaka as well as a lot of rural communities and farming and grazing land
this middle ground has always been considered uninhabitable by lions; however researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have found that small numbers of lions in zambia are in fact moving across this previously believed uninhabitable land
in their genetic analysis of these lions recently published in the journal plos one cvm doctoral student caitlin curry and professor in the cvms department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) dr james derr found through examining the nuclear and mitochondrial genes of lions on both sides of the divide that there were high levels of genetic diversity within the entire lion population
the nuclear dna is inherited by both parents so you get an idea of diversity in the entire population whereas the mitochondrial dna is only inherited through the mother curry said by examining both youre getting two different views of inheritance through the populations
working in collaboration with dr paula white of the zambia lion project the pair analyzed the genes of 409 lions using dna extracted from material collected in cooperation with the zambian wildlife authority
by focusing on the nuclear dna the researchers saw movement or similarities between the two subpopulations they attribute this to what is called male-mediated gene flow
in the lion mating system the females stay in or dont move very far away from their natal prides but males move all over trying to find new prides once they get old enough males are kicked out of the pride and they either find a new pride or make a new pride curry said so males are the ones bringing the genes to new locations
this gene flow increases genetic diversity by introducing new genes to a new area
a benefit of having higher genetic diversity is a greater chance for adaptation to a changing environment curry said both the eastern and western subpopulations have high levels of genetic diversity but they are still staying genetically distinct enough to remain two sub-populations
the study also determined where the lions are moving based on which lions are more genetically similar to each other
lions in the north and south luangwa national parks part of the eastern sub-population appear completely separated from the western sub-population curry said gene flow also is occurring through the southern regions of the eastern sub-population with lions moving between the lower zambezi national park and eastern corridor to the kafue national park
these findings will be used to help with lion conservation and wildlife management in and around zambia
lions are a flagship species meaning that as a large charismatic carnivore their research and conservation influences many other species that share its habitat curry said knowing where lions are moving will help in making decisions on where and how to manage lions and other wildlife populations
this shows them they need to open corridors to make movement across that land easier and safer for lions and also to reduce human-wildlife conflict curry said thats probably why theyre having that conflict in the first place because theyre not taking into consideration that lions actually are moving across it
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
dr kevin washburn a professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of large animal clinical sciences (vlcs) wears many hats
as a specialist in large animal internal medicine and surgery he serves the needs of his ailing veterinary patients; as a faculty member he mentors veterinary students and performs research
washburn said the opportunity to practice veterinary medicine alongside teaching and research is precisely what drew him to texas a&m university 13 years ago
but his path into veterinary medicine particularly food-animal medicine was far from serendipitous raised in a rural farming community in southern oklahoma he developed a close understanding of animal agriculture
i was heavily involved with national future farmers of america organization in high school he said i exhibited livestock all four years of high school
taking care of his familys livestock involved frequent trips to the local veterinary clinic
the local veterinarian was my neighbor and i spent quite a bit of time with him when he was working with my cattle washburn said
over time this inside look into a rural veterinary practice solidified washburns interest in pursuing a career in food-animal medicine
after obtaining a bachelors degree in agricultural economics from oklahoma state university washburn joined the doctor of veterinary medicine program there although the program did not have a food-animal medicine track he chose elective courses with an emphasis on food animals after graduating he went straight into food-animal private practice
although washburn greatly enjoyed his line of work he developed a yearning to teach and he quickly realized that a basic veterinary degree would not suffice for this purpose
i knew that to teach i needed to go back to school and become a specialist he said so i left my private practice went back to oklahoma state university and completed a residency in large animal internal medicine
during his residency washburn became board certified in food-animal practice and large animal internal medicine to poise himself for a career in academia
then when a faculty position opened at the veterinary school at texas a&m washburn applied and landed the job although taking the job meant moving out of his home state he was excited by the prospect of a more fulfilling career involving teaching research and surgery
training future food-animal veterinarians
in 2005 when washburn started teaching at texas a&m food-animal medicine was not a career path offered to veterinary students; three years ago however that changed when the cvm started the food-animal medicine track
washburn now trains students interested in careers in food-animal medicinean area of veterinary medicine that he is deeply passionate about
i really look forward to coming to work every day because of the interaction with students he said enthusiastically im definitely not the wise old owl but because i worked in private practice for a while before coming back to academia i can teach my students skills that are highly translatable to private practice especially in food-animal type practices because thats my background
when washburn is asked about his students his eyes well up with pride
we have 16 veterinarians out there in the workforce who have gone through the food-animal track he said weve got at least 11 more who will graduate next may
washburn noted that food-animal clinicians trained in the cvm are a huge benefit for states like texas where there is a thriving livestock industry
i think my job as a clinical instructor is to be able to do all that i can to produce veterinarians who can go and serve people in portions of the state like the texas panhandle that have a predominant livestock industry he said our program provides a pipeline for students who want to be feedlot consultant veterinarians dairy veterinarians or swine veterinarians in large production-based facilities
turning the spotlight on bovine research
washburn also devotes time to research projects that impact the cattle industry collaborating with partners in academia and industry to develop technology for detecting early signs of bovine respiratory disease (brd) which is responsible for more than 45 percent of cattle deaths in feedlots
in one of those collaborative projects washburn is investigating whether consuming live yeast can prevent or reduce the severity of the brd
ranchers have been supplementing cattle feed with live yeast for years to boost digestion; however the role of live yeast in mitigating brd had not been evaluated washburn explained that if active yeast is indeed immunoprotective adding it to cattle feed in feedlots could be hugely beneficial
since feedlots are where cattle efficiency is most important thats when the addition of yeast could potentially oil the immune machinery so to speak washburn said
more recently nonclinical bovine research has also caught washburns interest he is currently working on a collaborative project related to fetal programminga term used to describe engineering maternal and paternal genetics to produce genetically desirable traits in the offspring
in cattle fetal programming can be used to select for traits such as rapid growth high weaning weight and lean muscle in calves
it takes fewer generations to get what you want washburn said implying that fetal programming is faster and much more efficient than traditional crossbreeding methods
washburns success as an instructor and researcher is reflected in the multiple awards he has won over the years in recognition of his contribution to food-animal medicinehis office is replete with award plaques medals and some informal tokens of appreciation such as a card from a former veterinary student that dons a colorful hand-drawn cow with moo-chas gracias written on it
more than the accolades what really excites him is training future food-animal veterinarians forging new collaborations and pursuing novel research directions
im very glad that i came to texas a&m on a tire-kicking mission and decided oh my goodness this is awesome he said
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
when dr michelle coleman isnt teaching and collaborating with students she is devoted to her research which examines the effects of equine obesity and a condition that affects the larynx
story by briley lambert
as a young girl in greenville south carolina dr michelle coleman was always fascinated with the beauty and grace of the horse
her longtime desire to one day enter the medical profession was reinforced by an infatuation with the science behind equine medicine which would spark a lifetime of intrigue and years of research in the field of veterinary medicine
after graduating from veterinary school at the university of georgia and completing an internship in lexington kentucky coleman came to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) for a residency in large animal internal medicine she has now been with the large animal hospital (lah) in the cvm for 10 years
while here she also completed a phd in biomedical sciences
her knowledge in equine medicine has been put to great use at the cvm
with the equine industry in texas ranking among the largest in the countryconsisting primarily of working horses and those owned as petscoleman and the rest of the equine team at the cvm stay busy year-round
in addition coleman has focused her research on laminitis a condition affecting the foot of the horse
her studies mentored by dr noah cohen have found that obesity is a risk factor for the development of laminitis; thus she has focused her attention on better understanding the physiological processes associated with obesity to improve the mechanisms for preventing or managing obesity and ultimately reduce the burden of laminitis
what we know about obesity in people is that it is not just about what we eat and how much we exercise; its certainly important but it is not the whole picture she said better understanding the mechanisms of obesity will improve our ability to manage or prevent it our primary interests are in the role of the gastrointestinal tract and gut microbiota in the development of obesity
another area of interest for coleman is nasopharyngeal cicatrix a devastating equine condition that causes scarring and often life-threatening constriction in the upper respiratory tract
although epidemiological data are lacking clinical experience indicates that this disease is highly prevalent in central and southeast texas and is the most common disorder of the upper respiratory tract evaluated at the lah according to coleman
despite the awareness of this condition since the early 1970s and the high morbidity rates in texas the cause of this devastating condition remains unknown making the research even more intriguing for coleman
outside of her research projects coleman enjoys working alongside and collaborating with veterinary students at the cvm
it is amazing to be around veterinary interns residents and students she said their questions are engaging and stimulating
despite her focus on research coleman said teaching has become one of her favorite aspects of working here
having students around keeps us honest and it keeps us fresh and enthusiastic about what were doing she said
when she isnt breaking new ground in the world of equine medicine coleman enjoys spending time with her husbanddr canaan whitfield an assistant professor of large animal surgeryas well as their two children and their family peta miniature pony
with her 3- and 6-year-old children and a veterinary school full of eager-to-learn students coleman said she looks forward to working with the cvm to shape the future of veterinary medicine
we are dedicated to producing excellent veterinarians; beyond the knowledge of veterinary medicine they must develop solid communication skills and a passion for the profession she said
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
the texas a&m veterinary emergency team serves the state through response but also through its outreach efforts dedicating a portion of its resources to traveling across texas to help communities develop their own disaster preparedness plans
story by chantal cough-schulze
every month the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary emergency team (vet) gathers to learn and train the team needs to be preparedat any given moment they could deploy which requires members to do anything from decontaminating animals near a nuclear facility to treating a horse injured in an overturned trailer
were an all-hazards team we train for the spectrum from wildfires to chemical plant explosions to infectious diseases said dr wesley t bissett vet director and associate professor of emergency management
created in 2009 the texas a&m veterinary emergency team is the nations largest and most sophisticated veterinary medical response team providing statewide veterinary support equipped with a 15-vehicle fleet the almost 100-member team responds to disasters and trains veterinary students to do the same; members on the educational staff and students also work with communities in advance of disasters
everywhere the team goes they encounter unique challenges
what we deal with in college station is very different than what the panhandle deals with or orange texas or the rio grande valley bissett said
in the panhandle the issues the vet assists with are affected by the sheer size of the animal population
texas raises a lot of cattlethere are more cattle in texas than there are people in alabama arkansas and mississippi combinedand a large percentage of the nations cattle are fed in the texas panhandle
when the cattle population is combined with the major swine operations in the panhandle the risks change the sheer volume of animals combined with such factors as global travel provides the potential for infectious diseases to cause major problems according to bissett
the cattle are coming from all over the country when youve got thousands of animals in close proximity to each other the potential for the introduction of disease is pretty significant he said
in addition to infectious diseases there are three other major disasters that communities and livestock face in the panhandle: wildfires tornadoes and winter weather in late 2015 winter storm goliath descended on dairy farms throughout west texas killing 30 000 head of dairy cattle across texas this past summer there were more than 890 wildfires
in the panhandle there are far fewer houses typically speaking fewer houses means more animals in harms way thats a very unique challenge a lightning strike or a downed power lineand then a wildfire starts bissett said wildfires move incredibly fast and theyre incredibly destructive weve been on a lot of different deployments but wildfires are still one of the most challenging issues we face
to help address challenges like those seen in the panhandle the vet helps communities develop local emergency management plans and regional resources in the communities with which the vet works the vet brings together local firefighters law enforcement private veterinarians and other animal professionals
the community defines the problem they want us to solvean animal-related problem revolving around a disasterand we solve it jointly bissett said we do our homework on the community we understand what the numbers are and we figure out how to use their resources to solve the problem
because of the scope of some disasters the vet often has to coordinate with different organizations and both county and state governments from across texas
we have to understand that what may solve our problem may create a problem elsewhere we have to come up with solutions that are mutually beneficial bissett said
understanding the nuances of disaster response isnt just beneficial for affected communities; its also a valuable learning experience for veterinary students
fourth-year veterinary students are required to do a rotation with the vet in the nations only mandatory clinical educational experience in veterinary emergency response during the rotation five to seven students work with the vet each week training and deploying with the vet wherever they go
when we go to the panhandle we go and stay bissett said well work all week come home on friday switch students and drive back
wherever the vet goes whether for developing plans or responding to a disaster students are expected to participate when the students work with the communities they have to conduct themselves professionally analyze the problems and clearly communicate solutions
the situations that veterinary students learn about are as diverse as the vets deployments one emergency plan the vet has worked on is with the pantex plant a nuclear weapons facility in carson county more than 6 000 people live in carson county along with more than 20 000 cattle
the operation at the pantex plant requires special plans for how to deal with the animal component if they have had an accident its a fascinating problem set for our students to solve bissett said
even though the training focuses on emergency management the work is relevant to all veterinary students
whether students are going into livestock management or becoming practice owners the vets approaches apply bissett said its all about problem solving and critical thinking
the vet rotation also gives students the opportunity to get to know other regions of texas along with all of their unique environments emergencies and people
we get our students out of college station and into the far reaches of texas our students get exposed to a broad range of environments and see whats out there meet the people understand them and understand what their problems are we get to open students eyes to a lot of things
as the vet works to expand its impact more students and communities will benefit from the teams work in the future soon the vet will be sending a field service vehicle to west texas a&m university where longtime vet partners dr dan posey and dr dee griffin will use it to support veterinary needs in the panhandle; that unit was made possible by a donation from the texas equine veterinary association (teva)
the vehicle is a truck with a veterinary box on it and will be outfitted with our cache of pharmaceuticals for both large and small animals bissett said well manage the whole logistics side of it theyll use it for delivering veterinary medical care for their recruiting trips and for working on school animals
the vets work from their field service vehicle support to their disaster response and community collaboration has far-reaching impacts
but the benefits arent just economic helping communities prepare for wildfires tornadoes and disease outbreaks like those seen in the panhandleand teaching a new generation of veterinary students to do the samehas important psychological impacts as well
whenever we help a community theyre better able to serve their citizens and their animals bissett said the reality is and i dont care what species youre talking about they all matter a herd of cattle is not just a financial investment; it is an emotional investment a historical investment there is a relationship there that is much more than financial it is a familys and a communitys hope for the future
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
jenny goods art is a representation of how she views the worldshe says it is who she is and not just something she does she uses pieces that would not necessarily go together to create something that can be asymmetrical but balanced at the same time she said
because of her deep love of animals good said that she started playing with drawings using old maps and old ephemera to add texture to her artwork her love of collage work really came alive when she started using photos of animals and old maps that are often indicative of where the animals live
one of her pieces is a cow from bastrop county she used old maps and land surveys of the state of texas from the 1940s she likes to pull in something more personal that connects her art to the subject shes working on or to the people or land and personalize it that way
after looking at photos of the cow she began to see the final product in her head the pieces kind of fell together while i was scanning images like old maps and old sky charts that they used for ship navigation she said i just start seeing the images of the animals in the shapes and colors within the maps they just kind of come together they piece themselves and then i create
although her artwork has been a main focus in her life good also has loved animals since she was a young child and often found comfort in the presence of her animal friends she has been around horses for as long as she can remember horses have been a part of my life since before i could walk theyve provided joy adventure solace and hope they represent every good thing in my life as most of the animal kingdom does good said
a horse full of love
in 2007 as good was struggling with various difficulties from her past a couple from brenham heard about her and wanted to help they strongly believed in the power of the human-animal bond and decided to donate indy a 7-year old medicine hat paint horse as a therapy horse for her good appreciated the gesture as indy helped her deal with her ptsd and childhood trauma when the owners gave indy to good they told her that theres nothing like a horse looking back at you with no judgment in their eyesto accept you just as you are and where you are that moment in your life
indy is 17 years-old now and their words still ring true good said i cant imagine life without him
for good indy has always been much more than a pet hes a gift what makes indy so special is that hes a survivor too hes also a clown and an instigator hes a lovable rogue his antics make him appear much younger than his 17 years she said
before being placed with good indy was in an accident that left him with a deep cut in his leg he was brought to the texas a&m large animal hospital (lah) and the couple from brenham paid for his treatment and cared for him years later good brought him back to the lah because of a severe infection that left his throat paralyzed
her local veterinarians had done all they could to help him; good was told that he may starve to death because his whole throat was paralyzed and he couldnt swallow they told her to take indy home and that his will to live would determine whether or not he would survive
good returned home where indy would have to fend for himself
hes voracious as far as never giving up he had the will to live but that wasnt good enough for me she said it was too much of a struggle and i wasnt ok with the prognosis that hell either starve to death or hell somehow make it through on his own so thats when i took him back to texas a&m
she was in awe as she drove up to the lah
i knew that this was a place we would get help this place made the difference between ‘just getting by and a full recovery good said
the veterinarians who worked with indy assured good that he would be in capable hands the team included an equine endocrinologist who was his primary doctor they were so kind and reassuring to me that he was going to be safe that people would be constantly checking on him and i could feel ok leaving him she said
because his illness caused his throat to be paralyzed he had lost a great deal of weight however the life-saving work of the veterinary team at texas a&m helped him gain weight and improved his quality of life
to have a group that was concerned with improving his quality of life was so important when i got him back home i could see his old spark again good said i knew that he was going to be ok he just continued to put on weight he got frisky again and hes been healthy ever since
good is grateful for the veterinarians at the lah
indy is a gift to me that i rely on every day she says texas a&m veterinarians protected that gift for me
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today jenny goods art served as the cover image
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
hayley morgan
with a long-time passion for horses and a desire to study veterinary medicine morgan found herself right at home at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
after completing her bachelors degree in animal science from west texas a&m university morgan found herself searching for a veterinary program that matched with her career goals and aspirations when she looked into the program at texas a&m she felt the choice was simple
i wanted to focus on equine and mixed animal medicine and i knew that a&m had an outstanding large animal hospital at which i could learn a lot said morgan a first-year veterinary student i have worked for a few veterinarians who graduated from a&m and i always admired their knowledge and skillsc
another major influence in her decision according to morgan was dr dan posey academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university whose passion and love for texas a&m radiated though his teaching it was enough to make anyone believe his beloved school was a special place morgan said
now an aggie morgan has felt the spirit and seen first-hand just what posey was talking about
i have loved my time at texas a&m so far she said the thing that i have enjoyed the most about a&m is the culture and how passionate all of the faculty and students are about this school and each other i love how willing everyone is to help and lend a hand for one another
although the transition to a new school may seem overwhelming and scary for some morgan felt prepared and confident to begin her new journey
so far my biggest challenge was actually finding a quick way to get from my parking lot to the veterinary & biomedical education complex during the first few weeks of school she joked
at west texas a&m morgan encountered hands-on courses centered around food animals and their health and production an area in which she was not previously knowledgeable morgan credits the rigorous curriculum and coursework there for her seemingly easy transition to the classes and workload at a&m
west texas helped prepare me for a&m by providing me with experiences that helped diversify my animal experience she said growing up i had a lot of experience with companion animals and horses but not so much cattle and other food animals the courses at west texas really allowed me to be more successful in the food animal lectures and labs that ive had so far at a&m
after graduating from veterinary school morgan plans to pursue a career in equine or mixed medicine eventually she would like to work at a private or specialty practice with the knowledge and experience she has gained from her time at west texas a&m and texas a&m university morgan feels confident she can conquer any and all challenges she may face along the way
ashlee adams
a life-long dream of becoming a veterinarian is becoming a fast reality for ashlee adams a first-year veterinary student at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
before making the move to texas a&m university adams lived in the amarillo area where she first discovered her passion for animals
after graduating from west texas a&m in 2017 with a bachelors degree in animal science and a masters degree in animal science adams worked as a head veterinary technician at a small animal clinic while applying for veterinary school
ultimately i chose to come to texas a&m because they have reached out to and worked with students at west texas and they are one of the best veterinary schools you can attend adams said it also didnt hurt that it was affordable and fairly close to home
adams also credits her mentors dr dan posey academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university and dr dee griffin tvmc director for making the decision to come to texas a&m an easy one
i met dr posey and dr griffin while working on my masters at west texas a&m and their enthusiasm for the field made me want to pursue being a veterinarian again adams said i knew if the professors at texas a&m were anything like them i would get an amazing education and have a great time doing it
upon arriving at texas a&m the distance from college station to the panhandle did not seem too far however adams admits that she experienced her fair share of homesickness in the beginning
ive never been this far away from my family for an extended period of time she said missing my family has been the greatest challenge so far but they are so supportive and keep me excited about this new experience
aside from a short spell of homesickness adams said her transition has been smooth and easy and the education she received at west texas has proven beneficial in her courses thus far
the classes at west texas were set up for us to learn and understand information that will be useful for the rest of our lives she said so far ive used a lot of my class notes from west texas to help me understand the concepts i am learning here and i am able to apply what im learning now to the experiences i gained at west texas
as adams continues through her first year of veterinary school she said she is thankful for the tradition and culture that a&m offers its students and would not trade this experience for anything
i really enjoy the team atmosphere that is created by the faculty and students here we all want to succeed as a team she said i have been blessed to be elected our class president and our officer team is a cohesive group of students who truly want the best for everyone
after graduation adams plans to move back to the panhandle to work with cattle at a feedlot and practice at a small animal clinic with the education and experience acquired from both universities under her belt adams looks forward to giving back to west texas in any way she can
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
could discoveries made by cvm professor and patsy link chair katrin hinrichs lead to healthier in vitro-produced human embryos
story by callie rainosek & dr megan palsa
horses have played a vital role in world history
until about a century ago they were one of mankinds main sources of transportation and communication
however thanks to advancing technology many horses have transitioned into companion animals or are specially trained to compete in events or perform specific tasks
mankinds relationship with horses has certainly changed over the years and thanks to dr katrin hinrichs at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) our relationship with horses could change even more
horsing around with icsi
a member of the cvms department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology with a joint appointment in the department of large animal clinical sciences hinrichs is a professor and the patsy link chair of mare reproductive studies she is recognized internationally for her research in equine reproductive physiology and oversees one of the few labs in the world capable of performing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (icsi) in the horse a process that is now the standard in equine assisted reproduction
icsi is a more complex form of traditional in vitro fertilization and is the only process that can efficiently produce a fertilized equine embryo outside of a mares body the process involves picking up a single sperm in a pipette under a powerful microscope and inserting the sperm into a mature oocyteor unfertilized egg
given the right conditions this will produce a fertilized egg and an early embryo will develop
there are two ways to perform icsithe conventional method and a specialized method that involves piezoelectricity in conventional icsi a pointed glass pipette is used to roll the sperm against the bottom of a manipulation dish to rupture its outer membrane which aids in fertilization the sperm is then injected through the zona or the outer shell of the oocyte and then through the oocytes membrane for fertilization
in piezo icsi the pipette is blunt and the shaft of the pipette is encased in a small motor unit that transmits minute vibrations to the pipette which allow the pipette to act like a drill with piezo icsi the motions of the drill are used to rupture the sperm membrane and the pipette then drills a miniscule hole in the zona the pipette is placed through the hole and the sperm is injected through the oocytes membrane into the oocyte
many labs that perform icsiin both humans and horsesuse the conventional method since piezo icsi requires additional expertise and the equipment is more expensive additionally piezo icsi has traditionally used mercury in the pipette to act as a stabilizer and limit pipette movement since mercury has the potential to be toxic to embryos many labs prefer conventional icsi
however when hinrichs lab at texas a&m started working on equine icsi in 2001 they opted to use the piezo drill because of its greater success in fertilizing embryos hinrichs lab was the first to report efficient in vitro development of equine embryos after icsi and remains one of the top laboratories in the world for equine embryo production
since no critical research had ever been done to compare embryo production rates between conventional and piezo icsi hinrichs always questioned whether the success of her lab using piezo was due to better lab conditions overall or because piezo icsi was more efficient in producing embryos than is conventional icsi
hinrichs got the chance to answer this question about two years ago when a scientist named renato salgado started working in her lab
a ‘garden of embryos
we were in this optimum situation hinrichs said because dr salgado had experience performing conventional icsi on humans
while standard in vitro fertilization methods (mixing of sperm and oocytes together in a petri dish) work in humans embryologists have found that fertilization rates are higher when sperm is injected into the oocyte via icsi therefore many assisted-reproduction clinics for humans now use icsi and this is typically done using the conventional method
salgados expertise in conventional icsi was combined with the skills of dr joao brom-de-luna another scientist in hinrichs lab who specializes in piezo icsi
hinrichs designed a study in which the two scientists fertilized equine oocytes side-by-side in the lab using the two icsi methods the development of the resulting embryos was then compared to make the results applicable to human laboratories brom-de-luna worked with a non-toxic compound instead of mercury in the piezo pipette
we collected oocytes and matured them in the same incubator hinrichs explained then we divided them into two groupsone group went to renato for conventional icsi and one went to joao for piezo icsi we cultured the oocytes in the same incubators afterwards and were surprised by the results
hinrichs and her team were expecting to find that one method produced more transferrable embryos than the other meaning that the embryos were at a stage in development where they can be transferred to a recipient mare to form a potential pregnancy
instead hinrichs and her team found that the piezo and conventional icsi methods produced the same number of transferrable embryos however the embryos produced using the conventional method developed more slowly
its like if you planted seeds in a garden hinrichs explained the seeds may come up between seven and 10 days after you plant them but some seeds will come up at day seven some at day eight and some at day nine or even 10 the embryos that develop earlier are healthierthey are more likely to make a pregnancy after you transfer them to a mare the embryos produced using piezo icsi grew faster and most developed to a transferrable stage by day seven the embryos produced using conventional icsi took eight or nine days
this discovery led to even more questions
hinrichs and her team hypothesized that the action of the piezo drill on the sperm membrane may have something to do with why the piezo icsi method led to faster embryo development possibly because the drill was rupturing the sperms acrosome
the acrosome is essentially a bag of enzymes that the sperm carries at the tip of its head hinrichs said during natural fertilization these enzymes are released to help the sperm get through the zona the outer ‘shell of the oocyte the real oocyte is inside this shell so in natural fertilization the sperm no longer has the acrosome when it actually contacts the oocyte however when we do icsi we just pick up the sperm acrosome and all and inject it
hinrichs thought that the piezo icsi method may have been rupturing the sperm acrosome before injection of the sperm into the oocyte if this was true then piezo icsi mimicked the natural fertilization process more closely than did conventional icsi potentially allowing the piezo embryos to develop faster
to test her hypothesis hinrichs and her team arranged for another examination of embryo development the team performed more rounds of side-by-side icsi but used special dyes to stain the injected oocytes to observe the sperm within the oocyte closely in the 18 hours after icsi
immediately after icsi we were anticipating that we would see that the acrosome was gone in the piezo treatment and was present in the conventional treatment hinrichs said however that wasnt true both piezo and conventional icsi sperm still had their acrosomes when we looked at them immediately after injection into the oocyte but at six hours after icsi we saw this huge difference in the piezo treatment the acrosome had come off the sperms head was starting to swell and fertilization was about to take place however after six hours in the conventional icsi treatment the acrosome was still on the sperm and the sperm head showed no sign of swelling
stumbling on a discovery
if the development process of both types of embryos is so different why is there no difference in embryo production rates hinrichs questioned
hinrichs investigated further and stumbled on a discovery
we began to compare the quality of the transferrable embryos hinrichs explained and the conventional embryos were significantly lower quality compared to the piezo embryos
hinrichs determined embryo quality based on the number of nuclei in the embryo and the percentage of nuclei that were developing normally abnormal nuclei appeared fragmented indicating that some cells within the embryo were dying
the conventional embryos had significantly lower nucleus numbers and higher rates of nuclear fragmentation hinrichs explained in other words there were fewer cells in the conventional embryos overall and more of those cells were abnormal compared to piezo embryos
this difference in quality is important because it could determine if the embryo leads to a successful pregnancy
a new model for assisted reproduction in humans
horses are one of the few species in the world in which like humans conventional icsi is repeatedly successful in producing embryos in the lab
therefore hinrichs believes that horses are the closest models for humans when it comes to assisted reproduction and her findings then are significant for both equine scientists and for laboratories working in human assisted reproduction techniques
all of this is interesting because conventional icsi is used in humans hinrichs said however we showed that in the horse while conventional icsi also works to produce embryos the embryos produced using piezo icsi develop more normally and are better quality
hinrichs suggests that piezo icsi could be a better way to produce human embryos for human assisted reproduction however little work has been done on piezo icsi in humans because it usually uses mercury in the pipette
of course youre not going to use mercury with a human embryo; it is potentially toxic hinrichs explained but in our study we used a non-toxic substitute for mercury a carbon-based compound called fluorinert fluorinert is also safe to be used in humans
despite the success of her study using a compound that is safe to use on human embryos hinrichs recognizes that further research is needed before piezo icsi can be regularly performed on human embryos additionally hinrichs hopes that future research will explore if the healthier embryos produced through piezo icsi lead to more successful pregnancies
something as simple as using a different icsi technique could help produce higher-quality embryos which in turn could lead to more successful human pregnancies hinrichs said
hinrichs research was published in the journal of assisted reproduction and geneticsa scientific journal that focuses on assisted-reproduction technologies in humans and associated research in relevant animal models
publishing her research in this human-based journal further solidified the novelty of her study and the significance of the horse being used as a model for assisted reproduction in humans
saving endangered species
hinrichs may have a strong passion for equine reproductive physiology but she has goals to help other species reproduce too over the years she has looked for ways to use her expertise to help endangered species such as the northern and southern white rhino and the grevys zebra
my next dream is to use assisted reproduction to help widen the gene pool of endangered species in the united states hinrichs said
but before pursuing this goal she is doing more research to study basic factors that might play a role in the health of equine embryos such as incubator temperature atmosphere and ph level although there are now methods for performing equine icsi that many laboratories follow nobody in the field of equine assisted reproduction has critically tested the basic requirements for optimum development of the equine embryo
we want to make sure that were producing embryos at the best rate possible and that they are as high quality as we can get hinrichs said all of these little factors may affect the health of our embryos and therefore affect successful pregnancy rates
a pioneer in the field
hinrichs was just a little girl when she first discovered her love for horses now she is one of the leading pioneers in equine assisted reproduction
for more than 30 successful years she has not only improved assisted reproduction in horses she has now brought humans and horses closer together than ever before
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
comparative immunologist michael criscitiello and a team of researchers from across the country are using special cattle antibodies to make medical breakthroughs in the areas of hiv and hopefully soon triple-negative breast cancer
story by jennifer gauntt
cows do neat things said michael criscitiello an associate professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) as he sat in his office one friday afternoon
for the past six years criscitiello has been taking advantage of arguably one of the neatest things that cows can do
using special antibodies that cows naturally produce criscitiello and a team of researchers (including at scripps research institute) have made significant headway in hiv research by eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies to the virus that biomedical engineers in california and new york believe may hold a key for hiv vaccines therapeutics or other prevention tools
while that project has advanced into the human medicine realm criscitiello and another team including masters student kelly head are now turning their attention to using these same antibodies in a way they hope might one day be used to create an immunological treatment for breast cancer
hitting the bullseye
both projects began by immunizing a cow
a comparative immunologist who has devoted his career to studying weird antibodies in vertebratesincluding sharks and frogscriscitiello observed a remarkable phenomenon that appears in cattle antibodies
about 15 percent of cow antibodies have this extra finger-like projection; we call it an extra domain of the protein thats not in our antibodies he said these projections are called heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 or hcdr3 loops
while humans dont have the immunogenetic tools to make hcdr3 in our genome hiv researchers found that 10 to 20 percent of people living with hiv do indeed naturally develop neutralizing antibody responses similar to hcdr3 but usually only after nearly two years of infection
the human forms of the projections have been shown in the laboratory to stop most hiv strains from infecting human cells and to protect animal models from infection which occurs when the antibody projection binds to the gp120 antigen of the virus that it uses to attach to the host white blood cell
using this research as a frame of reference and noticing how cow antibodies have this much much longer extension criscitiello and his team postulated that this hcdr3 loop could possibly bind to the virus more effectively
in a nutshell the cow can make an antibody that can reach a part of the virus that our antibodies normally cant criscitiello said
in order to test the theory that these broadly neutralizing antibodies (which include the hcdr3 loop) could potentially serve as a pathway to produce an immunological therapy or possibly even a vaccine for hiv researchers would need more of these broadly neutralizing antibodies and they would need them to be produced rapidly at a scale suitable for widespread distribution
so criscitiello and a team at texas a&m went to work immunizing cows with a protein designed to mimic an hiv surface protein to see if the cow would produce an immunological response creating antibodies with these hcdr3 loops
what was exciting was that we found that the cows didnt just make a good antibody; they made lots of antibodies and those antibodies bound not just some hiv very well but they were broadly neutralizing all different forms of the virus from all over the world criscitiello said
in addition the cattle produced those antibodies a lot faster than the team had anticipated
usually it takes six to eight months (to see an immunological response) because we give them boosters the way you do with some vaccines criscitiello said but we actually had really good antibodies in a couple months
since the team published their results medical engineering companies have picked up the research using dna cloning that attempts to take the part of the cattle gene that produces the hcdr3 loops and put that piece of dna into a human antibody-heavy chain
the result he says would likely be a therapy to serve as first line of defense but the therapy would be an immunological therapy instead of a medical treatment a lot of testing will go into the clinical intervention stage but criscitiello says the research is promising
this is exciting for our lab as our work is generally on more fundamental immunology questions and takes longer to be applied into therapeutic interventions criscitiello said
taking the bull by the horns
following their success criscitiello and his team returned to their basic science approach of research re-examining the cows immune system to delve deeper into the genetics behind their immunity
but because the team had been tinkering with other diseases in similar projects (including one on ebola) before the hiv breakthrough when scripps research collaborator vaughn smider shared with criscitiello that the scripps team was working on a project on breast cancer they wondered if what had worked in their hiv study could potentially work with smiders project
the hiv project excited us to try for more things and in this case its kind of a personal story criscitiello said vaughns wife had died of this particular kind of breast cancer triple-negative and so looking for new avenues for immune-therapeutics for that disease was high on his priority list
a particularly tricky form of cancer triple-negative breast cancer derives its name from testing negative for three important receptors that are usually good handles for clinical interventionestrogen progesterone and her2 about 10 to 20 percent of breast cancers that are diagnosed in the united states are found to be triple-negative
this is a particularly bad diagnosis if youre triple-negative the prognosis is much worse and if its metastatic disease the median survival is less than a year he said its a bad subset of breast cancer
while the hiv project received funding from the national institutes of health (nih) this project is not yet funded but this team plans to take the same approach as in the previous studyimmunizing cattle with the triple-negative cancer cells in hopes that the cattle produce the same hcdr3 response the team will also analyze the different proteins produced to see what happens
hopefully the cows immune system will go ‘oh this is foreign this is weird lets make some immune responses to these different proteins that were seeing criscitiello said
while the hiv response produced the right antigens within a couple of months for this project the team will have to wait and see theyre hoping to see the results theyre looking for within a year
ours is a discovery science kind of approach where we know the cow weve proven that the cow can do some neat tricks with its antibodies and we know that there are targets on triple-negative breast cancer that we havent been able to get a good handle on so far he said so were going to let the cow immune system do its magic and then analyze the cells that are making those antibodies and try to pull out the ones that bind the triple negative breast cancer
we know that some will bind; whether some will use their special hcdr3 loop to bind well enough to make an immune-therapeutic monoclonal antibody to treat at the cancer clinic thatll be the question he said
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
farrier jason maki has been the recipient of many on-the-job horse kicks but a recent encounter stands out as more memorable than the restbecause it may have saved his life
story by jennifer gauntt
over the years jason maki the farrier at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) large animal hospital (lah) has sustained dozens of injuries
the one that actually put me out of work the longest was when i tore my groin muscle because i couldnt work around it maki said ive torn my hamstring broken my finger broken my wrist broken my foot and broken my ankle i detached my tricep tendon ive been kicked through a wall twice and had a donkey kick me in the head and knock me out cold
danger he says is part of the job
so in september 2018 when maki was kicked just under his right ribcage while shoeing a large friesian-type horse he reacted as he normally wouldby gasping coughing and trying to walk it off
some people saw that i looked pretty gray and noticed that i couldnt breathe so they took me to the occupational health doctor he said the doctor looked at me and said ‘were sending you to the emergency room
when the emergency room doctor ordered a cat scan maki was disappointed to realize that he may have broken a couple of ribs and when the doctor ordered more tests maki began to worry that he may have ruptured something
the doc came back in and said ‘well as far as the trauma goes you have a bad contusion bruising and youre going to be sore for a while but you have a renal cell carcinoma on your right kidney… and i was like ‘excuse me thats literally what i said maki said im lying there and he repeated what he had said like that would clarify things for me
still reeling maki began further testing he learned that the cancer had a 97 percent survival rate and that luckily all that would be required was to remove his right kidney because the cancer hadnt spread
long but scary story short the cancer was all in the kidney and now my kidneys gone he said literally when i was in there after my two-week appointment the doctor read that (prognosis) to me and he said ‘so basically that means youre healed
saddling up
farrier wasnt the career field maki thought he would pursue growing up the oldest of four farm kids in ashtabula a tiny very rural town in northeastern ohio
while his family raised arabian horses and brittany spaniels and he grew up riding and showing horses maki went to college to double major in political science and history with the intention of going to law school
by the time i had a constitutional law course i realized i didnt want anything to do with any of that so i have a very liberal liberal-arts education he said
maki had learned farrier skills as a way to pay for law school so after trying out several career options including the military (which was ended after an injury) and working at a manufacturing plant he decided to attend horseshoeing school
he operated his own farriery for more than 10 years when he found that his profits were dwindling and he was literally working myself to death a friend emailed him a link for a job at texas a&m looking for its first full-time farrier and the rest as they say is history
a stable environment
today maki is one of only a few full-time farriers at veterinary colleges across the united states (five other veterinary schools have farriers)
after 10 years at texas a&m maki still lights up when he talks about his job he loves that each day brings something different that he has been able to cultivate his own client base and most importantly that he gets to be a part of the collaborative spirit that is embraced by the cvm faculty clinicians students and administrators
the beautiful thing about veterinary medicine at large and in my particular small role in taking care of horses feet is that theres always work to be done maki said theres always something new to learn and theres always a new way to look at somethingmultiple perspectives multiple modes of inputso its multifactorial; you never run out of things to think about
in addition to learning maki also has the opportunity to teach while there is no fourth-year rotation for farriers maki interacts with students through the cases that require his skills as well as a two-hour third-year skills lab he teaches that requires students to work on foot models by applying and removing shoes
we want to be proud of our didactic abilities and our knowledge we want to share our knowledge and we want to engage and make people answer their own questions he said but i have found the less i say in a physical lab the more they learn because im simply showing students what i want them to do why i want them to do it and then let them go (practice)
students will remember what they teach themselves so i give them a parameter to work within and offer tips when they encounter issues they struggle with he said they teach themselves how to physically do something and then they remember
working with so many people from such diverse backgrounds on a variety of cases and being exposed to new and changing technology also have allowed him to become better at his job
i am so lucky in the things that im exposed to the knowledge that i have been able to gain and the professionals i work with maki said i mean for any question i have there are two to three world-renowned experts at arms length so the educational opportunities are unending you absolutely cant beat it; youre forced to work collaboratively which makes the outcome better for everyone
socially everyone is treated respectfully and theres a much more open exchange of ideas up and down the food chain he said i love that about this place; i actually really enjoy that openness
looking for lessons
throughout the process of learning about and being treated for his cancer maki devoted a lot of time to researching its cause and inwardly contemplating what he was supposed to derive from his experience
i had a lot of time to think and i kept trying to figure out what the lesson was maki said before my diagnosis i was essentially having the conversation with myself that if i dont feel a horse is absolutely trustworthy im not going to work on it
well if i hadnt worked on that horse like the other one that i had declined earlier that week because i didnt feel that it would sedate well i never wouldve found out (about the cancer) he said
that lesson was compounded by what he concluded may have led to his cancerexposure to chemicals now known to cause kidney cancer without wearing a respirator at his manufacturing job all those years ago
its ironicthat bulldog mindset built the life that i have but it almost took it away as well; it wouldve killed me maki said so ive decided that has to be the lessoni have to realize that as a person and as an intellect i have value beyond what i can do; thats what i learned out of this
he also learned the value of familyhis lah family who offered him unending support during his recovery; his brotherhood of farriers who stepped in to help manage his caseload while he was out; and the family he goes home to every nighthis wife heather and daughters kelsey and carly his 19-year-old son ryan is a criminology major at cleveland state
i wouldnt trade those girls and heather for the world we have a wonderful life together all of us we always have fun and we always challenge each other to see new things he said i couldnt write a story to make my life any more perfect on that front
and then when it came right down to it and things got really scary my family was right thereto talk to to think about who always… he paused mid-thought you could see the terror in heathers face but she always responded rationally and reasonably and if i was getting too far out in left field she would bring me back in; she was the last face i saw before i went to sleep and the first one i saw when i woke up
i am the most blessed guy in the world maki concluded i have an amazing place to work i am blessed to be here and i am blessed to have the people around me that i do i wouldnt trade any of it for anything
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
dr ivan rusyn a professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) is one of texas a&m universitys first five faculty members to be bestowed the title of university professor
the designation of university professor recognizes faculty who have demonstrated significant and sustained accomplishments in their discipline earning national and international recognition the award also highlights the recipients commitment to inclusivity accountability climate and equity in their department college and throughout their service at texas a&m
we are extremely proud that dr ivan rusyn has been selected for this distinguished recognition said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m dr rusyn is an established national and international authority on complex problems in environmental health and human health assessments and is greatly deserving of an inaugural university professorship designation
as part of the award the holder also has the opportunity to name the professorship for retired emeritus or deceased texas a&m faculty member who has had an impact on their career and scholarship rusyn selected to name this professorship after the late professor kc donnelly former department head of environmental and occupational health at the school of public health at texas a&m who passed away on july 1 2009
this is a humbling honor rusyn said i am indebted to all of my current and past trainees and colleagues for their hard work and encouragement and feel that this honor is shared by all of them i also wish to recognize the legacy of kc donnelly one of the pioneers of environmental health and toxicology at texas a&m kc was and remains a role model and inspiration to many toxicologists who work to protect public health in texas united states and worldwide
kc donnelly was an environmental scientist who played a major role in the texas a&m university superfund project which is now directed by dr rusyn said dr stephen safe a distinguished professor in the cvms veterinary physiology & pharmacology (vtpp) kc was a wonderful colleague and mentor to students at this university and his many contributions to superfund research were recognized by the national institute of environmental health sciences (niehs) which annually awards kc donnelly externships for graduate student trainees to establish collaborations with other superfund centers thanks to dr rusyn and niehs for their recognition of kc
rusyn received his doctor of medicine degree from ukrainian state medical university in kyiv and his doctor of philosophy degree in toxicology from the university of north carolina at chapel hill where he was professor of environmental sciences and engineering until coming to texas a&m in 2014
in 2017 rusyn was awarded a five-year $10-million niehs grant for the establishment of the texas a&m superfund research center though which he and scientists from across texas a&m are conducting four environmental research projects that work to translate science into the practice of mitigating the health and environmental consequences of exposure to hazardous chemical mixtures
rusyns areas of research include toxicology and environmental health sciences especially developing highly mechanistic approaches to study the potential effects of environmental pollutants and other anthropogenic stressors on human health he also focuses on the mechanisms of action of environmental toxicants the genetic determinants of the susceptibility to toxicant-induced injury and computational toxicology
recipients of the university professor honor receive an annual stipend for three years and as faculty members in good standing they retain the title of university professorship throughout their career at the university
nominations for the distinction were submitted by department heads or deans and the finalists were selected by a university committee and approved by the provost
other recipients include: vladislav yakovlev biomedical engineering college of engineering; bhimanagouda patil horticultural sciences college of agriculture & life sciences; deborah bell-pederson biology college of science; and wendy jepson geography college of geosciences
for more information about the honorees and their professorship namesake visit the dean of faculties website
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
through a variety of projects focusing on reproductive science‚ dr charles long works to expand horizons in large animal research in a way that will benefit animals‚ industry‚ and humans
story by vandana suresh
dr charles long a professor in the department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology (vtpp) in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has dedicated his career to expanding the scope of reproductive science research at texas a&m university
since starting his own research group 15 years ago he has worked on a variety of projects to satisfy his intellectual curiosity tackling diverse topics that range from developing assisted reproductive techniques for livestock to investigating early embryonic development
long was always certain he wanted a career in animal sciences growing up on a small dairy farm in southern missouri he developed a close understanding of animal agriculture at a young age
dairy farming cattle operations pig operations i worked on all of those things he said
hence when it came time to pick a major for his undergraduate degree at the university of missouri he was quick to choose animal sciences
during his undergraduate years courses on reproductive biology and genetics piqued longs interest to explore his newfound interest further he applied for a work-study position in a research laboratory that was studying the genetics of reproduction
this research experience made a lasting impression on long
the whole idea of experimental design and doing experiments that no one else had donethat was pretty fascinating to me he said
although long greatly enjoyed research the decision to pursue it at the graduate level was made on his behalf
i was in the lab and my adviser comes in and says ‘i signed you up for grad school today youve got to take your gre and some other things but you will start graduate school as soon as you are done with your undergrad he said
for his masters project long studied the genetic mechanisms that control uterine size in mice he also picked up a new experimental technique following graduate schoolcloning
i was really excited about the potential of cloning he said my background in genetics allowed me to see the potential of using clones and assisted reproductive technologies to improve livestock particularly cattle sheep goats and pigs
shortly after obtaining a masters degree he joined granada biosciences a cattle-cloning company during his time at the company long became interested in the biological underpinnings of cloned animals particularly the environmental factors that affect their embryonic development
however he found it difficult to pursue these questions in industry thus he decided to go back to academia for his doctoral project at the university of massachusetts-amherst he investigated the differences in the development of embryos produced from cloning versus normal fertilization
after his phd long spent two years as a post-doctoral fellow at the united states department of agriculture then after spending another six years in industry long decided to leave it for good and join a research-driven academic institution
i wanted a position where i could direct my own research program he said
horsing around
since joining the reproductive science laboratory at texas a&m in 2004 long has worked alongside students and collaborators on a number of research projects currently two of his projects are funded by the link equine research endowment
in one project led by graduate student carlos pinzon his team is using genetic and cloning technology to prevent a disease called glycogen branching enzyme deficiency (gbed) in horses
gbed is an inherited genetic disorder newborn foals with gbed perish because they cannot properly store sugar in their bodies
to prevent gbed longs group removes the faulty gene that causes gbed from a carrier stallion and replaces it with the correct version the team then makes clones of these gene-corrected cells to ensure that stallions do not have gbed
these stallions cannot transmit gbed to their foals because they do not have the genetic mutation anymore he explained
for the second equine project longs graduate student cassandra skenandore is studying how well new anti-inflammatory treatments relieve arthritis similar to humans horses also suffer from diseases caused by excessive inflammation
currently there are a lot of drugs on the market for treating human inflammatory disease but there are limited options for horses she said
long noted that the goal of this project is to develop equine-specific therapeutics
we would like to be able to develop biotherapeutic molecules that are specific to horses he said and so if the animal has arthritis or other inflammatory diseases these molecules could be used to improve their quality of life
putting the ‘food in food animal
long is also devoting his research prowess to solving serious problems within the cattle industry as well as to projects that have translational implications
in one of those projects funded by the texas a&m agrilife research long in collaboration with fellow vtpp professor dr mark westhusin is using genetic technology to make cattle less susceptible to bovine respiratory diseases (brd) or shipping fever brd is estimated to cost the cattle industry billions of dollars each year
to treat brd veterinarians often use antibiotics however most antibiotics have side effects
when you use antibiotics you not only kill the bacteria that is producing the toxin but you also start affecting all of the animals microbiome particularly the good bacteria that is keeping these animals healthy long said
to minimize the use of antibiotics longs group is making small genetic changes in the cattle genome so that these genetically engineered animals are less susceptible to the brd-causing bacteria
while many of longs projects focus on improving health of large animals he is also working on a project that has a direct impact in human medicine he and his team have genetically engineered goats to produce proteins called antigens in their milk in particular these antigens can be used for developing vaccines against malaria
long pointed out that purifying antigens from goat milk is a cost-effective method of producing malaria vaccines furthermore he explained that with global temperatures on the rise infectious diseases such as malaria have the potential to spread to countries that lie beyond the tropics like the united states
its getting hotter in places where it wasnt before he said thats going to cause the pattern of disease outbreaks to change as well you just have to be prepared for that sort of thing
through his diverse research projects long has established enduring collaborations with researchers within texas a&m university and at other institutions he says he values these relationships tremendously
i have had the good fortune of working in the reproductive sciences group from the day i started at texas a&m university he said it has been incredibly rewarding to work with my colleagues drs (michael) golding westhusin and (duane) kraemer
as a research mentor long enjoys working with his students in developing their research ideas his students look up to him as a source of inspiration and motivation
one thing that dr long always says is ‘never let the sun go down without making some kind of progress the biggest lesson that he has tried to instill in me is to just do it skenandore said
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
cvm professor tom welshs research focus on how brahman cattle respond to stress will impact both the health of the animal and the health of the industry
story by ashli villarreal
many american beef producers raise angus-dominated herds but as worldwide temperatures increase there will be an increased need for tropically adapted animals brahman cattle do well in hot humid climates but they are often criticized for their negative and aggressive reactions to humans
crossbred cattle in the gulf coast states are part brahman but research about brahman genetics and molecular measurements is limited said dr tom welsh a professor who holds a dual appointment in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biosciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) and the college of agriculture & life sciences department of animal science
if climate change occurs as predicted we will have a greater and greater dependence on tropically adapted livestock welsh said brahman cattle have important genes to contribute to adaptability to heat humidity and parasites brahman are important theyre different and theyre going to be even more important at least as contributors to cross-breeding
most of the research from midwest schools use dairy or temperate beef breeds but these findings do not often translate to brahman cattle said welsh
to fill this gap welsh and dr ronald randel use the purebred brahman herd at the texas a&m agrilife research & extension center at overton texas to focus on how stress during pregnancy affects the health and productivity of brahman offspring
with funding from texas a&ms one health initiative grant welsh was part of a larger team that looked at how transportation during pregnancy affects cows offspring
they found that the prenatally stressed calves were more excitable reactive and aggressive toward humans and prenatally stressed male calves also had higher blood levels of cortisol a hormone that is released in response to a stressful situation and is also often called the fight-or-flight hormone
increased production of cortisol is associated with decreased immunity in people and cattle
stress responsiveness is negative to productivity welsh explained and prenatal stress supposedly leads to altered behavior more active adrenal systems and more stress response what we need to determine is if the cattle are more or less capable of mounting an immune response if theyve been prenatally stressed
welsh co-authored a paper that used the same calves from the one health initiative grant this project also found that cortisol and activity level were elevated in prenatally stressed calves while also indicating that cells in prenatally stressed calves were less able to signal for help when fighting off infections
welsh randel penny riggs and david riley at texas a&m agrilife research recently received funding from the us department of agriculture to focus on the use of blood cells as a surrogate measurement for determining how specific tissues or organs respond to stress the implications of this research could mean that dna from blood cells could be used to help predict future resistance to respiratory disease according to welsh
these samples could be taken from young animals so a producer would not have to wait and raise a calf until maturity to see how it will respond to stress choosing which calves will be the most productive is an economical decision that every producer must make
recently welsh applied for funding to investigate the effects of prenatal stress on telomere length telomeres on the ends of the chromosomes protect dna when a cell divides telomere length decreases as aging increases and stress seems to accelerate telomere shortening welsh said
along with health impacts welshs research also has economic impacts welsh aims to determine if telomere length can be used to predict the longevity of a productive animal in a herd a cow needs to produce four to six calves before she begins to bring a profit to the producer
cattle producersspecifically those in west texasreceive cattle across the gulf coast and these cattle often have some portion of brahman to improve their adaptation to hot humid climates they are often transported multiple times before reaching their destination and cattle from different producers are often mixed together and may be exposed to other animals harboring viral or bacterial pathogens
during transportation cattle may have inadequate access to or dislike their new food or water which may cause cattle to refuse to eat or drink resulting in dehydration the stress from multiple transportations coupled with stress from decreased food or water intake can decrease cattles ability to fight off infection welsh said
determining how brahman-cross cattle respond to stress and being able to predict their respiratory response to stress would allow west texas cattle producers to receive healthier calves welsh explained receiving healthier calves would mean producers would be able to avoid giving cattle antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance in beef cattle is a public health concern
being able to have markers for stress responsiveness would allow producers to select cattle that tolerate stress better animals that respond better to stress are more productive so welshs research could lead to cattle that are healthier require fewer antibiotics and have a greater production yield
welsh did not grow up around cattle but was exposed to agriculture through 4-h and ffa while in school he was exposed to the research process when he joined dr bryan johnsons lab at north carolina state during his undergraduate career
the experience allowed him to see that science depends on curiosity not only does science require curiosity; it also should include collaboration welsh says
collaboration expands the impact of the research expands the depth with which one can investigate a question he said
the beef industry is a significant component of us agriculture supplying nutrient-dense food for domestic consumption and for export to international customers about 45 percent of the nations beef cows the primary source of the calves that enter the food chain via the texas and oklahoma feedlots live in oklahoma and texas
to improve the health and feedlot performance of calves from the gulf coast and southeastern states welsh and randel developed an interstate collaborative research team with cvms dr sara lawhon; drs scott willard and rhonda vann of mississippi state university; and drs nicole burdick sanchez and jeff carroll of the usda agricultural research services in lubbock texas
through the teams research projects undergraduate graduate and veterinary students from west texas a&m texas a&m texas tech and mississippi state have gained experience with interdisciplinary teams
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
cvm ambassador rebecca gooder is building community relationships as she guides visitors around the college and interacts with customers at the local producers cooperative
story by megan myers
rebecca gooder maintains a busy schedule as a third-year veterinary student who works both as a texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) ambassador and a customer service representative at producers cooperative in bryan one of the largest local agricultural supply cooperatives in the nation
producers cooperative is a member-owned association in the brazos valley with about 10 000 members
although gooder is currently the only cvm student working in the supply division the cooperative has a history of hiring texas a&m students
according to hope bay moriarty a division manager at the cooperatives bryan location a&m students make excellent employees they use their jobs as opportunities to learn more about the agricultural industry and to strengthen their customer service skills and work habits
moriarty mentioned that gooder in particular demonstrates outstanding character and has built up a very positive reputation among customers and co-workers
rebecca is a superstar here moriarty said she is always honest kind courteous and very knowledgeable we have many customers who will wait to have rebecca check them out or help them because of their past experiences with her
since gooder began working at producers cooperative in 2014 she has assisted and advised customers on their agricultural needs she says she has enjoyed getting to work with customers and learn more about the agricultural products she sells
being in a customer service-type job i have the opportunity to interact with a lot of different people she said having the ability to effectively communicate and build relationships has served me well at producers and it certainly will as a veterinarian as well
gooder has also used her job as an opportunity to expand upon the information she is learning in her veterinary classes
at school ive learned for example all about bovine respiratory disease at work i have the opportunity to familiarize myself with all of the various vaccines to prevent respiratory disease as well as the antibiotics that treat respiratory disease gooder said
her job she said is a mutually beneficial relationship between herself and the customers
as much as i enjoy sharing my knowledge with customers i am able to learn just as much from them through the experiences they share with me she said
in addition to working at the cooperative gooder serves as a cvm ambassador leading tours of the college for prospective students and encouraging them to apply
i took a tour of the veterinary school when i first moved to college station and i remember being so appreciative of all the insight i gained from the ambassador leading the tour gooder said i thought ‘gosh i want to be able to impact someone one day the way she impacted me
raised in california gooder became interested in agriculture at a very early age
i grew up with horses and always thought i would become an equine veterinarian gooder said but through my high school participation in ffa i fell in love with agriculture
after high school gooder knew she wanted a career that could combine her interests in veterinary medicine and agriculture
i started off my college career at cal poly san luis obispo as an agricultural communications major but after enrolling in a general dairy husbandry course i took a giant leap of faith and changed my major to dairy science with a concentration in pre-veterinary studies she said
after graduating from the cvm gooder hopes to work for a dairy practice in the san joaquin valley of california doing dairy production medicine she has gained experience in dairy medicine through many externships and internships including at threemile canyon farms in boardman oregon and daisy farms in paris texas
she said one of her internships at agrivision farm management in hartley texas was what inspired her to move to texas and pursue her veterinary degree
one of her best memories at the cvm was the opportunity to be a part of the grand opening of veterinary & biomedical education complex (vbec) in november 2016
as an ambassador and proud texas a&m veterinary student it was really exciting to be there that day and experience such a monumental moment for our school she said
with producers cooperative her cvm ambassador position and her veterinary classes gooder has certainly acquired a variety of learning opportunities that will set her up to one day be a great veterinarian
i cant wait to see what amazing things rebecca accomplishes after veterinary school moriarty said she is the kind of person who makes a difference at whatever she is doing and wherever she is; she certainly has made a difference here at producers cooperative
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
dr noah cohen and his fellow cvm researchers help discover new strategy to protect foals from deadly infection
story by callie rainosek
researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have helped successfully develop a strategy to protect foals from developing a common and severe form of pneumonia by vaccinating pregnant mares weeks before giving birth
pneumonia which is potentially deadly in foals between 3 and 6 months of age is commonly caused by the bacterium rhodococcus equi
r equi frequently infects the lungs of foals causing symptoms such as fever and coughing however by the time symptoms are present the infection is well-progressed and more difficult to treat with antibiotics
because of this some veterinarians choose to treat foals without symptoms with antibiotics to reduce the risk of severe disease or even death this practice however raises the risk of r equi becoming antibiotic resistant
thats why clinician-scientists such as dr noah cohen are developing strategies that include vaccines immune system stimulants and new types of antibacterial drugs to protect foals against r equi and other bacterial infections without the use of antibiotics
advantageous antibodies
within the cvms department of large animal clinical sciences cohen is a professor in large animal internal medicine and the associate department head for research and graduate studies in collaboration with researchers at harvard medical school cohen was recently co-senior author on a study published in the scientific journal plos pathogens the study described the first vaccine effective against r equi in foals
the study led by cvm graduate assistant joana rocha and dr colette cywes-bentley assistant professor at the harvard medical school compared the susceptibility to pneumonia caused by r equi between foals born to vaccinated mares and foals born to unvaccinated mares
study results indicated that the vaccine protected foals from r equi pneumonia and that this protection was mediated by antibodies transferred from mares to their foals via colostrum (the first form of milk produced by the mammary glands)
vaccination of mares during late pregnancy is routinely practiced to protect foals cohen explained vaccination during pregnancy is necessary because unlike humans horses lack the ability to transfer antibodies to their fetuses via the placenta consequently foals rely on receiving antibodies through their mares colostrum during the first few days of life to provide them with immune protection
at 4 weeks of age researchers tested the resistance to r equi in foals that were born to mares that had been vaccinated
eleven of the 12 foals born to mares that had been vaccinated did not develop r equi pneumonia in a control group of seven mares that did not receive a vaccine against r equi six of the seven foals born to these mares developed pneumonia after exposure to r equi at 4 weeks of age all foals infected with r equi pneumonia in this study recovered
these results indicate that the vaccine given to mares during pregnancy is an effective way to protect foals against r equi pneumonia
our study is the first vaccine to have demonstrated efficacy to protect foals against pneumonia caused by r equi cohen said after many years of trying this appears to be a breakthrough
a strategy that emphasizes the prevention of r equi pneumonia is especially significant considering that the bacterium is ubiquitous in the environment
we find r equi in different aspects of the environment including soil and horse feces so foals are exposed to r equi from the moment they are born said angela bordin an assistant professor of immunology and infectious disease at the cvm
bordin who also took part in the research study added it is not known why some foals develop pneumonia from exposure to r equi and some do not vaccinating the mares however seems to protect most of the foals
a global health problem
establishing a vaccine to protect foals against r equi pneumonia would not only save foals lives but also would help lower the risk of r equi becoming antibiotic resistant
cohen and his colleagues have already documented the emergence of resistance to the class of antibiotics most effective and commonly used to treat r equi pneumonia in foals therefore it is of utmost importance to reduce the use of antibiotics used to treat this disease
however the threat of antibiotic-resistant r equi is just one example of why it is important to reduce the general use of antimicrobials cohen said that antimicrobial resistance is a global health problem in both human and veterinary medicine
cohen hopes this study will help shift the emphasis of treating r equi pneumonia with antibiotics to a method that will help the patients immune response protect them against infection creating a vaccine to prevent the development of r equi pneumonia is of global importance cohen said
one especially exciting aspect of the success of this vaccine is that it suggests the possibility of protecting foals against other bacterial infections however more research is needed to know for sure
cohen noted that any future research will continue to keep the health and safety of the mare and foal a top priority
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
in one of the states longest-running interagency agreements cvm fourth-year veterinary students provide care to animals raised in tdcjs prison units and in turn get hands-on experience in herd health management and population medicine
story & photos by chantal cough-schulze
across texas there are 104 prison units at 42 of those units there are inhabitants that some might not expect: multitudes of horses cows pigs chickens and dogs
the cows pigs and chickens are raised to help feed the prison population and the horses and dogs are raised to help with security the animals day-to-day care is handled by the offendersbut the animals still need regular medical care
for that texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) steps in partnering with the texas department of criminal justice (tdcj) to provide veterinary care to tdcjs farm operations in one of the longest-term interagency agreements between state agencies
nobody knows exactly when or how the partnership started said dr brandon dominguez a clinical associate professor in the cvms department of large animal clinical sciences (vlcs) who oversees the program for the cvm but with time weve built this relationship where we trust tdcj with what they do really well which is security and raising animals and they trust us with what we do really well which is providing veterinary care and teaching veterinary students
its a win-win for both organizations agreed bobby lumpkin tdcjs division director for manufacturing agribusiness and logistics if we didnt have the partnership with texas a&m who would provide veterinary care for our cattle and livestock it also benefits a&m because were a&ms biggest laboratory for the students
across that laboratory there are more than 10 000 cattle 1 400 horses 19 000 swine 1 200 dogs and a quarter million chickens the diversity and quantity of animals housed at the prison units gives veterinary students a unique opportunity to learn about herd health management and population medicine
every two weeks five fourth-year veterinary students on the mixed animal equine or food animal tracks do a rotation working with tdcj animals the work starts early and takes students all over the state the students dominguez and two other supervising professors dr jennifer fridley and dr eric kneese visit 13 of the 42 locations regularly and visit the remaining locations quarterly or semiannually
we usually start our day at about 6:30 in the morning and drive to whatever unit were working on that day dominguez said there are units stretched from mcallen to dalhart and from el paso to just outside of texarkana so sometimes we have overnight trips
when the cvm team arrives they get to work assisted by the tdcj farm managers and trustees the nonviolent short-term offenders who provide the day-to-day animal care
depending on what is necessary each day the work could range from doing pregnancy examinations on cows to deworming horses or doing surgery on dogs dominguez said we might also float teeth in horses collect blood from pigs or chickens for regulatory work or examine animals that are sick or injured
by providing veterinary care for the animals that tdcj raises to support the offenders veterinary students are also helping the texas economy
tdcjs agriculture program and the animals we raise are very important for the agency as they help provide food security and job skills for the offenders said ron hudson tdcjs deputy division director for manufacturing agribusiness and logistics texas a&m provides our animals with veterinary care and students also provide assessments such as nutritional values (of the feed) the livestock consume if tdcj didnt have a partnership for the veterinary service it would be a challenge logistically and economically to assure the health of the animals over such a vast area
but the partnership between tdcj and the cvm provides so much more than just an economic benefit it gives veterinary students the opportunity to apply their understanding of individual animal care at a population level
in the tdcj rotation there are a lot of opportunities to see how larger operations manage their herds said trent dozier a fourth-year veterinary student from abilene who is focusing on large animal medicine its been really beneficial
working with a population of animals changes the equation of care students must consider the range of possible problems and assess how each problem applies to the entire herd such as with pregnancy rates
we try to piece together the full story to see what we need to do to give all those cows a better chance at becoming pregnant dominguez said
getting hands-on herd-level experience also helps students gain confidence as it did for danielle garnier a fourth-year veterinary student from houston who would like to do her residency in small animal surgery
i had not felt super comfortable doing some large animal things like tubing horses in emergencies garnier said but after this rotation i feel 100 percent ready to do that should the need arise
dominguez lumpkin and hudson are encouraged by the success of the rotation and are looking forward to expanding the partnership
going forward tdcj is moving toward the holistic angle weve discussed letting the students assess the cattle pre-birth and after-birth and conduct assessments on pastures for improvement hudson said we continue to build on our relationship to make the partnership stronger by learning ways to offer a&m students experiences that will benefit them post-graduation and collaborating to utilize the available services a&m can offer tdcj
for dominguez the partnership has become a full-circle experience; he did the tdcj rotation himself when he was a veterinary student in the cvm he joined the cvm as a faculty member in 2010 after completing his masters degree in epidemiology and a few years in general practice
when i came through vet school i had a strong desire to go into mixed animal practice dominguez said but in the back of my mind i wanted to come back and teach with this partnership we have a unique arrangement where we can give the students a lot of free reign to make decisions and practice all the skills that weve taught them in the first three-plus years of vet school and let them really learn to become veterinarians in a rural mixed-animal setting the students do the procedures (and) make the decisions and i step in and help when they need it
for victoria mundo a fourth-year veterinary student from cypress who wants to work in small animal general practice this supported independence has made all the difference
were not just sitting back and watching a resident or intern do a procedure mundo said here we get to float all of the teeth; we get to work with the pigs; we get to do the procedures there have been a lot of early mornings but its fantastic
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
chelsea burleson the cvms lead student ambassador has been a horse woman all of her life
story by megan myers
when chelsea burleson was 8 years old she visited texas a&m university and the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) for the first time and immediately knew that this was where she was meant be
now a third-year veterinary student burleson works to give others that same experience as the leader of the cvm ambassador program
how surreal it was to be accepted at a&m and walk again through the large animal hospital but this time as an ambassador representing an institution whose reputation has carried around the globe burleson said
since beginning her role as an ambassador in 2015 burleson has personally led more than 100 tours of the college she helped re-design the tour route to incorporate the new vbec complex and was promoted to lead ambassador in may 2017
as the lead ambassador i arrange visits for a variety of guestsprospective students special interest organizations and even college patrons she said i also train our incredible team of biomedical sciences and doctor of veterinary medicine students to effectively communicate with the range of individuals wishing to learn more about our college
ive made substantial efforts to ensure that visitors come away with a better understanding of veterinary medicine and the cvms role in training veterinarians burleson said at the very core i enjoy being a resource for others and am incredibly moved when visitors report that our tours have had a significant impact on them
despite having moved multiple times growing up even living as far away as england burleson found that horses always remained a constant in her life
my mother and i are equestrians through-and-through and horses have defined a significant role in my life since my earliest memories burleson said
originally from california burleson began helping with her mothers thoroughbred breeding operation at a very early age she began riding lessons at 4 years old competing in numerous jumping competitions
as a young child she fell in love with a black pony named timmy that she received on her sixth birthday
when the burleson family moved to texas in 1997 timmy suffered health problems because of the change in climate burlesons parents had to make the tough decision to send timmy back to california where he thrived again teaching other children to ride
it was probably the first heartbreak id ever experienced–that pony meant the world to me burleson said the connection between an equestrian and her horse is quite different from that of the connection between a pet owner and their companion both are extremely significant but there is a very special relationship between humans and animals that work together toward a common goal
when her family moved to england in 2001 her passion for horses grew even further she said the significance placed on horses by the english including the royal family helped strengthen her love for both horses and competition she was even able to meet princess anne while involved with the garth hunt pony club
burleson continued to compete in england where she had to adapt to a european jumping style
it was initially challenging to transition from the methodical cadence of american hunter classes to the european jumper style she said but i learned how to tackle complex courses and speed across rolling english terrain; the energy was thrilling and the landscapes were enchanting
both she and her mother fell in love with the english equestrian culture during their time overseas so much so that when the burlesons returned to the united states in 2010 they brought with them their two competition geldings her mother was also inspired to renew her breeding operation this time with warmblood prospects
after graduating from the cvm burleson plans to help advise her parents who now own a horse ranch in colorado where the family breeds holsteiner warmbloods with the intention of developing foals that will become international competitors
aside from that with one year left of veterinary school burleson is still deciding what career path she will take after graduation
as an undergraduate studying animal behavior at bucknell university in lewisburg pennsylvania burleson developed a special interest in primatology while studying social behaviors of capuchins squirrel monkeys and hamadryas baboons and hopes to incorporate that passion into her career
ive considered everything from private practice with companion animals and horses to epidemiology and laboratory animal medicine burleson said im inspired by the diversity of this profession the many avenues a veterinarian can take throughout her career i cant wait to see where i go next
###
note: this story originally appeared in the 2019 spring edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
dr jörg m steiner a professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) has been awarded the highest faculty honor bestowed upon a scholar at texas a&m university with the title of university distinguished professor
the designation conferred by a panel of past recipients identifies faculty members who are preeminent in their fields and who have made at least one landmark contribution to their discipline with their research and advancements considered central to any narrative of the field
this recognition feels fantastic and it makes me proud on many levels if you look at the entire list of people who have been recognized there are people on there who have been hugely impactful not on just one segment of research but on society said steiner who also serves as the dr mark morris chair in small animal gastroenterology and nutrition
the proudest thing for me is that as far as i know im the first clinical investigator whos ever been recognized with this award he said for years and years clinician scientists we have always been sort of perceived as not really being researchers but more as being clinicians who write a few papers here and there to get this recognition means yes clinician scientists can play a role in the field
a small animal and comparative gastroenterologist steiner came to texas a&m in 1997 as a graduate research assistant after earning his phd from the cvm in veterinary microbiology in 2000 he joined the faculty as a clinical assistant professor and co-director of the gastrointestinal laboratory in 2005 he was named director of the gi lab and in 2011 attained the rank of full professor
the work dr steiner has done while at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has had an immense impact on the field of veterinary gastroenterology including the development of diagnostic tests that are run millions of times a year in laboratories around the world said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m we are very proud of all that dr steiner has accomplished and the title of distinguished professor is one that has been well earned
dr steiners contributions to veterinary medicine and healthcare more broadly are outstanding said dr jonathan levine department head and the helen mcwhorter chair in vscs he directs a field-leading laboratory that serves veterinarians and clients throughout the world he is continuously and fearlessly innovating by building new diagnostic tests for prevalent diseases and exploring novel treatments for these challenging diseases there are few other veterinarians who have helped our profession toward excellence to the extent that dr steiner has
one of his biggest contributions to the profession commercially was the result of the work he did for his phd developing a diagnostic tool for pancreatitis
what made it very satisfying for me was that not only did we develop this assay we commercialized it with idexx and then it started a really tight collaboration with idexx; we helped them further develop the assay and it really became a close collaboration that has helped jumpstart many other projects steiner said
his other accomplishments including his work with students who go on to contribute to the field have been much more impactful to him
there are other discoveries that we have made that might not affect as many animals (by numbers alone) but in terms of how it changed the profession are maybe more important he said a great example is a diagnostic test we developed for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; before there was no diagnostic test so veterinarians didnt diagnose it its one of those things that when youre not looking for it you dont find it
we did a study in the mid 90s and one cat per year would get diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and now were diagnosing a thousand cats with this disease every year he said that to me is an impact on the profession that is real
the six other new university distinguished professors inducted at a may 8 ceremony on may 8 are: francois p gabbaï department of chemistry college of science; roger e howe department of teaching learning and culture college of education and human development; valerie m hudson department of international affairs the bush school of government and public service; richard miles department of aerospace engineering college of engineering; dorothy shippen department of biochemistry and biophysics college of agriculture and life sciences; and kirk o winemiller department of wildlife and fisheries sciences college of agriculture & life sciences
more information including a complete list of university distinguished professors is available online at: http://doftamuedu/awards-and-honors/university-distinguished-professor
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
dr scott v dindot an associate professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) is one of three faculty members from across the texas a&m campus to be recognized with a 2019 innovation award
the award presented during the texas a&m technology commercializations (ttc) annual patent and innovation awards luncheon on april 18 acknowledges researchers whose work exemplifies the spirit of innovation within the texas a&m university system
i am truly honored by this award and am grateful for the opportunity to pursue this area of research at texas a&m university dindot said
dindot who also holds a joint appointment with the texas a&m college of medicine works with a specific gene implicated in a rare disorder angelman syndrome and has developed a targeted drug therapyantisense oligonucleotidethat may provide a solution
he has filed two patent applications for this innovation and has licensed his innovations to genetx biotherapies llc
he received his doctorate in genetics from texas a&m working under the guidance of dr jorge piedrahita and completed postdoctoral training in genetics and epigenetics as a national institutes of health (nih) fellow at baylor college of medicine
during the luncheon ttc also presented four patent plaques to dr luc berghman who holds a joint appointment as a professor in the vtpp department and in the college of agriculture & life sciences for his work on vaccine vectors and immunological responses
in total 49 patent awards were presented to 53 faculty members and other researchers from the a&m system whose inventions received protection from the us patent and trademark office during 2018
the process of developing and patenting our innovations is integral to how texas a&m university approaches its mission as a land-grant research institution said vice president for research mark a barteau said first patents serve the public by providing a clear path for innovations to move from the laboratory to the marketplace second they provide important revenue streams for the a&m system and our researchers third for every dollar we receive from these revenue streams we generate $140 in research reinvestments
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
while dogs may have the reputation for being the friendliest of the companion animals cats actually outnumber dogs in us households
according to the american association of feline practitioners (aafp) more than 86 million cats compared to 78 million dogs reside with families in america yet dogs seem to receive more consistent and regular veterinary health care than their feline counterparts
to make the texas a&m small animal hospital (sah) more comfortable for all of our (sometimes) furriest friends sah staff members have worked over the past five years to implement changes to make the hospital more cat friendly
for their work the texas a&m hospital was recently recognized with a gold standard designation as a cat friendly practice by the aafp
whether its a routine checkup or special visit the staff at the small animal hospital is committed to ensuring that cats get the best care to further its dedication the hospital recently implemented the cat friendly practice (cfp) program to offer pet owners more at every phase of the cats health care process said dr jonathan levine professor and helen mcwhorter chair in small animal clinical sciences (vscs) through their work the hospital staff has distinguished themselves as one of only a few teaching hospitals in the united states to earn the gold level designation
the cat friendly practice (cfp) program was pioneered by the aafp to provide a framework for creating a positive practice environment for cats including medical care that supports the cats unique needs and knowledgeable staff members who understand feline-friendly handling
the gold standard status is awarded to practices that have incorporated the optimum level of cat friendly criteria
practices that aspire to achieve cat friendly status create a cat friendly environment by completing a cfp checklist outlining required guidelines and submitting an online application for review by the aafp
the sah has worked to achieve the designation by creating separate waiting areas for cats and dogs as well as separate ward areas and cat housing all of which reduces feline stress
at a cfp-designated clinic the veterinary staff incorporates cat-friendly features into the physical environment of the practice including special waiting rooms or waiting accommodations feline-sensitive examination rooms and ward facilities and equipment appropriate specifically for cats
staff members also approach cat care in a different manner the staff learns how to understand the needs of the cat such as how to interpret a cats facial expression and body language
furthermore the staff is well-trained in alternate techniques to calm an anxious cat and ensure that exams and procedures do not escalate anxiety
texas a&m has a long-standing history of focusing on feline issues said dr audrey cook associate professor and internist at the sah achieving aafp gold standard recognition just builds on our commitment to providing excellent care to cats
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) recognized six alumni for their commitment service and leadership in the veterinary and biomedical sciences fields as well as to their communities
the annual outstanding alumni reception and dinner held on april 26 at the doug pitcock 49 texas a&m hotel & conference center honored 2019 outstanding alumni award winners anmarie macfarland sydney moise d phillip sponenberg nicole thompson stoneburg peggy t tinkey and rising star award winner cassandra tansey
we are honored and privileged to recognize our former students and the impact of their work on our college our state our nation and the world said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine these alumni are ambassadors for the cvm and we are proud of their commitment to service education and leadership
dr anmarie macfarland has devoted her career to both veterinary medicine and paving a path for women to lead in the field
at the age of 10 macfarland knew she was going to become a veterinarian but at that time there were not many women in the profession to serve as role models for young girls
through hard work and determination however she realized her vision graduating with biomedical sciences and doctor of veterinary medicine degrees from texas a&m
not long after beginning her professional career several veterinarians with whom macfarland worked saw her potential as a future leader
despite the fact that there were not many female veterinarians serving in professional leadership roles at that time macfarland again rose to the challenge anticipating both the role she could play within organized veterinary medicine but also the impact her leadership might have on other female veterinarians who came behind her
in 2008 she became the third woman to serve as president of the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) and in 2015 became the first woman president of the southwest veterinary symposiums (swvs) board of managers
dr macfarland was an excellent tvma president she is the type of executive committee member who was known by her ‘lets roll up our sleeves and get to work attitude one nominator said her presidency was defined by her work ethic; she took on the colossus task of reviewing the internal procedures of tvma and assisted in the completion of rewriting the tvmas bylaws
in addition to her hard work and her reputation for servicegarnered through years of committee membership and leadership in both tvma and swvsshe also developed a reputation for bringing people and groups together
i stand in awe of all the outstanding accomplishments of this great veterinary leader the nominator said i am impressed by her extreme work ethic for our profession her ability to forge relationship between groups and her outstanding reputation as a veterinary practitioner
during this time macfarland a diplomate of the american board of veterinary practitioners worked as a partner at loop 410 veterinary hospital in san antonio where she remains responsible for half of the caseload mainly comprising of geriatric medicine and chronic disease management for dogs and cats as well as wellness care
for all of this work she was recognized in 2017 as the tvma companion animal practitioner of the year and as the recipient of the southwest veterinary symposium visionary award
dr macfarland has long been recognized as a progressive practitioner and leader in the field of veterinary medicine another nominator said she began working at loop 410 veterinary hospital in 1984 while an undergraduate at texas a&m even back then i knew her future in veterinary medicine was bright because she was focused had an exceptional work ethic for someone her age an outstanding personality and lots of enthusiasm
dr sydney moise has poured her heart into canine cardiology
an internationally recognized scholar and educator who earned her bachelors and doctor of veterinary medicine degrees from texas a&m moise has devoted her career to cardiac rhythms and cardiovascular defects in dogs
for more than 30 years she has served at cornell university now as a professor of medicine in its college of veterinary medicine and an affiliated bioengineering faculty member in its bioengineering program
she has received more than a million dollars in funding to study canine ventricular arrhythmias sinus node dysfunction the mechanisms of degeneration of the mitral valve and the patterning and beat-to- beat heart rate variability of normal and abnormal rhythms
dr moises accomplishments since joining the cornell faculty in the mid- 1980s deserve special acknowledgement she is talented in all aspects of clinical cardiology and is responsible for the development of interventional cardiology and echocardiography at the cornell university cvm over the past 30 years one nominator said she is world-renowned for her expertise in electrocardiology and is one of the few veterinary cardiologists who have championed the utility of electrophysiology in clinical practice
in fact dr moise is one of the few veterinarians to have contributed meaningfully to discovering mechanisms of naturally occurring lethal arrhythmias affecting dogs the molecular basis of rhythm disturbances and development of clinical applications for arrhythmia management the nominator continued
she learns continuously from each clinical case and uses that knowledge to improve compassionate care for each pet one nominator said (and) many of her research studies are directly relevant to electrophysiologic characteristics of the same arrhythmias in humans
as a scholar moise has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters has served as an editor-in-chief and associate editor for the international journal of veterinary cardiology and has given presentations around the world including in the united arab republic europe thailand brazil china and russia among many others
for her work she has been awarded the american veterinary medical association research award for arrhythmia studies and the bourgelat award for international contribution to the clinical practice of veterinary medicine
in addition moise is a beloved mentor and educator having received the norden teaching award presented by the association of american veterinary medical colleges for distinguished teaching
sydney possesses a highly scientific mind that allows her to analyze in detail the complex natural phenomena concretizing them with diagnostic methods for all the levels of knowledge another nominator said she is a fantastic human being full of initiative and able to motivate people to human and professional growth
the words rare and dr phillip sponenberg go hand-in-hand both in describing him as a person and his academic focus on conservation
sponenberg a professor in virginia techs virginia-maryland college of veterinary medicines (vmcvm) department of pathobiology earned his bachelors and doctor of veterinary medicine degrees at texas a&m before completing his doctor of philosophy in veterinary medicine from cornell university
even as an undergraduate he stood out among his peers according to one nominator
during our conversations it became readily apparent that phil was very bright and had already thoughtfully envisioned his veterinary career focused on reproductive pathology and conservation genetics of domestic animals; in particular he was intrigued by the genetics of equine hair coat color the nominator said subsequently dr sponenberg fulfilled that vision with a long and exceptionally distinguished professional career in research teaching and service
that distinguished career at vmcvm which began in 1981 has been marked by his being the youngest faculty member to have been promoted to the rank of full professor and by his serious commitment to service across all dimensions of academic activity
phils academic career has been a relatively even mix of research service and teaching this is a mix that is becoming increasingly rare as faculty are currently hired to emphasize mostly one of these missions another nominator said he has received recognition for excellence in all three of these missions
while his teaching efforts include decades of instruction in pathology reproduction necropsy and veterinary geneticsmaking positive impacts on hundreds of veterinary studentshis service to his students and field span performing advisory roles for student groups as well as a host of university and association advisory and service committees
as superb as phils teaching and service are his work in international and national conservation genetics and livestock breeds conservation eclipse those career accomplishments the nominator said
within his academic interestswhich include reproductive pathology conservation principles conservation genetics and coat colorhe has produced 431 publications for the lay public 109 scientific journal articles 13 major books 31 book chapters and 174 invited presentations for breed associations
phils contributions to the conservation of livestock genetic resources have filled a void in the united states where he is a leader in this effort to assure a secure and viable future for food production a nominator said he is unique among academicians in north america with this interest and with his long contributions to this area
for these efforts sponenberg has been recognized extensively at vmcvm including the teaching hospital lifetime service award and excellence in outreach award; as the virginia veterinary medical associations 2017 distinguished virginia veterinarian; and as an honorary member of the american college of theriogenology among many others
clearly professor sponenberg has left his indelible mark on the future world-wide conservation of domestic animal species a nominator said
lt col nicole thompson stoneburg has dedicated her life to the us air force and the health of our nation through deployment disaster response and daily military nursing needs
a texas a&m biomedical sciences graduate stoneburg has always had a strong desire to help others she began her nursing career in 1998 at houstons herman memorial childrens hospital; in 1999 she was compelled to serve her country by joining the us air force serving first as a clinical nurse for the us air force academy before moving up the ranks to her current position as inspector general for the 11th wing at joint base andrews maryland
with years of leadership experience stoneburg now oversees the daily operations for the 11th wing inspection and complaints departments she puts great emphasis on resolving complaints protecting the rights of all personnel and ensuring the members of the 11th wing are ready to execute both in-garrison and deployed missions
lt col nicole stoneburg is a superb military officer skilled medical professional distinguished combat veteran and a top-tier leader one nominator said she is demonstrating the powerful combination of hard work initiative adherence to values and a superb educational foundation
stoneburg showed bravery and leadership directing crews in providing life-saving medical care while deployed to iraq and afghanistan as well as while serving in new orleans after hurricane katrina
nicole is always ready to save lives and care for those in need another nominator said she has continually distinguished herself as a leader and innovator as she made positive differences in the lives of thousands across the world
in addition to her nursing experience stoneburg has taken charge on several initiatives to standardize military medical care and evidence collection to ensure the best treatment for sexual assault victims
in 2012 stoneburg was one of 23 air force officers and the only air force nurse to be selected to serve as a legislative fellow in the us congress and military advisor to former california sen barbara boxer
as a congressional fellow nicole drafted legislation to improve military medical treatment for victims of sexual assault a nominator said later signed into law as part of the fiscal year 2015 national defense authorization act her tenacious efforts have improved treatment for sexual assault victims across the entire department of defense
a parent herself stoneburg has also dedicated much of her life to improving child care at the child development centers at joint base andrews she has volunteered hundreds of hours to teach emergency child medicine and serve on the parent advisory council
throughout the years stoneburg has earned many awards and medals including the air medal air force achievement medal the meritorious service medal and the flight nurse instructor of the year award
the foundation of being an excellent nurse is a fundamental care and understanding of peoples needs in hopes to make their lives better one nominator said she has continually exemplified those traits and proven her desire to use her skills to improve her patients health and the nursing field
while dr peggy tinkey was an accomplished private practice veterinarian for many years her decision to join the university of texas md anderson cancer center allowed her to truly impact the efforts to make cancer history
retiring in january tinkey served at md anderson for 25 years as a professor and eventually chair in the md anderson department of veterinary medicine and surgerys division of basic science research
in this role she served as a valued resource for technique development and administration of the animal care and use program for the research community which included 10 facultyveterinarians and 148 staff and also oversaw a budget of more than $14 million in support of the research activities of more than 300 principal investigators
dr tinkey is an outstanding leader who has directed a very large animal care program at one of the largest academic medical centers in the country one nominator said in her role as the attending veterinarian at md anderson she has represented veterinary medicine in a very complex academic research environment and she directed an animal care program that is viewed as exemplary by her veterinary colleagues across the country
her work with the association for assessment and accreditation of laboratory animal care (aaalac) international also has helped raise the standard of veterinary care at institutions across the united states and in other countries
through her service on (aaalac) council on accreditation dr tinkey has positively impacted the welfare of thousands of animals of diverse species a nominator said she embraces the principle of providing a high standard of professional leadership through active service both within her own institution and the broader community she clearly has a heart for service to the scientific community and the welfare of animals
tinkeys passion for and long track record of sharing her knowledge and love of medicine led her to play an instrumental role in the development of the gulf coast consortium (gcc) veterinary clinical residency in laboratory animal medicinea collaborative endeavor between md anderson baylor college of medicine and uthealth–which went on to successfully win a $500 000 national institutes of health r25 veterinary training grant that provided funding for a three-year veterinary residency program for three residents
she also co-edited the book patient derived tumor xenograft models: promise potential and practice which presents the results of the first ever global survey on standards of patient derived xenograft development and usage in academia and industry
her dedication to educating the next generation of doctors led to her return to her alma mater texas a&mfrom which she earned bachelors and her doctor of veterinary medicine degreesto serve a dual appointment as an associate professor in the college of medicines department of pathology
one of her greatest attributes is her ability to mentor colleagues in the research field a nominator said through all her years of practice animal welfare has been her top priority with human welfare a close second
as a senior clinical veterinarian for the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) dr cassandra tansey works to ensure both humans and animals are safe from zoonotic diseases
working at the cdc since she completed her doctor of veterinary medicine degree at texas a&m tansey now serves as an expert on global zoonotic disease surveillance and epidemiology and oversees the cdcs veterinary medicine clinical care program among other responsibilities
i continue to be impressed by her work ethic thoughtfulness and ambition one nominator said she frequently assists scientific investigators in our high containment laboratory a remarkable accomplishment in gaining researchers trust in an environment where small accidents can become life-threatening
as a primary responder for the cdcs global rapid response team designed to increase the cdcs capacity to respond to global health threats tansey served as the cdc emergency operations center epidemiologist during the zika virus outbreak and was one of the first veterinarians deployed during the seoul hantavirus outbreak that affected 17 people in 11 midwestern states
this (seoul hantavirus) outbreak was especially challenging due to the coordination required with local and state health departments and the huge amount of public education and communication necessary another nominator said dr tanseys actions along with other key staff members provided valuable information necessary to address this potential public health concern
in her scholarly pursuits tansey has accrued four publications and 11 professional presentations including contributing to the sixth edition of the biosafety in microbiological and biomedical laboratories which serves as a cornerstone of world-wide biosafety practice and policy
in the midst of all of this tansey has remained steadfast in her commitment to service on a number of national and international committees; as a world veterinary association (wva) councilor for north america she is leading the effort to develop a policy statement on the role of veterinarians in food security that will likely be adopted this year
she also serves as a mentor to students rotating through their program gives tours to local students visiting the cdc and is a girl scout troop leader
last year her troop engaged in a service project for sustainability and successfully encouraged restaurants in the greater atlanta area to reduce their use of plastic another nominator said her involvement with the girl scouts will assuredly foster a love of the stem disciplines in these young women i would not be at all surprised to see a girl scout troop member follow the model that cassandra has set
all of these accomplishments have led tansey to receive three cdc recognitions including the national center for emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases directors recognition award and honor award certificate as well as the office of the directors certificate of appreciation
dr tansey has distinguished herself as an extremely capable leader superb clinician experienced biocontainment manager and a very dedicated and resourceful mentor a nominator said her knowledge base management capabilities and leadership skills are second to none
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) in collaboration with the institute for infectious animal diseases (iiad) at texas a&m have received funding for the third phase of research from the us department of homeland security (dhs) to secure the health of dogs working at the united states and mexico border
with this new wave of funding dr sarah hamer an associate professor in the cvms department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs); alyssa meyers one of hamers doctoral students; and a team of researchers are taking an in-depth look at dogs working along the us-mexico border to further study the impending health implications of chagas disease and the effect this disease has on the canines ability to work
chagas disease caused by the protozoan parasite trypanosoma cruzi is transmitted through kissing bugs or cone-nose bugs and can cause acute or chronic heart disease or death in dogs and humans
while chagas disease has long been known in central and south america there is now increasing awareness for the disease in the southern united states where kissing bugs occur
though chagas is an emerging disease that we know is in texas and know can infect dogs and people we dont know the full extent of the impact or spread of the disease said iiad director melissa berquist phd iiad is a us department of homeland security (dhs) science and technology center of excellence and a unit of texas a&m agrilife
by gaining a better understanding of the geographic areas where dogs are becoming exposed and the prevalence of exposure we are gaining critical information for health management and vector control programs in order to decrease transmission within the dhs human and canine workforce she said
the dhs maintains more than 3 000 working dogs across the country including the security dogs at the airports customs and border protection dogs coast guard dogs federal protective service dogs and secret service dogs meyers explained these are highly valuable dogs often selected for their drive and pedigree and unfortunately our initial research found that up to 18 percent of the working dogs along the texas-mexico border were positive for exposure to t cruzi the chagas parasite
the team then expanded their study to look at government working dogs across the us not just on the southern border this expanded study found that approximately 7 percent of the dogs were exposed to the parasite that causes chagas disease
after this eye-opening discovery hamer decided to narrow the research on the long-lasting health implications of chagas disease in these working dogs
its pretty cool work because were intercepting these border patrol dogs while theyre working hamer said we just want a glimpse to take a blood sample monitor their heart have them run on a treadmill and we want to put on a fit barkwhich is like a fit bit but for dogsall while theyre still working and doing their normal jobs
because there is no vaccination to prevent chagas disease in humans or animals and treatment is limited meyers said the team also plans to use this grant to focus on what can be done to control the kissing bugs and prevent transmission
vector control includes things like clearing brush where kissing bugs can dwell from around kennels and houses minimizing the use of light at night because kissing bugs are drawn to light and securing access to kennels to prevent bugs from getting in meyers said
although securing the kennels may seem like an easy fix it can be a costly and challenging intervention for these facilities which house dozens of dogs according to hamer
along with studying chagas disease hamers team will be using the grant to study other vector-borne disease- including those spread by ticks and mosquitoes- that may impact these working dogs
because these dhs working dogs spend lots of time outside where they may be exposed to vectors they may provide a sensitive indication of the different vector-borne infections across the landscape that are not only important for dog health but also human health hamer said our studies will have an increased focus on what we can do to ensure these animals remain healthy were excited that texas a&m university is really helping secure the health of these important animals that are on the frontlines of security for our country
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
the texas a&m association of former students (afs) honored two members of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty with university-level distinguished achievement awards one of the highest honors presented by the afs
dr cheryl herman clinical associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) and dr katrin hinrichs professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) and patsy link chair in mare reproductive studies were announced as this years honorees from the cvm
herman was awarded in the teaching category for her dedication to student success
she is an excellent teacher who sets high standards for her students and then works to help them meet these standards said dr lynn ruoff clinical professor in vibs she has won the respect of her students and her colleagues and is very deserving of this award
herman joined the cvm faculty first in 2002 as a lecturer then again in 2014 as a clinical associate professor in this role she coordinates professional and undergraduate gross anatomy courses and frequently serves as a faculty mentor and adviser for veterinary students
she has also received the merial teaching excellence award and the teva animal health teaching excellence award from kansas state university in acknowledgement of her outstanding teaching skills
hinrichs was awarded in the research category for her work with the reproductive physiology of horses
dr hinrichs epitomizes the qualities for the afs award by having developed a national and international reputation as one of the worlds leading experts in equine reproduction said dr larry suva vtpp department head dr hinrichs sustains a career as a productive researcher while simultaneously exemplifying excellence in the support and training of the next generation of clinician-scientists
joining the cvm faculty in 1998 hinrichs has since made great and unique contributions to the fields of equine cloning and in vitro fertilization her work led to the production of the first cloned horse in north america in 2005 and the creation of the cvm equine embryo laboratory
she has earned many awards for her research including theriogenologist of the year from the american college of theriogenologists and the 2016 simmet prize for assisted reproduction from the international congress of animal reproduction
each honoree will receive a framed certificate from the afs along with a $4 000 monetary award in a ceremony scheduled for monday april 29 at 1:30 pm in rudder theater
the afs distinguished achievement awards begun in 1955 recognize outstanding members of texas a&ms faculty and staff for their commitment performance and positive impact on aggie students texas citizens and the world around them
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
the investigations and oversight subcommittee of the us house of representatives committee on science space and technology held its first hearing of the 116th congress on march 27 2019 to discuss the epas iris program: reviewing its progress and roadblocks ahead
the hearing was held jointly with the environment subcommittee and a panel of six governmental and non-governmental witnesses including dr ivan rusyn professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences chair of interdisciplinary faculty of toxicology and director of texas a&m superfund research center
in this first hearing we are focusing on a subject that directly impacts the state of public health in this country the epas integrated risk information system or iris is tasked with developing impartial science-based assessments on the toxicity of chemicals it is considered the ‘gold standard for chemical toxicity assessments in the united states said mikie sherrill (d-nj) chairwoman of the subcommittee on investigations and oversight
the impetus for the hearings was the recent governmental accountability office (gao) report chemical assessments: status of epas efforts to produce assessments and implement the toxic substances control act and the environmental protection agencys (epa) announcement on the list of priority chemicals that will be evaluated under the toxic substance control act
everyone here today recognizes the importance of ensuring americans are protected from the dangers and hazards that iris aims to combat it is for this reason that we must also ensure iriss work is transparent scientifically sound and carried out in a timely and efficient manner noted investigations & oversight subcommittee ranking member ralph norman (r-sc) in his opening remarks
in his testimony rusyn concluded that the iris program has implemented the recommendations of the national academies of sciences engineering and medicine
in fact it is a leader in the evolution of risk assessment practices he said therefore iris should be supported with adequate financial resources and staff
rusyn went on to recommend that while important improvements are being made to the iris process it is important to complete iris assessments that are in draft including formaldehyde assessment and to increase the number of evaluations that iris generates these changes will need an increase in resources as compared to the current budget iris is vital to public health protection in the united states and abroad
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
dr stephen h safe a distinguished professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) recently was selected as 2019 merit award winner by the society of toxicology (sot)the highest honor given by the organization comprised of more than 8 000 toxicologists from around the globe
the award presented on march 10 during the sot 58thannual meeting and toxexpo in baltimore recognizes a member for his or her distinguished contributions to toxicology throughout their career in areas such as research teaching regulatory activities consulting and service to the society
safe was selected among his peers for his breakthrough research developments and his devotion to advancing toxicology through mentorship and instruction
as an active member of many professional societies in the fields of chemistry biochemistry and microbiology safe has received numerous awards in the past for his research teaching and service
he has been an honored lecturer at universities across the united states canada and the united kingdom and in 2016 he was awarded an honorary dsc degree by the queens university in canada
it was no surprise to dr ivan rusyn a fellow professor at the cvm when safe received the sot merit award; there are few sot members who can compete or compare with safe when it comes to the merits of his contribution to the field of toxicology according to rusyn
steve is an incredibly thoughtful and sharp scientist a personable colleague and a revered former mentor; he also is a close colleague to many notable and decorated members of sot rusyn said with nearly 800 peer reviewed publications more than 72 000 citations and an h-index of over 120 he is a scientist of highest caliber
along with his honorable research accolades rusyn said that safe was deserving of this award because of the leadership and humility he exudes as a teacher and colleague
despite his ‘deity-like status at texas a&m not only is his door always open for trainees and faculty to wonder in but he also diligently attends seminars hosts visitors and interacts with trainees in his lab and beyond rusyn said steve has made it clear that his duty and determination is to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders and i can only hope to grow into a leader like him
others from the cvm recognized with 2019 sot awards include:
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
weihsueh chiu a professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) was part of a national academies of sciences engineering and medicine committee that reviewed current evidence and updated intake recommendations known as the dietary reference intakes (dris) for sodium and potassium that were established in 2005
the committees new report dietary reference intakes for sodium and potassium revises the adequate intakes (ais) which are the best estimate of intakes assumed to be adequate in apparently healthy individuals
the report reaffirms the sodium ai for individuals ages 14-50 decreases the sodium ais for children age 1-13 increases the sodium ais for adults ages 51 and older and decreases the potassium ais for individuals age 1 and older
the report also uses guidance from a 2017 national academies report to introduce the first dri specific to chronic disease risk reduction in this case for sodium in particular they recommended that adults who currently consume more than 2 300 miligrams per day of sodium lower their intake levels so as to reduce their risks of cardiovascular disease
we were tasked with looking at the worlds literature on sodium and potassium; we actually expanded upon the analysis provided by the 2018 agency for healthcare research and quality systematic review and particularly the heterogeneity of the studies chiu said for example different studies may say different things or seem like they have different results so we did a more thorough exploration of why different studies might be giving different results
some of the very important differences in these studies included the different amounts of sodium reductionsome studies only reduced sodium a little bit in their study and some of them reduced them a lot he said so youre going to get different results just because of thatits not because one is wrong and one is right
sodium and potassium are interrelated essential nutrients that play vital functional roles in the body including being important for nerve signal transmission muscle contraction and fluid balance
both nutrients have been linked to risk of chronic disease particularly cardiovascular disease the report says possible associations between sodium intake with other adverse health outcomes have also been suggested
there has been some controversy about sodium in particular you often see contrasting editorials in the mediaalso known as the ‘salt warsbetween those who advocate that the public reduce sodium and those who say there is no problem chiu said that is why we used rigorous systematic review methods to evaluate the available data
the physiological essentiality of sodium and potassium in conjunction with their relationships to adverse health effects including chronic disease risk called for a new approach to establishing dris
diet-related chronic disease is a major driver of health care costs across the united states and globally said patrick j stover vice chancellor and dean for agriculture and life sciences at texas a&m university and director of texas a&m agrilife research the latest intake recommendations from the national academiesand the first dietary guidelines for the new category of reduced chronic disease riskare a transformative step toward the linkage between nutrition and long-term health
chiu said the best ways to decrease sodium levels are to avoid prepared and processed food and to salt food to taste after cooking it instead of while cooking it
the reason for that is that table salt you put it right on top so you taste it; the amount of salt you need to put on to taste it is less chiu said whereas for processed foods when you cook with salt you only taste whats on the surface; you end up eating a lot more than you actually taste
the committees findings also included:
the updated sodium ais are 110 mg daily for infants 0-6 months; 370 mg daily for infants 7-12 months; 800 mg daily for children ages 1-3; 1 000 mg daily for ages 4-8; 1 200 mg daily for ages 9-13; and 1 500 mg daily for ages 14 and older there remains limited evidence on sodium intakes below 1 500 mg per day for adults which prevented the committee that conducted the study from considering further reductions in the sodium ai
there is sufficient evidence to characterize the relationship between sodium intake and risk of chronic disease therefore the committee established a chronic disease risk reduction intake (cdrr) for sodium using evidence of the beneficial effect of reducing sodium intake on cardiovascular disease risk hypertension risk systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure
reductions in intakes that exceed the sodium cdrr are expected to reduce chronic disease risk within the apparently healthy population
for individuals ages 14 and older the cdrr recommendation is to reduce sodium intakes if above 2 300 mg per day the committee also established a sodium cdrr for children ages 1-13
the effect of sodium intake on blood pressure that was used to inform the sodium tolerable upper intake level (ul) established in the 2005 dri report is part of the evidence base that informed the cdrr
most us and canadian populations consume sodium above both the ai and cdrr values there is no concern of sodium inadequacy in the population the report says reducing sodium intake has a greater effect on adults with hypertension than on adults with normal blood pressure but the benefits of reducing sodium intake toward the sodium cdrr apply to both groups
the updated potassium ais are 400 mg daily for infants 0-6 months; 860 mg daily for infants 7-12 months; 2 000 mg daily for children ages 1-3; and 2 300 mg daily for ages 4-8 the potassium ais for other age groups range from 2 300 to 3 400 mg per day based on sex and life-stage groups the potassium ais in this report are lower than those established in 2005 this difference is due in part to the expansion of the dri model in which consideration of chronic disease risk reduction was separate from consideration of adequacy
this report reaffirms that there is insufficient evidence to establish a potassium ul for apparently healthy individuals the absence of a potassium ul does not mean that there is no risk from excessive supplemental potassium intake either overall or for segments of the population caution against high intake through supplemental potassium is warranted for certain population groups particularly those with or at high risk for compromised kidney function
despite moderately strong evidence that potassium supplementation reduces blood pressure particularly among adults with hypertension a potassium cdrr cannot be established because of unexplained inconsistencies in the body of evidence a lack of intake-response relationship and limited evidence for relationships between potassium intake and chronic disease risk the lack of a potassium cdrr does not necessarily mean a lack of an effect of potassium intake on chronic disease risk the report says but rather a lack of evidence to characterize the effect
the committee identified a number of research needs that would help inform future potassium and sodium dris such as additional research on the interrelationship between potassium and sodium intakes in addition with the vast majority of us and canadian populations consuming sodium at levels above the cdrrs opportunities exist to find solutions to reduce population sodium intakes
the studyundertaken by the committee to review the dietary references intakes for sodium and potassiumwas sponsored by health canada us national institutes of health public health agency of canada us centers for disease control and prevention us department of agriculture and us food and drug administration the national academies are private nonprofit institutions that provide independent objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science technology and medicine they operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the national academy of sciences signed by president lincoln for more information visit nationalacademiesorg
the report is available for download at wwwnationalacademiesorg/drisodiumpotassium
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
a team of researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and college of medicine in collaboration with scientists at north carolina state university and the university of minnesota have been awarded a five-year multi-million-dollar grant by the national institutes of healths (nih) national institute of environmental health sciences (niehs)
the $33-million project was funded as part of a highly competitive call for proposals to explore population-based models to better understand the linkages between chemicals and their potential adverse health effects in both humans and animals
using the chemical butadiene the team will test the linkages between dna damagechanges to cells chromatinand genetic differences among individuals this work will be conducted using novel experimental tools to study inter-individual variability in a mouse population called collaborative cross and human cells from more than 100 individuals
the researchers participating in this projectincluding collaborator dr natalia tretyakova a professor of medicinal chemistry at the university of minnesotahave previously established that butadiene a chemical used industrially in the production of synthetic rubber and is also present in cigarette smoke is linked to dna damage
it is well established that exposure to butadiene can result in damage to the genomic code of cells and thus has been classified as a known carcinogen in humans and animals said dr ivan rusyn a professor of toxicology in the cvms department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) but even though this chemical can damage dna in all cells it doesnt cause cancer in every tissue as has been shown by studies in animals
this means there are additional mechanisms that may be protective or that make certain tissues more susceptible and we want to understand the factors that make those certain tissues or certain individuals more or less susceptible to the potential adverse effects of butadiene and other chemicals he said
this project relied on a series of previous studies that showed that if different strains of mice are exposed to the same amount of this chemical there are very different amounts of dna damage he said
the study is significant because while the potential for inter-individual variability in the effects of pharmaceuticals on humans are studied through clinical trials the effects of environmental factors are not investigated for their potential to be more hazardous to certain individuals
the reason the nih is interested in determining which experimental models can be used to study variability in responses to environmental chemicals is that almost all of the testing that is done now is based on rodent strains that are essentially identical twins of each other said dr fred wright a statistical geneticist from north carolina state university and a collaborator on the study so while we do have much data on the safety or hazards of many chemicals in those particular model systems we make leaps of faith to then generalize to the human population without data on inter-individual variability
translationally research has generally worked the same way in humansone population is studied through research such as a clinical trial but that doesnt necessarily mean that the results are applicable to all humans around the world
ultimately by exposing human cells from different individuals to butadiene through studies that aim to translate findings from mouse population to humans the researchers also will be able to better ascertain how their findings can be related to human health
the practical application of this project is that we really are trying to understand what if any polymorphisms (genetic differences among individuals) actually confer susceptibility or resistance to dna damage in general said dr david threadgill distinguished professor and director of the texas a&m institute for genome sciences and society if we would understand that we can perhaps enable improvements in testing future chemicals in understanding what these chemicals can do when individuals have these particular polymorphisms
its a very aspirational goal and may not get there in five years but its both fundamental research and a project that will generate knowledge that is more immediately applicable to the decision-making with respect to chemicals and their hazard in people rusyn said
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
animal lovers of all ages can experience in a single day a years worth of the activities shared by students in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) during the 26th annual vet school open house on march 30
coordinated by hundreds of veterinary students and undergraduates the event opens the doors to the veterinary & biomedical education center (vbec) the large animal hospital and the small animal hospital for a day of fun-filled activities from 9 am to 4 pm
i distinctly remember attending my first vet school open house as a junior in high school and truthfully i believe it played a large role in guiding me to where i am today said hunter enderle open house co-director and third-year veterinary student after attending that open house i knew this was the school i wanted to attend and that veterinary medicine was the career that i would pursue
im so excited to be a part of an event that has such a meaningful impact; im glad i can help continue this tradition and inspire future aggie veterinarians like myself he said
attendees have the opportunity to tour the small and large animal hospitals explore many different exhibits from rescues and other organizations and watch talent demonstrations by animal groups
other popular activities include a teddy bear surgery where children can learn about suturing; the dog kissing booth; the petting zoo; and the exotics room which features dozens of reptiles food trucks will also be on-site
in addition texas a&m students coordinate with area schools to create exhibitions of student artwork by children from elementary and middle schools across the country
being a part of open house has been one of the highlights of my time in veterinary school and i am so proud of all of the students who have spent countless hours preparing for this event said victoria grimsley open house co-director and third-year veterinary student open house has something to offer for everyone; there are countless opportunities for fun while also learning about what makes veterinary medicine so great
i hope that by hosting this event each year we are able to inspire the next generation of veterinarians and further strengthen the human-animal bond she said
all activities are free to the public and families with children of all ages are welcome while registration is not required those interested in touring the small animal hospital are encouraged to pre-register by emailing ohsahcoordinators@cvmtamuedu with a name the number of adults/children in the group and what time the group would like to tour
although the event began over two decades ago the heart behind the open house remains the same
vet school open house started in 1993 as a small showcase of the colleges facilities with a petting zoo
the event is much larger now but it still gives the public a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the countrys premiere veterinary schools all while learning about all the opportunities and best practices in the field of veterinary medicine
for more information about the event including frequently asked questions and updates visit vetmedtamuedu/openhouse or follow the event on facebook instagram and twitter for more updates and announcements
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
↑ back to top « back to press releases
born and raised in orange texasa small town that runs along the texas-louisiana borderluke domas grew up on his familys farm surrounded by dogs cats chickens horses rabbits goats and a few cows the desire to be near animals seemed almost innate for domas and for as long as he can remember becoming a veterinarian has been the plan for his future
i wanted to be a veterinarian before i could even say the word domas joked my mom says that i would say i wanted to be an ‘animal doctor when asked what i wanted to be when i grew up those feelings stayed the same as i completed high school and entered college
with three older siblings who all attended texas a&m university domas said the choice was a no-brainer when it came time to apply for college
shortly after my oldest sister started at texas a&m my entire closet turned maroon with aggie t-shirts he said i loved visiting my siblings whenever i could and i loved getting to attend midnight yell football games and several events on campus
along with his love for the university and its beloved traditions domas said he wanted to attend texas a&m because of the outstanding reputation of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) in 2015 domas received his bachelors degree in biomedical sciences and is currently in his fourth year of veterinary school
i think the biggest enjoyment i have had while at texas a&m is knowing that i received a top-notch education he said although the long nights of studying were not the most pleasant its nice to look back at what i have accomplished while being here
after graduation domas would like to get back to his small-town roots and eventually practice mixed animal medicine in a rural community
growing up in a small community i have seen first-hand how important it is to have access to quality veterinary care domas said there is a growing need for good clinicians in rural settings and i hope to help bridge that gap although i love cats dogs and other family pets my strong desire to care for large animals would not be as easily fulfilled in an urban setting
as graduation grows nearer and his dreams become reality domas is thankful for the invaluable experiences and education he has received while at texas a&m
the additional opportunities provided through the school to travel to outlying locations and care for cattle equine and exotic animals during various rotations have given me real-world experiences in a rural setting coupled with the experience i gained here working in the hospitals i feel i have a strong foundation to carry on once i graduate he said the academic training at a&m and the college of veterinary medicine has prepared me to handle a wide variety of cases that i may encounter in the future
taylor williams a second-year student in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is excitedly awaiting the day she can begin working as a veterinarian in the texas panhandle region growing up in the panhandle williams noticed a lack of rural veterinarians and decided to do her part in solving this issue by returning home after graduation to start her own mixed animal veterinary practice
my plan is to serve the need for rural area veterinarians in the panhandle by offering a variety of services for a variety of species she said working in the panhandle is an attractive option for me because without access to a large referral hospital in that area i will have the opportunity to work on a variety of species and to be outside of my comfort zone in assisting animals that may otherwise not get veterinary care
in addition to the variety of animal species she will care for williams is excited to go home
i thoroughly enjoy the people in the panhandle and the amount of passion they have for the livestock they raise she said it excites me to get to be a part of their livelihood and assist them in their production
williams grew up in amarillo where she gained experience in agriculture through ffa 4-h and programs sponsored by west texas a&m (wt) she worked for a local veterinary practice and judged horses while attending wt for her undergraduate education
not only did attending wt allow me to save money due to low tuition costs and close proximity to my home but the agriculture department there was also a perfect fit for me williams said
after graduating from wt williams had no doubt that texas a&m university was where she would go to pursue her veterinary degree
texas a&m was the only school i would consider because of the prestigious reputation it had and the fact that it was located in my home state williams said furthermore texas a&m offers the most reputable large animal program i am aware of and i knew i could gain skills that i could take back to the panhandle in the future
williams said one of her favorite things about texas a&m is getting to work with faculty who are more than willing to teach by sharing their experiences
in a short amount of time i have gained an invaluable resource through connections at texas a&m and lifelong mentors i will be able to keep in touch with even when i am back in the panhandle she said
she also appreciates that the a&m veterinary program is helping her prepare for a career in working with large animals which she will often see in the panhandle
the new curriculum contains a surprisingly large amount of large animal material she said i was not expecting to be given the opportunity to have hands-on large animal experience so early on in veterinary school
once she returns to the panhandle williams plans to help wt pre-veterinary students by offering internships at her veterinary practice she is excited to serve her community and invest in future veterinarians
the aggie war hymn is not a typical lullaby for babies but it was for trent dozier
i was raised as an aggie and i never really knew there were other options he laughed
now a class of 2019 texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) student dozier is learning veterinary skills in order to one day help the hard-working ranchers of west texas
dozier grew up on his familys farm helping his father dr warren dozier who is a mobile large animal veterinarian in fisher county texas
growing up i spent a lot of time working our cattle with my dad as well as for other producers throughout the area dozier said
after finishing high school in trent texas where his graduating class comprised only 13 people dozier earned his bachelors degree in animal science through courses taken at cisco college blinn college and finally texas a&m
i knew that i eventually wanted to apply to veterinary school and a&m has one of the top veterinary programs in the world dozier said
after he graduates from the cvm dozier plans to move back to west texas to practice large animal medicine
he and his wife blair have been married for 10 years and are excited about becoming part of a community where they can raise their two daughters 5-year-old wimberley and newborn waverley
there are a lot of good hard-working families in west texas that continue to dedicate their lives to keeping agriculture and the western way of life alive dozier said it would be a great privilege to work day in and day out with these salt-of-the-earth people to ensure that the livestock and ranching industry continues to endure for generations to come
###
note: this article appears in the spring 2019 edition of cvm today
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
as veterinary surgeons in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) large animal hospital a lot rests in the hands of drs jeffrey watkins and kati glass sometimes their work can be a matter of life and death; other times an animals quality of life may be at stake
perhaps none more so than when watkins received a call from utahs hogle zoo asking for assistance with a 3-year-old 500-pound polar bear named nora either way the pressure to perform can be intense
nora who has accrued quite a following on social media because of her storyhaving been abandoned by her mother after birth and being hand raised by zookeepers in ohio before making her way to salt lake citywas not acting herself when her keepers found that she had broken her right humerus
after reaching out to a small animal surgeon at the university of california davis the zoo was referred to watkins a professor of large animal surgery in the cvm who had recently traveled to the uc davis to repair a fractured humerus on a foal
while watkins had never operated on a bear his expertise in developing specialized equipment and implants for repairing unique fractures led him to accept the challenge
there were many unknowns but we were interested in trying to help if we possibly could he said we made contact and started to have a conversation about whether this might work
in addition to whether the fracture could be repaired watkins said logistics of the repair were of the utmost concern
first and foremost i knew i was going to need good help so thats where dr glass came in second was making sure that we had the right equipment watkins said then depuy synthes really came through for us with some equipment that was key for us to be able to do the job
the large animal hospital was very supportive our department was very supportive and with depuy synthes on board it all came together he said
but the challenges and concerns werent over
recognizing that they had no experience working with polar bears and really werent even familiar with polar bear anatomy glass went to work researching to learn all she could
when dr glass went to the literature she found our most useful reference for polar bear anatomy was 1880; so there was really no reference material for us to go on watkins said
there are a lot of really neat things about polar bears that now i know glass said it turns out theyre pretty similar to grizzly bears evolutionarily speaking theyre kind of cousins on that front
she also learned that from a veterinary standpoint polar bears are treated most often like a dog however glass and watkins knew that a traditional dog approach would not be a viable option
most importantly the implant we were relying on to fix the fracture needed to actually fit a polar bear and it needed to be something that would be strong enough to handle her weight glass said
while working to answer those basic questions glass discovered that nora is famous
she has people who follow her on facebook and instagram and visit her at the zoo; there are these cute little cuddly pictures of her as a baby growing up and with people interacting with her watkins said so now weve got a little more pressure on us to perform
undeterred watkins and glass headed to utah to perform the procedure after a small snafu involving getting their luggage containing sterilized instruments cleared through airport security the two arrived and performed the procedure successfully implanting an intramedullary interlocking nail watkins had developed to stabilize the fractured humerus
the surgery took quite a bit longer than we had hoped it would; it was difficult watkins said adding that the procedure took around five hours instead of an acute fracture we were dealing with a more chronic situation which required much more effort to bring the fractured ends of the bone into alignment; we all were exhausted once that was finally accomplished however we were happy with the fact that we got the bone realigned and stabilized in a normal position
while they were initially concerned that nora may rely too heavily on her broken limb which might hinder her healing watkins reports that a few weeks after the surgery the polar bear is recovering well zoo keepers are continuously updating them on noras progress through videos and social media updates
its challenging you cant do a lot of postoperative care first because shes a bear and second in trying to evaluate how shes doing from texas; you can only do so much watkins said but the veterinarians and caretakers at the hogle zoo are very knowledgeable and are doing a fantastic job of looking after her
this is the hard part of orthopedic surgerythe waitingbut so far so good glass said the next step is to see how the bone does and we wont know that for several weeks to months at this point her caretakers are doing an excellent job and shes doing a great job of taking her medications but we will be kind of in this waiting zone for a while
watkins attributed the successful surgery to the quality of care provided by team members who joined them from across the us including dr alessio vigani from the north carolina state college of veterinary medicine who along with dr erika crook an associate veterinarian at the hogle zoo were responsible for the anesthesia in addition dr peter chalmers from the university of utah department of orthopaedic medicine assisted with the surgery
the entire team of veterinarians zookeepers and staff at hogle zoo are to be commended for noras excellent care before surgery as well as post-operatively watkins said it was and continues to be a team effort
while noras case carried its fair share of stressors and the outcome is anything but assured ultimately its all in a days work for the texas a&m veterinarians
as veterinarians our job is to help the animal first and foremost glass said to know that this implantwhich dr watkins has spent years designing developing and finding the best ways to usecould have an application for other large animals and that a fracture that we historically thought really didnt have a good surgical option could be repairedi think thats really exciting
there really werent any other good options for nora the technique and implants weve developed to get these kinds of fractures reduced and stabilized its a system that works and we want to make it available as often as possible watkins said at the end of the day our primary concern is for nora and hopefully our efforts will reflect favorably on the college of veterinary medicine and texas a&m
to learn more about nora or to follow her progress visit hoglezooorg
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) has named dr kenita s rogers executive associate dean at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) as the recipient of the 2019 iverson bell award
the award is presented in recognition of outstanding leadership and contributions in promoting opportunities for underrepresented minorities in veterinary medical education
dr rogerss ongoing efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and in our profession as a whole have been extraordinary said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m her work has had a tremendous impact on the reputation the cvm has developed in making the college a welcoming thriving and inclusive climate for all we are so proud of all that dr rogers has accomplished and that she is being honored for that work with this award
the aavmc is proud to recognize outstanding educators and researchers like dr rogers who elevate academic veterinary medicine and inspire others through their commitment to professional excellence and service said aavmc chief executive officer dr andrew t maccabe we look forward to publicly honoring her for her achievements during our 2019 annual conference
rogers will receive her award during the aavmcs 2019 annual conference and iverson bell symposium march 8-10 at the hyatt regency washington on capitol hill in washington dc where she will also address attendees
i am thrilled and humbled to receive the iverson bell award rogers said i believe that it actually represents a great deal of creative and consistent work by the students staff and faculty of the cvm in the areas of climate inclusion diversity wellness and conflict management i couldnt be prouder of the passion and dedication of our incredible collective team
in addition to serving as executive associate dean at the cvm rogers is the colleges director for inclusion and diversity
in this capacity she has worked to develop memoranda of agreements (moas) with four texas a&m university system schools for pipeline recruitment including one historically black university and two hispanic-serving institutions she also has infused the cvms curriculum with multiple diversity initiatives including mandatory cultural competency and conflict management in all years and adding diversity awareness and cultural competency as required core competencies
her efforts also led the cvm to receive the higher education excellence in diversity (heed) award for diversity in health professions for two consecutive years
rogers has presented on topics such as implicit bias at multiple national meetings and served on numerous national committees including the aavmc diversity committee and the steering committee for the southeast diversity matters symposium she has served as co-adviser for the national broad spectrum association and received the national broad spectrum lgbtq+ awareness award
the briefest conversation with her enables quick recognition of a woman with deep-rooted values that include kindness integrity respect leadership and fairness said cvm associate dean for professional programs dr karen cornell who was among those who nominated rogers for the award to say that she is passionate about diversity and inclusion would be a gross understatement
rogers is a diplomate of the american college of veterinary internal medicine in the specialties of internal medicine (1987) and oncology (1990) the author of more than 50 articles in refereed journals and 30 book chapters; she also has presented well over 100 continuing education seminars
she has won numerous teaching awards including the norden distinguished teaching award the richard h davis teaching award and the college-level association of former students distinguished teaching award (1991 1997 2003)
in 2009 rogers was named to the dr charles h and mildred kruse bridges chair in veterinary medical education and in 2011 she became director for diversity and inclusion
she earned a bachelor of science degree in animal and veterinary science from west virginia university and her doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) degree from louisiana state university she received her master of science degree and joined the faculty at texas a&m university in 1986
the aavmc is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals people and the environment around the world by advancing academic veterinary medicine members include 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges in the united states canada the caribbean basin europe australia new zealand and mexico
listen to rogers discuss her award on the aavmcs diversitymatters podcast here
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) has named dr gerald parker associate dean for global one health at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) as the recipient of the 2019 senator john melcher dvm leadership in public policy award
the award established in 2007 is presented to current or former faculty staff or students at an aavmc member institution to recognize leadership in public policy that advances veterinary medical education and success in advocating for veterinary medical education on a national or international scale
parkers leadership in public policy award will be presented during the aavmcs 2019 annual conference and iverson bell symposium march 8-10 at the hyatt regency washington on capitol hill in washington dc where he will also address attendees
the aavmc is proud to recognize outstanding educators and researchers like dr parker who elevate academic veterinary medicine and inspire others through their commitment to professional excellence and service said aavmc chief executive officer dr andrew t maccabe we look forward to publicly honoring him for his achievements during our 2019 annual conference
in addition to serving as associate dean for global one health parker is texas a&ms campus director for global one health and holds a joint appointment at the bush school of government service as director of the pandemic and biosecurity policy program within the scowcroft institute for international affairs
parker has had a long and distinguished career of service to veterinary medicine the us military and the us government he has become an essential resource and well-respected leader in washington dc on matters pertaining to biodefense high consequence emerging infectious diseases global health security and all-hazards public health and medical preparedness
he also is a former commander and deputy commander for the us army medical research institute of infectious diseases and held senior executive level positions at the department of homeland security the department of health and human services (hhs) and the department of defense (dod) including serving as the principal deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response at hhs and as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for chemical and biological defense at dod
he is a member of several advisory boards including the national science advisory board for biosecurity for the director of the national institutes of health texas task force on infectious disease preparedness and response for the governor and he serves as an ex officio member of the biodefense blue ribbon study panel
parker is a 2009 recipient of the distinguished executive presidential rank award and a 2013 recipient of the secretary of defense medal for meritorious civilian service
he earned his bachelor of science and doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) degrees from texas a&m university a master of science degree from the industrial college of armed forces and a phd from the baylor college of medicine
the aavmc is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals people and the environment around the world by advancing academic veterinary medicine members include 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges in the united states canada the caribbean basin europe australia new zealand and mexico
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
with a long-time passion for horses and a desire to study veterinary medicine hayley morgan found herself right at home at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
after completing her bachelors degree in animal science from west texas a&m university morgan found herself searching for a veterinary program that matched with her career goals and aspirations when she looked into the program at texas a&m she felt the choice was simple
i wanted to focus on equine and mixed animal medicine and i knew that a&m had an outstanding large animal hospital at which i could learn a lot said morgan a first-year veterinary student i have worked for a few veterinarians who graduated from a&m and i always admired their knowledge and skills
another major influence in her decision according to morgan was dr dan posey academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university whose passion and love for texas a&m radiated though his teaching it was enough to make anyone believe his beloved school was a special place morgan said
now an aggie morgan has felt the spirit and seen first-hand just what posey was talking about
i have loved my time at texas a&m so far she said the thing that i have enjoyed the most about a&m is the culture and how passionate all of the faculty and students are about this school and each other i love how willing everyone is to help and lend a hand for one another
although the transition to a new school may seem overwhelming and scary for some morgan felt prepared and confident to begin her new journey
so far my biggest challenge was actually finding a quick way to get from my parking lot to the veterinary & biomedical education complex during the first few weeks of school she joked
at west texas a&m morgan encountered hands-on courses centered around food animals and their health and production an area in which she was not previously knowledgeable morgan credits the rigorous curriculum and coursework there for her seemingly easy transition to the classes and workload at a&m
west texas helped prepare me for a&m by providing me with experiences that helped diversify my animal experience she said growing up i had a lot of experience with companion animals and horses but not so much cattle and other food animals the courses at west texas really allowed me to be more successful in the food animal lectures and labs that ive had so far at a&m
after graduating from veterinary school morgan plans to pursue a career in equine or mixed medicine eventually she would like to work at a private or specialty practice with the knowledge and experience she has gained from her time at west texas a&m and texas a&m university morgan feels confident she can conquer any and all challenges she may face along the way
a life-long dream of becoming a veterinarian is becoming a fast reality for ashlee adams a first-year veterinary student at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
before making the move to texas a&m university adams lived in the amarillo area where she first discovered her passion for animals
after graduating from west texas a&m in 2017 with a bachelors degree in animal science and a masters degree in animal science adams worked as a head veterinary technician at a small animal clinic while applying for veterinary school
ultimately i chose to come to texas a&m because they have reached out to and worked with students at west texas and they are one of the best veterinary schools you can attend adams said it also didnt hurt that it was affordable and fairly close to home
adams also credits her mentors dr dan posey academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university and dr dee griffin tvmc director for making the decision to come to texas a&m an easy one
i met dr posey and dr griffin while working on my masters at west texas a&m and their enthusiasm for the field made me want to pursue being a veterinarian again adams said i knew if the professors at texas a&m were anything like them i would get an amazing education and have a great time doing it
upon arriving at texas a&m the distance from college station to the panhandle did not seem too far however adams admits that she experienced her fair share of homesickness in the beginning
ive never been this far away from my family for an extended period of time she said missing my family has been the greatest challenge so far but they are so supportive and keep me excited about this new experience
aside from a short spell of homesickness adams said her transition has been smooth and easy and the education she received at west texas has proven beneficial in her courses thus far
the classes at west texas were set up for us to learn and understand information that will be useful for the rest of our lives she said so far ive used a lot of my class notes from west texas to help me understand the concepts i am learning here and i am able to apply what im learning now to the experiences i gained at west texas
as adams continues through her first year of veterinary school she said she is thankful for the tradition and culture that a&m offers its students and would not trade this experience for anything
i really enjoy the team atmosphere that is created by the faculty and students here we all want to succeed as a team she said i have been blessed to be elected our class president and our officer team is a cohesive group of students who truly want the best for everyone
after graduation adams plans to move back to the panhandle to work with cattle at a feedlot and practice at a small animal clinic with the education and experience acquired from both universities under her belt adams looks forward to giving back to west texas in any way she can
note: this article appears in the spring 2019 edition of cvm today
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) distinguished professor stephen h safe is one of six faculty members from across texas a&m university recently named to the inaugural class of national academy of inventors (nai) senior members
he is among 66 academic inventors selected for the honor
this important award recognizes the life-long contributions of dr safe to innovation in scientific discovery that is a goal of all researchers and scientists not all of us are able to make such wide-ranging and important contributions as dr safe said larry suva head of the cvms department of physiology & pharmacology (vtpp) it is high praise for dr safe our college and our university that his endeavors have been so highly visible and successful
nai senior members are active faculty scientists and administrators from nai member institutions with success in patents licensing and commercialization they have produced technologies that have brought or aspire to bring real impact on the welfare of society
i am honored to be chosen among this group of scientists safe said i have numerous patents out there and this recognition is an honor that i appreciate
over the course of his career safe has focused his research efforts on creating molecular compounds to treat or cure cancers these compounds have been licensed by pharmaceutical companies and he has more than a dozen patents or patent applications on several compounds/drugs and their applications
more recently he found that one of his cancer-treating compounds was effective for treating endometriosis
we have two or three compounds that act through different pathways safe said were right at the point where weve shown that they are effective in animal models and in cells these are big diseases i am confident that were on the right track
safe who started as a chemist before moving into the fields of environmental toxicology endocrinology and molecular oncologyand ultimately his laboratory discovered a new mechanism for the way hormones affect breast cancerattributes the range of successes in his career to following the path that organically developed as each of his projects unfolded
everything we do requires another area of expertise which often leads us off into a different field he said some people will work on the same gene or pathway for their entire career but i find that when i work on something and learn what i want to know this usually results in a change of research direction into new and interesting areas of science
this inaugural class of nai senior members represents 37 research universities and research institutes their names appear on more than 1 100 issued us patents
other elected nai senior members from texas a&m are mark benden school of public health; richard h gomer college of science; jaime c grunlan linda and ralph schmidt 68 professor j mike walker 66 department of mechanical engineering college of engineering; duncan j maitland college of engineering; and richard mile college of engineering
congratulations to our faculty members who have been elected to this first class of nai senior members said mark a barteau vice president for research and nai fellow this recognition pays tribute to their knowledge skill and talent as well as to the role that texas a&m plays in encouraging and nurturing research and innovations from start to finish together these faculty members and texas a&m are making the world a better place for all of us
a full list of nai senior members is available on the nai website
the national academy of inventors is a member organization comprising us and international universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes with more than 4 000 individual inventor members and fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide
it was founded in 2010 at the university of south florida to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the us patent and trademark office enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation encourage the disclosure of intellectual property educate and mentor innovative students and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
research by texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) professor ken muneoka and his colleagues has opened the doors to the future possibility of regenerating joints in mammals
his study bmp9 stimulates joint regeneration at digit amputation wounds in mice published feb 5 in nature communications expands on previous research conducted by his laboratory showing that the treatment of digit amputation wounds in mice with a growth factor called bone morphogenetic protein bmp-2 promotes elongation of the stump bone
in that study however the joint and additional skeletal elements were not regenerated
now muneokas team has devised a method to stimulate joint regeneration following injury in mice using a combination of growth factors
that growth factor bmp-9 stimulates the formation of joint structures comprising a synovial cavity and a skeletal element lined with articular cartilage while the sequential treatment of the wound with bmp-2 and bmp-9 leads to the formation of bone and joint cells
the authors found that the process also requires cells to express the prg4 gene to initiate the formation of the synovial cavity
unlike amphibians and reptiles mammals have poor regenerative capabilities and in response to an amputation or traumatic injury scar tissue normally forms at the site of the wound
the authors argue that the results provide evidence that cells in a mammalian amputation wound retain the capacity and information for joint regeneration
we have been working on this project for nine years and there are really two different levels that we can talk about with the study muneoka said the first is really a basic science issue; its the question of why some animals regenerate and some cant for example salamanders regenerate wonderfully but mammals for reasons we dont understand dont regenerate it all
theres this basic idea that regeneration is really an ancient property that evolved very early and then disappeared in some animals and has been regained in some animals he said theres good evidence that there is selective pressure to gain or lose regeneration
the other level which is more clinically relevant is that joints and joint tissues dont regenerate nor does articular cartilage which forms at the ends of your bones and buffers the stress that we experience on a day-to-day basis joint injuries sports injuries or diseases like osteoarthritis are really debilitating; i think they are the biggest cause of disability in the world he continued the question of how you can replace articular cartilage is in the backdrop of what weve been working on which is what were able to regenerate in this process it really demonstrates that these cells have the ability to replace themselves and we just havent figured out how to do that
larry suva head of the cvms department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology (vtpp) said that whats truly incredible about muneokas work is its transformative nature bringing to mind the nelson mandela quote it always seems impossible until its done
until this information comes out the field the world basically thinks mammals cant regenerate a joint dr muneokas work suggests that it is possibleyou can regenerate portions of a joint in an animal and recapitulate that structure suva said that has a whole variety of translational potentials that may be far down the road but the road didnt exist until somebody did the impossible and showed that you could run
dr muneokas a scientists scientist and hes progressing through this project to understand how each of those tissues can be regenerated suva said it might be a long timeafter all of our lifetimesbefore someone actually regrows an amputees or a war victims limb but nobody was even thinking about it (before) because we couldnt get past regenerating a joint
muneoka said he is thankful for the support he has received at the cvm and in the vtpp department
its terrific to have the level of support both financial and moral support that were doing the right thing that i have at the cvm he said that support was a big factor in my coming to texas a&m
the next step in the study he says will be exploring the engineering of an articular cartilage
the paper on mammals regenerating joints is available online at https://wwwnaturecom/articles/s41467-018-08278-4
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
dr heather wilson-robles and the oncology service at the texas veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have received a $200 000 grant from the petco foundation that will financially assist owners with their pets cancer treatments
the pet cancer treatment grant supported by the blue buffalo foundation for cancer research inc provides support for the treatment for domestic companion animals suffering from cancer to pet parents of modest means or to pet parents whose pets have provided a service to others
funds will be used to offset the cost of cancer treatment for qualifying owners who are seeking treatment for their pet at the vmth
in our everyday work research is important and yes teaching is our mission but the clients are why we get out of bed every dayto come in and see these cases and treat cancer said wilson-robles associate professor and dr fred a and vola n palmer chair in comparative oncology
one of the big things about these funds and how they help clients is that they allow pet owners to treat their animals in a more affordable way; owners cannot always afford treatment so having these supplementary funds in some cases helps owners to not have to make a choice about what they can doit allows them to treat their animal when they otherwise wouldnt be able to its huge for them
the petco foundation makes grant investments in organizations that work to make the most significant impact possible with the support provided by the petco foundation the foundation desires to support and encourage the work of those organizations that work together in an effort to create a nation where no animal is needlessly euthanized where domestic animals can be trained to provide service to people and organizations in need and where all domestic animals can be healthy and find lifelong homes and lifesaving medical care
as the only veterinary hospital in texas to offer an integrated oncology service the vmths oncology service provides cutting-edge comprehensive cancer care offering medical radiation and surgical oncologists working closely together in one location
since 1999 the petco foundation has invested more than $200 million in lifesaving animal welfare work help animals live their best life
with more than 4 000 animal welfare partners the foundation works to inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs spay and neuter services pet cancer research service and therapy animals and numerous other lifesaving initiatives
for more information about the vmths oncology service visit http://vethospitaltamuedu/small-animal-hospital/oncology and for more information on the petco foundation visit wwwpetcofoundationorg
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt interim director of cvm communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
a rescued bottlenose dolphin is doing well at seaworld san antonio after the first cerebrospinal fluid tap on a live bottlenose dolphin was performed by a texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) neurology professor nick jeffery
the procedure has now given her a chance at living with other dolphins
rimmy a sub adult female bottlenose dolphin was stranded on sea rim state park texas in september 2017 when she was approximately 2-3 years old
she was rescued by the texas marine mammal stranding network (tmmsn) and treated for 14 months at their galveston center for multiple ailments including pneumonia and nasal parasites in collaboration with seaworld san antonios animal care team
noaa fisheries determined that rimmy could not be released back to the wild because of her need for continued long-term medical treatment in order to find her a permanent home a bacterial infection of the central nervous system or brain needed to be ruled out
this kind of spinal tap procedure had never been attempted before on a live dolphin and without it rimmys options for finding a new home were limited
in collaboration with the tmmsn seaworld brought in outside specialists for this first ever procedure including jeffery who regularly performs spinal taps in animals and dr james bailey of the florida-based innovative veterinary medicine an expert in cetacean anesthesia who used a ventilator designed specifically for dolphins
it was nice to be able to contribute to this because it meant that rimmy could go live a nice life which she otherwise wouldnt have been able to do jeffery said
we do spinal taps very commonly in dogs and while i initially thought it would be very different in dolphinsbecause of the shape of the skull and because the relationship of the brain to the spinal cord is completely differentsince ive completed the procedure i realize that its really straightforward to do he said
seaworld veterinarians dr jennifer camilleri dr steve osborn and dr hendrik nollens and seaworlds animal husbandry team rounded out the team of experts
during the procedure samples were also collected to examine how the anesthetic drug was metabolized information that can make future anesthetic procedures possible at other facilities caring for dolphins and whales
rimmys groundbreaking procedure was a success she recovered completely from the anesthesia and the much-needed diagnostic samples were collected it was found that she did not have the infection of her central nervous system that had been feared and she continues to be cared for at seaworld san antonio while noaa fisheries finds rimmy a permanent home
the expertise and creativity to devise new ways to treat marine animals is a testament to the extraordinary lengths our teams will go to preserve the life of every animal said dr steve osborn a senior veterinarian at seaworld san antonio working in collaboration with experts in the fields of neurology and anesthesia we were able to successfully extract cerebrospinal fluid from a live cetacean for the very first time
seaworld san antonios animal hospital performing radiography endoscopy ultrasound as well as small and large animal anesthesia has given many rescued animals a second chance at life seaworlds rescue team is on call 24/7 benefiting more than 33 000 animals over the past 50 years
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
after almost a month in butte county california members of the texas a&m veterinary emergency team (vet) and agrilife extension service are beginning their journey home today
during the 29-day deployment the teams first outside of texas 12 members of the vet and seven agrilife extension agents from across texas worked at the del oro emergency animal shelter in oroville california aiding with volunteer inventory and data management as well as medical care to the many animals sheltered there
while the conditions were cold and rainy often accompanied by high wind speeds (and one day a tornado warning!) vet members and agrilife extension agents stayed busy working with the butte county incident command california national guard san jose conservation corps and north valley animal disaster group at the shelter and providing oversight in the efforts to return sheltered pets to their owners reunite those that were lost or missing with their owners and send unclaimed animals to area shelters as those shelters had space open up and were again able to accommodate more pets
this was such a different deployment we came in late rather than early and arrived to find a difficult situation said dr wesley bissett vet director and associate professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
butte county was faced with an overwhelming incident that was 10 times larger than anything they had ever faced he said imagine towns the size of perhaps bastrop that had been basically destroyed this was worse (than the 2011 bastrop county wildfire) from the perspective of the number of homes destroyed lives lost and complete destruction of a town
bissett said the arrival of the vet came when the emergency shelter needed it most
the magnitude of this disaster required response resources from local state and federal levels of government he said our first task at the shelter was to work with everyone so that we were all on the same page a large part of this was gaining this communitys trust this was accomplished and we moved on to getting the medical situations stabilized the logistics aspect organized data management reconciled and the overall situation improved for responder and animal these changes were striking and occurred rapidly thanks to the hard work of all involved this was truly a community effort that extended from butte county animal control leadership down to each of the units involved in this response
the days were long and the weather was at its worst but it all paid off in terms of smiles new relationships and happier healthier animals he said
in working to spread the aggie spirit team members were struck and humbled by the outpouring of love and support witnessed among members of the national guard and the volunteers serving at the shelter site many of whom are victims of the camp fire themselves; on top of that these were people facing almost complete destruction of paradise the stories team members heard from victims and the destruction witnessed as a result of the fire will be one that the texas a&m contingent will never forget
this has been an amazing deployment that has really showcased the capabilities of the vet and agrilife extension bissett said i think more importantly it has showcased just how powerful it is for us to work closely together
as team members prepared to depart bissett said he also was struck by the role texas a&m and the texas a&m universitys systems plays in these kinds of situations; in addition to the vet and the agrilife extension service texas task force 1 and the forest service also responded to the camp fire but goodbyes he said are never easy
our final departure will be tough we have been here a long time and have developed such good friendships with everyonethe bonds we develop with a community that we respond to is always incredibly strong he said i suspect that there will be tears all around but it will be time for us to go as close as we have all become they cannot recover until we leave as ready as i am to come home these will be tough goodbyes
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
sharp breaks ground on two new facilities welcomes top large animal expert to the panhandle
the texas a&m university systems effort to build the strongest livestock program in the nation moved three-steps forward today as officials broke ground on two new facilities and announced the hiring of one of the top large animal veterinarians in the world at west texas a&m university
todays ground breakings are the culmination of our $90 million investment in the future of large animal health in the panhandle said john sharp chancellor of the texas a&m university system this investment and the buildings we are breaking ground on here today ensure the texas a&m university system continues to not only meet but exceed the needs of this region and the state in the future
sharp joined local elected officials to break ground on the new texas a&m veterinary education research & outreach (vero) facility as well as the texas a&m veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory (tvmdl)
the vero facility will serve as a learning space to supplement externship programs in rural texas the more than 22 000 square foot facility budgeted at $22 million will be a regional veterinary teaching center that will facilitate collaborative multidisciplinary research among scientists from across the region
dr paul morley will serve as the director of research at the vero facility sharp announced dr morley is one of the best-respected large animal veterinarians in the world sharp said his presence brings instant prestige to the vero facilitys efforts
a nevada native morley is accustomed to raising cattle and earned a bachelors degree in animal science and a doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) degree from washington state university he specializes in epidemiology and has been a professor at colorado state university for the past 20 years
im really looking forward to showing all levels of students how exciting research can be and how important it is for the future of agriculture and the future of veterinary medicine morley said the panhandle is one of the true jewels in the world in regard to opportunities for intensive animal production and all of the work and careers that go along with that
adjacent to the vero facility the tvmdl facility budgeted at $176 million will feature all the latest technology to provide the best in diagnostic capabilities the 11 233 square foot building will house labs for bacteriology pathology serology and virology as well as spaces for receiving and processing and necropsy and support
these new state-of-the-art facilities create a highway of research activity from wtamu to tamu that supports animal health in this region dr walter wendler president of wtamu said this partnership brings together the systems universities to extend their reach and address texas large animal veterinary needs
the tvmdl building will be named the charles w graham dvm texas a&m veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory after dr graham a texas a&m distinguished alumnus and one of texas most renowned equine veterinarians
grahams veterinary practice led to the establishment of southwest stallion station a horse-breeding business responsible for the nations most famous quarter horses he is the only person to serve as president of both the texas quarter horse association and the texas thoroughbred breeders association in addition to the equine industry he is recognized as a successful cattleman and founder of graham land and cattle company specializing in braham-influenced cattle
sharp said that the two new facilities under construction are an important part of the texas a&m university systems serving every texan every day initiative to partner with four system schools wtamu texas a&m university-kingsville tarleton state university and prairie view a&m university to expand the veterinary medical education research undergraduate education and outreach throughout the state
texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical services (cvm) established the texas a&m veterinary medical complex at wtamu to address the shortage of large animal veterinarians in texas
the vero facility will be the most cost-effective and innovative game-changer in support of rural veterinary medicine in the texas panhandle said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m with dr morley on board at vero the exchange of knowledge on the information superhighway between wtamu and the cvm for the benefit of texas and the livestock industry will accelerate
about the texas a&m university system
the texas a&m university system is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation with a budget of $455 billion through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies the texas a&m system educates more than 148 000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year system-wide research and development expenditures exceeded $972 million in fy 2016 and helped drive the states economy
about west texas a&m university
west texas a&m university a member of the texas a&m university system is located at the heart of the texas panhandle and serves the top 26 counties of the state with a budget of more than $138 million the university serves more than 10 000 students with 59 undergraduate programs 38 graduate programs and two doctoral programs most programs have the option to be completely online and rank competitively in national publications such as us news and world report
###
vero groundbreaking remarksby dr eleanor m green the carl b dean of veterinary medicineat the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciencesfri dec 20 2018 | canyon texas
what a special occasion! what a perfect day for this occasion! the sun is out and it is brisk the wind is high enough to blow us into this wonderful building the paul engler college of agriculture and natural sciences and into the johnny and jana trotter classroom i welcome you all to the future home of the texas a&m university veterinary education research and outreach facility (or vero as we affectionately call it) on the campus of west texas a&m university
it took many people throughout texas to make this a reality thank you chancellor john sharp for your vision and your resolve to leverage the strengths of the entire texas a&m university system to give back to texas on many fronts the latest being vero thank you president walter wendler and your entire west texas a&m university team for being ideal partners and collaborators on this venture distinguished members of the vero advisory council thank you for generously sharing your valuable counsel and for being here today to celebrate together thanks to dr susan eades head of the colleges department of large animal clinical sciences whose work is just beginning as she helps further link college station and the texas panhandle thanks as well to so many others who have championed this initiative in the texas panhandle we are grateful to all of you who have been with us every step of the way
today marks the culmination of an idea that began nearly 10 years ago in 2009 many of you in this room were there for the first meeting on this campus in the wtamu administration buildingveterinarians livestock industry leaders faculty from texas a&m and wtamu including the late great dr dean hawkins out of those meetings came a new and innovative approach to expand the texas pipeline of young people to texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences to encourage their path back to rural communities to support the livestock industries and veterinarians who serve them and to catalyze economic growth in the texas panhandle region
the timing for such a facility in the texas panhandle couldnt be better it builds upon the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences 100-year legacy of veterinary educational excellence and cutting-edge innovation at a time when its dvm class size has been increased to meet needs in fact continued significant investment by the texas a&m university system in the texas panhandle ensures vero to be a momentous game-changer
what will vero mean to you imagine veterinary students coming to vero for parts of their veterinary education for significant impactful experiences such as summer internships in feedlots and externships with practicing veterinarians like those here today imagine veterinarians coming here from around the world to strengthen their capabilities in livestock veterinary medicine and learn about this region in the livestock epicenter of the world imagine the research that will be accomplished for livestock health all of which will be shared in real-time with producers and veterinarians imagine the training opportunities for the livestock workforce imagine all of these contributing to a world class program
our latest success is that we targeted and actively recruited dr paul morley to join the vero team to lead the research enterprise dr morley is a prominent large animal veterinarian who is famous within the veterinary profession and highly respected by the livestock industries nationwide his expertise is surpassed only by his character he is a game-changer
dr morley joins dr dee griffin and dr dan posey who have pioneered this program for the past two years creating an exceptional learning environment for students hosting industry gatherings and building strong partnerships within the texas panhandle region we are also fortunate to share dr sarah capik a researcher in a joint appointment with texas a&m agrilife research this team will round out the veterinary education research and outreach missions of vero
and finally and perhaps most importantly we have our current dvm students many of whom are focused on coming back to this region to work for example trent dozier who will graduate in may 2019 with his dvm degree said it would be a great privilege to work day in and day out with the salt-of-the-earth people in west texas to ensure that the livestock and ranching industry continues to endure for generations to come
taylor williams a 2nd year dvm student said when i return to the panhandle i plan to help west texas a&m pre-veterinary students by offering them internships at my practice out there i am excited to go back serve my community and invest in the future of veterinarians
we are graduating more and more students every year who want to come back to this area to work and live this new vero facility will provide a place for those students to gather learn grow and build their successful futures
the vero facility will be the most cost-effective and innovative game-changer in support of rural veterinary medicine in the texas panhandle the vero team will form a virtual superhighway between west texas a&m and the cvm at texas a&m merging and leveraging the strengths of both for unimaginable success
as well-known actor christopher reeve once said so many of our dreams at first seem impossible then they seem improbable and then when we summon the will they soon become inevitable
once again thanks to all of our texas a&m university system leaders but especially chancellor sharp and president wendler for making our dreams an inevitable reality through a texas powerhouse investment and building incredible synergy here in canyon to make a difference in the texas panhandle our state nation and world i am honored and privileged to be part of the journey thank you all for coming today
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
the texas a&m veterinary emergency team (vet) and agents from the texas a&m agrilife extension service are traveling to california to offer medical and oversight relief to shelters housing around 700 companion animals displaced because of the paradise wildfires that began in november
team members departed from college station on thursday morning for the teams first out-of-state deployment which also will support the ongoing recovery efforts by assisting with the reunification efforts they anticipate returning in early january
we will be continuing care for burn patients and playing an advisory role for issues that are traditionally involved with bringing large numbers of animals together (in a shelter) said dr wesley bissett vet director and associate professor of emergency management in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) who has already traveled to california to assist in creating a sheltering plan that while not species specific was more oriented toward californias large animal population
we also anticipate seeing a lot of stress-related issues in the sheltered animals he said for example if a cat has lived with a couple for all of its life and all of the sudden that couples not there on a daily basisthe cats not in its own home; its in a different environmentwhen there are 699 animals it is not familiar with in that new space and add to that the trauma of the experienceit creates a lot of stress for the animal
because fewer than half of the sheltered animals have been identified as owned members of the texas a&m convoy hope to establish a mechanism for reconnecting pets with their owners who may not even be aware that their animal survived
bissett sees the deployment as an opportunity for the two units from the texas a&m system to come together to help solve the state and the nations problems
agrilife extension has a history of managing large-scale animal support operations these agents are experienced in setting up and managing different aspects of these emergency shelters so our deployment will be building on the strengths we both bring to the table bissett said we know from deploying in texas with agrilife extension that when we work together thats the most powerful response that we can have
we also are grateful for the opportunity to offer some much-needed relief to our response colleagues in california who have been working in the field for more than a month bissett said
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
following the completion of their first two years of comprehensive independent testing of 11 tissue chips researchers in the tissue chip validation center at texas a&m university (tex-val) have been successful in securing a competitive renewal award from the national institutes of health (nih)
the competitive multi-million-dollar grant from the nihs national center for advancing translational sciences (ncats) will facilitate the creation of a public-private partnership that builds on the existing infrastructure and expertise of tex-val and promotes the use of tissue chips by industry and regulatory bodies the center also will continue their work to validate the tissue chip technology developed by their partners at a number of public and private academic centers in the united states
led by texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) professor ivan rusyn the tex-val center will work with key members of the innovation and quality or iq consortium comprising toxicologists from pharmaceutical companies that are interested in exploring the use of tissue chips for drug testing and development
the tex-val center has secured commitments to test 19 new tissue chips from nih-funded developers as well as an interest in discussing the consortium framework from key members of the iq consortium and governmental agencies
we have already been successful in building close partnerships with the academic laboratories that develop tissue chip technology i am delighted that our center brings value to our partners and that they are happy to continue working with us rusyn said the major focus for this second two-year grant is to engage even more closely with companies as a group or individually and government agencies to build a consortium that becomes a place where people can discuss their experiences with the technology but also can actually do new testing and then share this information with others
the ultimate goal is to establish a public-private partnership that will transform the tex-val center into a self-sustaining public-private consortium for tissue chip validation
as happens with many novel and complex technologies industry and regulatory agencies have been slow to adopt tissue chips because of a lack of confidence in the reliability and relevance rusyn added the consortium will work to encourage tissue chip adoption and serve as a practical pathway to what we hope will be the eventual replacement of animal testing in the future
other tex-val center investigators are: weihsueh chiu at the cvm; clifford stephan at the texas a&m institute of biosciences and technology; terry wade with the texas a&m geosciences and environmental research group; and arum han at the texas a&m college of engineering
additional information on the award (u24 tr002633) is available via the nih project reporter at https://projectreporternihgov/project_info_descriptioncfmaid=9671095&icde=41336148
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
virginia fajt a clinical professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology (vtpp) has been honored for her sustained excellence in education research and service to the field of bovine medicine with the 2018 american association of bovine practitioners (aabp) award of excellence
fajt was presented the award of excellence which includes a commemorative plaque and a ring during the 51st annual aabp conference sept 14-16 in phoenix
its nice to have someone acknowledge my work and how much i put into it fajt said the really nice part was that the people who presented the award to me sarah wagner and terry lehenbauer are good friends of mine
also sitting next to me was the president now past president mike apley who was my major adviser in my phd program he received the same award when i was in grad school and his major adviser (dan upson) received the award previous to that she said
the aabp award of excellence is given annually to a member whose professional activities have a consistent and direct influence on daily activities of bovine veterinarians through contributing to continuing education; actively participating in organized veterinary medicine; maintaining relationships with and contributing to the industry; publishing research in the past two years that has had a significant industry impact; and enhancing the practice through participation in regulatory or legislative activities
fajt a clinical pharmacologist has a record of achievement in all of those areas
a disciplinary expert on a number of projects including several at the cvm fajt has authored or co-authored more than 50 publications in academic journals industry or extension publications and books
her collaborations have included research on antibiotic use resistance and stewardship which has the potential to directly affect cattle practice and industries; a project to determine drug elimination times following the treatment of livestock with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which will be critical information for show livestock competitions; and a publication about the effect of heat on truck boxes used to store drugs and equipment which had drug potency implications for practitioners who store drugs in warm weather
as an educator fajt teaches pharmacology in the cvm and has been involved in the food animal production tour in west texas; has published research findings on instructional topics that include the best methods for teaching evidence-based approaches and the development of cultural competency in veterinary students; has worked with 4-h and ffa youth and animal science undergraduate and graduate students; and her leadership of the antimicrobial resistance core competencies working group also has had a direct impact on how antimicrobial drug resistance topics are taught in us veterinary colleges
additionally as an active participant in organized veterinary medicine fajt has been an aabp member since she was in graduate school and has participated in several committees and tasks forces within the organization related to drug use and animals including chairing the committee on pharmaceutical and biological issues and the aabp foundation board
currently she also is the president of the american academy of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics serves on the board of directors of the veterinary pharmacology research foundation; and is involved in the american college of veterinary clinical pharmacology for which she has led several committees since becoming a diplomate
she works with the clinical laboratory standards institute to develop guidelines to assist practitioners in interpreting the results of susceptibility testing; she serves as the president of the evidence-based veterinary medicine association and chairs key committees of the american veterinary medical association including the committee on antimicrobials which developed and implemented a strategy to allow veterinary professionals to effectively share policy recommendations with legislators regulators the marketplace and other stakeholders
earlier this year fajt attended the avma veterinary leadership conference and house of delegates meeting to gain support and approval of the professions first definition of antimicrobial stewardship and core principles of antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary medicine
i am grateful to the support i receive from dean (eleanor) green and the department heads here who really understand the different ways that everybody contributes to veterinary medicine some people in the college do the basic research; some do the clinical service like our colleagues in the teaching hospital; and some people do things like i do she said we all have our part to play and its all acknowledged and rewarded
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
for the second consecutive year the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been selected for the health professions higher education excellence in diversity (heed) award from insight into diversity magazine the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education
the cvm was one of 35 us medical dental pharmacy osteopathic nursing veterinary allied health and other health schools and centers to receive the national honor which recognizes those that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion
the cvm will be featured along with 34 other recipients in the december 2018 issue of insight into diversity magazine
this cvm is committed to make the college a welcoming thriving and inclusive place for all; the college is one of the only veterinary colleges in america to dedicate an associate dean to diversity for the college
the college also offers inclusive climate trainings for mediation certification suicide prevention difficult dialogues speaking out against injustice and becoming an aggie ally
winning this award from insight into diversity magazine for the second year in a row is an incredible honor for our college said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university our dedicated focus on working and learning in inclusive environments is paramount to the success of our faculty staff administrators and students
we work together to recruit a diverse student body faculty and staff and we celebrate the contributions of every member of our college toward this effort she said this work will make our entire college community better prepared to live in our ever-changing world
recruitment and retention of outstanding underrepresented minority (urm) students can be seen in the doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) program and in undergraduate and graduate programs through the development of memorandum of agreements (moas) with colleges and universities across the state these programs are designed to promote inclusion diversity and access
the cvm also has strong student and college organizations dedicated to supporting a welcoming learning environment these include the council on diversity and professionalism (cdp) a committee that includes undergraduate and graduate students faculty and staff as well as a group of elected representatives from each veterinary class that works to promote an inclusive respectful and welcoming environment in the college; voice (veterinary students one in culture and ethnicity) a student-run organization that addresses socio-cultural awareness among veterinary students faculty and staff; and broad spectrum which works to connect support and empower lgbtq+ veterinary students and allies
only two other colleges of veterinary medicine across the country were selected for a heed awardthe ohio state university college of veterinary medicine and michigan state university college of veterinary medicine
the health professions heed award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employeesand best practices for both; continued leadership support for diversity; and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion said lenore pearlstein publisher of insight into diversity magazine we take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a health professions heed award recipient our standards are high and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being accomplished every day across their campus
for more information about the 2017 health professions heed award visit wwwinsightintodiversitycom
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
when hurricane florence made landfall along the north carolina coast last month and the floodwaters began to rise researchers in the texas a&m superfund research center (tamu src) knew what its residents were in store for
after all the tamu src was established in september 2017 through funding from the national institute of environmental health sciences (niehs) to evaluate the potential hazardous chemicals and chemical mixtures people may be exposed to as a result of these kinds of weather-related emergencies
so when given the opportunity to work with the environmental defense fund (edf) and the duke university superfund center tamu src trainee and a third-year texas a&m university toxicology doctoral student gaston casillas packed his bags in less than 24 hours for a six-day road trip that covered more than 1 000 miles across southeastern north carolina
there casillas who had also worked in houston as part of the tamu src response following hurricane harvey spent approximately 12 hours each day with a mobile sampling unit and staff from the california-based entanglement technologies to conduct real-time sampling of air and water the group tested for benzene toluene ethylbenzene and xylene (btex) as well as mercury in the water; volatile organic carbons (vocs) in the air casillas also collected samples for future analyses of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) pesticides and metals in soil detailed maps of where the sampling occurred also were created
the entanglement staff and casillas tested for these substances because researchers might expect to find them after accidents associated with flooding that damage storage ponds that store coal ash near old coal-fired power stations said jennifer horney a lead for the tamu srcs community engagement core who is also a faculty adviser for casillas doctoral research project
we were testing for those everywhere that had flooded in north carolina we went to the site where the coal ash was flooding before the dam broke and then to the sutton dam which was a dam that separated recreationally from water that was connected with the coal ash plants casillas said adding that when the dam burst they were able to follow the leak to the cape fear river we were live sampling the water from there when the first lock broke then a day-and-a-half later the entire dam gave way and we returned and did some more surface water sampling on the cape fear river downstream from the plants
casillass previous experience collecting environmental samples after hurricane harvey benefited those with whom he worked in north carolina; he knew what to expect and was very useful in helping the edf/entanglement technologies and duke university teams determine where to go what to sample and how to go about the process according to ivan rusyn tamu src director and professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
the experience from harvey really helped to streamline this process casillas said we were able to decide much more quickly whether we were going because of that we were able to pretty successfully capture a good snapshot of the locations that are relevant and potentially informative the experience from harvey was definitely invaluable
likewise participating in that sampling also is beneficial to the tamu src because it will allow researchers to begin making comparisons between samples taken in houstonan area widely known to be impacted by the concentration of industrial and chemical manufacturing facilitiesand those taken in a more rural part of north carolina
this work is directly related to the centers overall goal which is to develop tools and models for rapid response to disasters in terms of understanding what human health and environmental health and veterinary health challenges may be there rusyn said were not first responders in terms of dealing with a disaster but were trying to make sure that information is collected on potential exposures and impacts that are other than from just water inundation or temperatures or whatnot
a situation like hurricane florence allowed us to again test our preparedness for this type of an event to be able to deploy quickly to assist and lead in some ways the sampling and then to build capacity and to both learn ourselves but also given information to others in terms of what they may be doing when this event happens again he said in participating in responses to these events we can truly put our basic research and development of our sampling methods analysis methods and communication methods to the test and develop actual protocols for this
from a professional standpoint these experiences tie directly into casillass future goals of working with residents of disadvantaged communities to decrease their exposure to these kinds of hazardous materials; the kind of mapping hes completing now could one day serve to help community members identify problematic areas that could be further exacerbated by the next storm
this is really a good demonstration of the value of applied toxicology and how important translational research is in helping people to understand that in addition to the impacts that theyre going to have from flooding there might be environmental health and toxicological impacts as well horney said thats a relatively novel realization thats come about since the establishment of the a&m superfund center and hurricane harvey because those happened at the same time weve really been able to push forward the importance of this applied toxicology and translational research
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
microphysiological systems (mpss) or tissue chips are a relatively new technology that have the potential to significantly impact the drug development process as well as drug and chemical safety testing; however adoption of these chips by industry and regulatory agencies has been slow due to a lack of confidence in the reliability and relevance of these models outside of their developers laboratories
in the first national institutes of health (nih)-funded study on tissue chip testing researchers in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine (cvm) have taken measures to close that gap by completing an exhaustive independent testing of the chips robustness and reproducibility
led by courtney sakolish a postdoctoral trainee in toxicology under the guidance of ivan rusyn professor in the cvms department of veterinary integrative biosciences and principal investigator of the project the study details the results of an investigation of tissue chip technology transfer and the reproducibility of tissue chip-derived data
the research technology transfer of the microphysiological systems: a case study of the human proximal tubule tissue chip which was funded by the nihs national center for advancing translational sciences (ncats) was published on oct 5 in the online journal scientific reports the study evaluated the kidney mps developed by ed kelly and jonathan himmelfarb at the university of washington (uw) school of pharmacy and kidney research institute
tissue chips have a lot of future applications especially in the pharmaceutical industry but we dont really hear about any drugs being tested using these tissue chips because there really is not a lot of confidence in the use of these technologies just yet sakolish said our project worked on building confidence in the use of these models by extensively evaluating them
the final report establishes the reliability of the new test methods defines the domain of applicability for these technologies describes how test results should be interpreted in terms of a positive/negative response and develops performance standards for the evaluation of relevant adverse outcomes
this is the first publication out of the ncats funding we received in 2016 that shows that yes you can do that technology transfer rusyn said now we have a blueprint for how this could be done in the future what the success looks like and how this is not about the complexity of the actual engineered systems but how other factors such as the availability of cells to put on these models is really the most critical pitfall that frequently creates challenges with reproducibility
in this particular model even though we were not replicating the whole kidney we replicated a very important part of the kidney we had cells that self-organized in the tubule and there was flow of media and cells that oriented themselves in a way very similar to how they are oriented in a living organism rusyn said not only do they look how they should but they also function much more physiologically closer to in vivo thats where the excitement of this technology is we can do a lot of experiments (with this mps) that we cant do in people
the team also worked in partnership with cliff stephan the teams core investigator at the institute for biosciences and technology part of the texas a&m health science center
testing and validating issue chips is a very important step in translating basic science and engineering into understanding human disease and developing new therapies said himmelfarb a clinician and researcher at uws kidney research institute
we learned a lot from this project and are to working with other academic partners pharmaceutical companies and governmental agencies to facilitate the translation of these technologies to the real world sakolish said a very important aspect of this work is the collaboration between us and the developers and with the nih which recognizes that it takes a lot of work to bring these technologies to fruition we are really grateful to the developers at the university of washington and the nih for their support
the article is available online at wwwnaturecom/articles/s41598-018-33099-2
the kidney mps was developed under ncats award uh3tr000504 the tissue chip activities at texas a&m were funded under ncats award u24tr001950 the article can be found in scientific reports 8 article number 14882
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
dr annie newell-fugate an assistant professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been named a 2018-19 montague-center for teaching excellence (cte) scholar
montague-cte scholar awards are given annually to one tenure-track faculty member from each college based on their ability and interest in teaching
i am proud and honored to present the montague-cte award to dr newell-fugate for excellence in teaching said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine her commitment and interest in teaching speaks to her unwavering dedication to students in the classroom we commend her as she joins the elite few who have earned this prestigious award
newell-fugate who calls teaching a privilege said receiving the cte scholar award is the highlight of her young teaching career at texas a&m
i am humbled and honored to have been selected to be in the esteemed company of so many current and former montague-cte scholars whose approaches to teaching scholarship i greatly admire she said
as one who has taught undergraduate students in my research laboratory and with large animal models of human disease for 10 years and in the classroom for eight years i have an intense passion for undergraduate education she said undergraduate students are enthusiastic driven and open-minded learners their dedication to the mastery of knowledge in their chosen discipline mirrors their commitment to their career goals it is a privilege to positively impact this group of students on a daily basis in my classroom and research laboratory
newell-fugate joined the vtpp faculty in 2014 and recently began teaching vtpp 427 physiology ii having previously taught the biomedical sciences program core course vtpp 423 physiology i
after teaching the same course for a few years newell-fugate said the challenge of developing a new course design for vtpp 427 has been a welcome one that has allowed her to extend her creativity
what i love most about teaching is the ability to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills while fostering a passion and enthusiasm for integrative physiology in my students in the instruction of my students in both a didactic setting and research laboratory activities i dovetail basic science within the context of clinical cases she said the integration of these disciplines instills a greater understanding and appreciation of physiology additionally it is a joy to witness them grow as students and individuals throughout their time in my course(s) or research laboratory
as part of her recognition as a cte scholar newell-fugate will receive a $6 500 grant to further develop innovative teaching techniques that can be made available to other faculty members
with those funds she plans to create short video tutorials for each physiology ii class that will highlight each lecture and be available to students both before and after class; develop round-table discussions of cases with both medical and veterinary practitioners that will cover fluid balance in critical patients as well as the diagnosis and management of female reproductive disease(s) and of diabetes mellitus (types i and ii); and design and implement a hands-on laboratory that covers techniques related to reproductive biology and endocrinology including an introduction to the methods utilized to measure hormones in the discipline of endocrinology
she believes that innovative teaching is critical to impactful instruction and begins with communication and passion
the classroom is a two-way road with exchange of information and engagement on the part of the faculty member and the students newell-fugate said a passion for teaching the scholarship of teaching and for ones own discipline is essential to the successful implementation of innovative teaching techniques
students learn more integrate concepts better and retain information longer in classes where innovative and engaging teaching practices are employed she continued several former undergraduate students in my ‘physiology i course have contacted me as health professional students to tell me how helpful my course was as preparation for their professional curriculum innovative teaching better prepares the nations next generation of scientists and health professionals
newell-fugate earned her bachelors degree with honors in biology from the university of north carolina at chapel hill; doctor of veterinary medicine degree from north carolina state university college of veterinary medicine; masters degree in wildlife reproduction from the university of pretoria in the republic of south africa; and doctorate in reproductive physiology from the university of illinois at urbana-champaign
she said she is thankful for the support she has received as a young faculty member within the cvmand especially for the support she has received from carl b king dean of veterinary medicine eleanor green vtpp department head larry suva and the cvm executive committee
the montague-cte scholars awards are named in honor of kenneth montague 37 a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of the texas a&m foundation
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
dr larry johnson a professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) and principal investigator for the peer program has received a five-year $126 million science education partnership award (sepa) grant from the national institutes of general medical sciences (nigms) of the national institutes of health (nih) to support science technology engineering and mathematics (stem) education in rural middle schools
the funds will enable the cvms partnership for environmental education and rural health (peer) program to:
to achieve these aims the peer project team will partner with the center for educational technologies and texas a&m university departments of computer engineering and agricultural leadership education and communications to incorporate curricula materials johnson and the peer scientists/educators have created over the past 15 years
the partnerships formed with educators and their students here and around the world through our peer program to support stem are making lasting positive impacts on our rural middle school communities said eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university we are proud of this peer team and the work they do; this nigms sepa award will allow this team to serve rural communities in an even more remarkable way
the goal of the project is to further prepare middle school teachers to teach stem increase the number of youth who have interactive stem experiences in school and increase the number of underrepresented minority students who are knowledgeable about stem and stem careers
this project will target underserved rural communities concentrating specifically on middle school students who are at a critical period for developing academic competence and choosing a career
we generally target middle school students because students in this age group tend to start middle school liking math and science but leave middle school with a less favorable impression of it johnson said were trying to prevent this by applying science to something they all likeanimals
rural schools often have large minority and educationally underserved populations and are geographically isolated; therefore students there often have few opportunities to interact with scientists and academic health professionals who might increase their motivation to engage in stem education and careers giving students the opportunity to engage with these professionals offers them the chance to establish mentorships or role models which in turn will allow them to envision themselves in a health or medical career according to johnson
as part of the project the team will also host teacher professional development workshops at the cvm during which five educators will travel to college station to assist in developing curricula that will meet state and national stem education standards and contain content engaging to students
they will help us create materials that match what teachers need in their classrooms by bringing firsthand classroom experience that guarantees resources created are effective and relevant johnson said teachers wont use our materials if they dont conform to state standards or cant be realistically used in a classroom
those materials will cover seven different one health topics which also will be translated into spanish
we often create lessons about animals; kids love animals and so its an easy transition from teaching them about the science in their pets to the science in themselves johnson said we encourage children to learn through things that they like
finally during the third fourth and fifth years of the grant peer will travel across the state to host middle school teacher trainings instructing teachers on the use of not only the peer app but also the student-centered instruction and curriculum that the app and web-based resources make possible
we will help teachers implement the materials weve created into their classrooms johnson said
other texas a&m faculty and staff assisting in the project include christine budke maria esteve-gassent julie harlin william r klemm noboru matsuda (now at north carolina state university) nicola ritter duncan walker and torri whitaker
the peer program has been providing activities that encourage interest in stem education for more than 17 years the popularity of peer-produced curricula has led to a mailing list that includes 35 000 teachers from across the united states and a youtube channel with viewers from around the world peer curricula receives 50 203 downloads yearly by 2 201 teachers generating an impact of 199 609 students 52 percent of which includes minority populations
in addition to the new project peer will continue to have veterinary student led outreach events and scientist-hosted webcasts in support of the sepa mission
dr johnson and his team have had a huge impact inspiring children and teachers not only in texas but throughout the nation with this program said jane welsh vibs interim department head and professor
the sepa program which supports pre-kindergarten to 12th grade stem informal science education and science center/museum projects is located in the division for research capacity building at nigms the peer-based project science promotion in rural middle schools received a prior (2007-2012) sepa award
for more information on the peer program visit http://peertamuedu for more information on the sepa program visit https://nihsepaorg
according to the american heart association coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the united states with projected annual costs of more than $100 billion in health care expenses and lost productivity
dr cristine heaps an associate professor in the department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology (vtpp) in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) received a $2 million individual research grant from the national institutes of health (nih) to study the effects of exercise training on coronary artery disease
dr heaps as principal investigator has assembled a powerful team to determine how exercise affects the heart in disease said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine in the cvm the value and promise of this study are evident it is notable that this award is one of the largest r01 single pi grants awarded in the cvms history
this research is highly interesting impactful and clinically relevant because it involves clarifying the mechanisms that underlie beneficial effects of exercise training in the setting of coronary artery disease said dr janet parker professor emeritus in the texas a&m college of medicines department of medical physiology
past studies have shown that patients who have what is called ischemic heart disease a reduced blood flow into various regions of the heart often results from stenosis a narrowing of the blood vessels
this study will help to determine how exercise training improves blood flow to the muscle of the heart and thereby function in the ischemic heart which in turn aids in getting more blood flow out to the rest of the tissues within the body
members included on heaps multidisciplinary team include: dr sonya gordon a small animal cardiologist at the cvm who will determine how the heart is functioning overall what areas of the heart are getting normal levels of blood flow and what areas are getting low levels; dr fred schroeder a senior professor in vtpp who will focus on fluorescent imaging of cells of the coronary arteries to determine how molecules are interacting with each other; dr jerry trzeciakowski a professor from the texas a&m health science center who will provide statistical guidance to the team; and mr jeff bray heaps research associate who has been working with heaps for 10 years and whose detailed and focused work generated much of the preliminary data necessary to secure funding for the grant
the team that dr heaps has assembled is the product of the collaborative relationship between the cvm and the michael e debakey institute for comparative cardiovascular science said dr larry suva vtpp department head there are high expectations for this exciting and highly relevant translational research program
the big picture is that we will try to look at the cellular mechanisms that are altered with heart disease and how these mechanisms adapt with exercise training heaps said chronic exercise generates so many positive adaptations in both healthy and diseased hearts; we have only begun to scratch the surface regarding our understanding of the adaptations
the scientific community already knows that exercise improves heart function even in a diseased state; now heaps and her team are trying to figure out what mechanisms contribute to that improved function and why
a lot of preliminary data went into the study and these data suggest that there are multiple pathways to increase blood flow into the heart according to heaps who is passionate about exercise and heart health
i want to reaffirm with people that being active is very important she said it might not be important for them to understand how exercise improves heart health but its important for those of us in the scientific world to understand the adaptations so that therapies can be developed and improved people with or without heart disease will be the recipients of the discovery and the opportunity to improve their heart health
details about the project are available here
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
michelle and pete gerukos dog shaker was one in a million always the happy-go-lucky funny guy the golden retriever lived like the entire world was his playground and in the meantime completely changed the way the gerukoses lived their lives and beheld each day…with light hearts and tons of laughter
shaker embraced life full-on and was completely convinced that he could do anything a human could doonly better!
every day was a game pete said
shaker lived his life with passion joy and love for everyone michelle said he was a genuine gift to our family he made us laugh learn and loveevery single day
shaker came to the gerukos home on christmas day 2006 they had waited literally years fearing no dog could possibly fill the paws of michelles three beloved akitas that came before
the 8-week-old puppy immediately impressed the couple with his sparkling personality and his innate abilities to heel and to let them know when he needed to go outside to use the restroom
literally from day one when he arrived he was super smart although we had already seen his brilliance in heeling and training he quickly decided he could garner more attention when he was misbehaving michelle said thus he was into everything the more trouble he could find the happier he was
but the gerukos family took it all in stride
the thing that we noticed the most was just how funny he was michelle said he just brought sunshine and laughter into the house the fact that he was so mischevious just cracked me up
the gerukoses ability to take shaker in stride not only had them laughing but also taking the ups and downs in life in stride as well shaker literally made them stop and smell the roses and simply not take life so seriously
in 2015 just before shaker turned 9 years old he was diagnosed with cancer as he began treatments he developed a fluid build-up in his chest and abdomen near the end of 2016 not knowing what the fluid was shaker was referred to texas a&ms veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth)
in college station the couple met with dr audrey cook an associate professor of internal medicine at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences small animal hospital who told the couple that shakers condition wasnt caused by cancer but by an idiopathic disease that resulted in a fluid build-up around his heart
he went through some pretty drastic surgery for that and was here eight days pete said we came up every day because we only had 20 minutes (to visit each day)
shaker returned home but the fluid persisted and ultimately the gerukoses lost the love of their lives to complications with his condition
in looking back at the care shaker received the couple wanted to memorialize both the pet they loved so much and also commemorate the care he received at the hands of aggie veterinarians both at texas a&m and elsewhere throughout his life
they chose to do so by naming an examination room in the small animal hospital in his honor shakers exam room was dedicated on nov 4 2017
it brings his family much comfort knowing shakers story will be shared with many other clients visiting the small animal hospital; the couple also hopes it will bring comfort and confidence to those clients that they are receiving care from one of the best animal-care facilities in the nation by compassionate veterinarians and staff who are also helping to train tomorrows future in veterinary medicine
with their gift the gerukoses will provide funds to remodel a place in the hospital for the c-arm imaging machine that cook and her team use on a daily basis the very machine that helped cook confirm her diagnosis of shakers condition
one of the reasons we wanted to do this was because of the confidence we have in a&m but also spending time here we wanted other people to have something beautiful we wanted to give back to hopefully add some humor and love like shaker added to our lives its something special for him for our little boy michelle said
throughout shakers treatment when the gerukos family would get the dog ready to come to texas a&m he never hid or quavered as if he knew he was getting the best care
he had so many aggie vets taking care of him from the time he was just a puppy michelle said when we would come to the hospital he never lost that smile that happiness i know thats because of the care he received a deciding factor to live in houston was to stay close to a&m because you know you have the best care and thats huge were so fortunate to have that; we really really are
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine

compassion translates in many different ways for patricia gilmore-hunter and her husband bobby compassion means giving
after the tragic death of their beloved border collie tj patricia decided to establish the tj hunter oncology endowment at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) to promote cancer research and treatment for dogs per her request patricias desire that her funds be used so that other pet owners dont have to go through the trials they did with tj as she suffered with cancer
tj was seen as a part of the hunter family coming from a pedigree that included great britain international champions for sheep herding on both sides of her family tj became a hunter when she was 8 weeks old
when tj was taken in for a regular check-up one day the veterinarian discovered she had swollen lymph nodes a low white blood cell count a urinary infection and anemia patricia said it was heartbreaking news and very sudden
in just days she was just lying there patricia said i couldnt put her downit was just too heartbreakingbut i knew it had to be done
before they could do it tj went on her own

patricia said the loss of tj was hard but she wanted to find a way to give to those who have experienced the same hurt and to give tjs life purpose she decided the best way to do that was through a memorial tribute
it was just the worst loss that ive ever experienced patricia said i wanted to stop other people from having to experience this pain so i did my own research and i came across the texas a&m teaching hospital and their giving program
patricias connection to texas a&m university dates back to her grandfather who graduated with the class of 1897 in the mechanical engineering program she said he was also a member of the fightin texas aggie band
he was a sergeant in the corps company d patricia said he was in the band and he played the coronet


a frugal lifestyle enabled patricia to save up enough to give what she could while also continuing to support their grandchildrens college educations
we are interested in education the hunters said thats very important to us its through work savings and living within our means that we have saved up enough money to make this donation
bobby agrees; he said he both supports and is very proud of her decision
patricia said there were many opportunities to give but this one seemed to strike her as the way she could make the greatest impact
i just wanted to do something or help make a difference patricia said texas a&m is the type of place that makes ahuge difference and i am excited to be a part of it


###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu;979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
have you ever met a couple and you knew that being friends with them would be the coolest thing well then meet the drs levine gwen and jon oh and lets not forget their gregarious son george! named after his grandfather and as spirited smart and funny as his parents george adds another dimension to their lives if you havent met them youre about to
although dr gwendolyn levine and dr jonathan m levine first met at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) the cvm is not the first school they had in common
the couple met at a party on the second night of gwens orientation as a new student in the dvm program in 2002 jon then a new resident in neurology had only been at the cvm for six weeks
my mentor told me to go because she could tell i was an introvert and i needed to get out gwen recalled i was standing in the garage talking with some of my newfound friends jon had said that he had completed veterinary school at cornell and one of my friends said ‘oh my gosh this girl in our class went to cornell; you have to meet her and the way they tell it he shoved them out of the way so he could come over and talk to me
jons road to the cvm had begun years earlier in his home state of new york as an undergrad at cornell university he began attending medical school at state university of new york at buffalo after completing his bachelors degree in biology but decided after a year that a career in human medicine was not what he actually wanted so he took a research job at harvard
there he realized that veterinary medicine better aligned with his interests in biomedical research he returned to cornell to begin his veterinary education and earned his dvm degree in 2001 along the way he discovered his passion for neurology which took him to colorado state university for an internship in 2002 before moving to college station to begin his residency
gwens professional path also began on the east coast but she had entered cornell already knowing she wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine she had shadowed and later worked at a veterinary clinic in her hometown in connecticut during her high school years and one of the clinics veterinarians suggested she apply to cornell for her undergraduate degree after completing her bachelors degree in biology in 2001 she applied to eight veterinary schools and moved to college station in the fall of 2002 to begin her dvm education
the meeting at the party proved to be serendipitous
although jon briefly left the cvm to finish his residency at the university of missouri the couple married during gwens third year in the dvm program jon returned to the cvm to join the faculty in 2005 and gwen earned her dvm in 2006 and went on to do her internship and residency at the cvm
gwen now serves as chair of the selections committee and is a clinical associate professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) jon is the department head a professor and the helen mcwhorter chair in small animal clinical sciences(vscs)
balancing their roles as leaders in the cvm with raising their 5-year-old son george and having a healthy work-life balance is no easy task for the levines their partnership is unique and the partnerships they have established over the years both here andaround the world are too
jons work on gliomas and gwens work on intervertebral disk herniation in dachshunds and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers have led to them collaborate on multiple levels
currently one of jons major research collaborations is with dr amy heimberger a neurosurgeon at md anderson dr heimbergers research explores possible treatments based on directing a patients immune system to attack gliomas (a glioma is a type of tumor that occurs in the brain and spinal cord)
we take her early stage therapies and trial them in dogs he explained we have a new one that were about to get rolling on thats really exciting and weve also worked with her to characterize the genetics of these tumors with the goal being not to just describe that but to actually understand whats happening biologically within the tumor immunologically so that we can better target these cancers with therapies
gwens research interests include the use of technology in assessing gait through the application of force platforms and motion-capture systems this technology has been used to complete a research project evaluating how dachshunds recover their walking ability after a spinal cord injury and to support research by clinicians in orthopedics she also is interested in biomarkers in neurologic and orthopedic disease
the levines first project together was a paper for the journal for the american veterinary medical association (javma); they also worked together on a neurology teaching cd-rom several years ago
i did the programming for it and he wrote up all the cases gwen said weve collaborated on grants we both have an interest in spinal cord injury; for example i love dachshunds so weve done a lot of papers on that topic
because of their shared interests talks about work often carry over after hours especially as their professional responsibilities and research projects diverge
well kind of walk through our day a little bit and discuss what we accomplished gwen said of how she and jon discuss their work with each other sometimes because we have different perspectives about our work talking with jon will help me get more perspective on a situation i think i can do that for him sometimes too we bounce things off each other
for me it helps to have a partner in my life jon added shes an amazing partner in so many different respects whether weretalking about someone to give you ideas someone to empathize someone to listen and shes an incredible mom; shes responsible for so much of georges success i thinkeverything from discipline to understanding how to help him be the best he can be
the levines also have very different decision-making processes gwen likes to make a decision move forward and not agonize over it whereas jon likes to talk about his decision-making process
you should see us pick out furniture said gwen a simple dining table involves many days of deliberation and discussion
im an infj on myers briggs and jon is an entj gwen explained i make quick decisions with my gut and jon gets numerous opinions and contemplates the buy before he moves forward it actually works well for us
i think we have the right things in common jon added
seeking each others opinions and feedback is reflective of how they approach leadership in their roles at the cvm
i like to present options to the selections committee because i need and value their perspective said gwen im just one person; the reason we have a committee is to get all these peoples critical input on what were considering and make sure that we make the best decision
the best thing about being a department head is helping people said jon the absolute best thing is seeing people be able to get to their fullest potential its just amazingly rewarding you have to be comfortable with yourself and who you are and what your strengths are you have to listen to people and hear what they want you have to know what the unit or the college needs because those things have to be in synergy and then you just help folks put it together
the family part of the levines collaboration equation requires synergy as well perhaps the most significant task that gwen and jon must collaborate on each and every day is raising their son george
parenting is a lot of work; i would say its just another layer of responsibilities gwen said but hes so fun; its great its funny because when he was a baby jon would say ‘oh i cant wait till he can do thisi cant wait until he can walk; i cant wait until he can talk and now when the two of them are in the car with me im just like ‘really can one of you guys stop talking now theyre both extroverts and sometimes i need a break because it feels like jon and george are trying to see who can say the mostwords
george who is 5 now acts like a little lawyeralways negotiating and trying to figure things out he also loves legos and math
we can usually entertain him by giving him math problems gwen said the levines wake up at 5:50 in the morning get ready for work and wake george gwen or jon make george breakfast and lunch they drop george off at his daycare before 7 because school doesnt open until 7:30 and they like to be at work early so they can get their days started before everyone else arrives at work
their days also depend on if theyre working clinics or not which might change gwens hours to 8 am to 5 pm and jons hours might be even longer
clinical pathology clinics are fairly straightforward because i sit behind a microscope and look at whatever samples come in gwen said i dont have to interact with patients; i dont have to do surgeries on emergency cases i get to train residents and talk to clinicians about their samples so i really enjoy it because its not as stressful as the role i had as a clinician when i was an intern
jon now in an administrative role doesnt get to work clinics as much as he used to but he does still see patients perform operations read reports and consult with clients
you know one of my philosophies is if you dont do what your team does or have a way to be boots-on-the-ground a little bit it becomes really hard to connect with them jon said by being in clinics even only six weeks i maintain that connection its a very hard thing to manage sometimes with everything else thats going on and yet i see it as being of high importance to me and to my team
while the emergency aspect of clinics can create longer days for jon when combined with his administrative duties the rest of the year is a bit more regulated
but i travel a lot he said i have done 50 air flight legs this year (2017)
gwen is a rock star when it comes to taking care of george and stepping up when she travels i take care of him and do the whole morning routine and the evening routine jon said one day when gwen was away and george and i were on the way to drop him off at daycare he looked at me and said ‘you know daddy when its just mommy i get to have breakfast at the table; i dont have to eat in the car
outside of work and george the levines have individual hobbies; they trade off days for gwen to ride her horse named live from new york which she rides twice each week after work and for jon to run one night each week
some of their routine will change soon as gwen will be preparing for a non-traditional residency in radiology that will take four years she plans to fit it in with all of her other responsibilities
i have always been interested in radiology she said i think what im looking forward to is having more of a connection with the clinicians and getting to see the front end of samples and appreciate the ultrasoundskind of bringing more of a pathology perspective to my work
fitting vacations into that packed agenda can be difficult and a pure vacation that isnt tied to a conference or some otherwork-related activity is a true challenge but dreams do come true and fittingly did so a few years ago when the family took a trip to disneyland in california for george the dream just turned out to be very specific
theres this one ride goofys sky school that george was finally tall enough to go on but he had been talking about goingon all year gwen recalled so we go on the ride and he says ‘ok we can leave now that was the one thing we did the first thing i made sure it was a priority and hes like ‘ok we can go
i asked him ‘where do you wanna go jon added he said ‘back to the hotel
he was a bit task-oriented gwen explained with a laugh
in 2014 the levines (minus george) went on vacation to moab utah for their 10-year anniversary they also took a trip without george to germany after theyd been invited to speak at the university of hanover after much convincing on gwens part they stayed two extra days enjoying berlin
gwen has to twist my arm to take a vacation but im always appreciative when i get there jon said we enjoy hiking being outside on nature walks together and our families
the levines agree that theres a balance when talking about work at home; they dont want work to take over their home life so after george is sleeping they allow 15 or 20 minutes to talk about something that may have happened in the day and then they put away their cellphones they admit that is not easy but they are finding it beneficial to their life balance
one of our best vacations was where they didnt have cellphone service during the day gwen said jon missed his phone at first but soon began to enjoy the time away from technologyfor a little while anyway
the levines are hoping to find time to take their next vacation this spring as usual their planning process is a collaboration
were gonna argue about it said gwen and then well talk about it like 15 times
but thenitll get decided and well both be happy with it jon said
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
west texas a&m university (wtamu) and the texas a&m veterinary education research & outreach (vero) center received a four-year $243 500 grant from the usda national institute of food and agriculture (usda-nifa) project director dee griffin dvm and co-director dan posey dvm both texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences faculty relocated to wtamu to establish the partnership between cvm and wtamu
the usda grant funding will be used to support the development and initiation of seven veterinary-centered programs at vero including:
1) developing fourth-year veterinary student rural clinical training externships;
2) developing summer working internships for texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary students finishing their first or second years;
3) supporting cvm veterinary food animal student mentoring for all students interested in food animal practice;
4) supporting an annual rural veterinary practice and livestock operations tour for selected third-year cvm veterinary students;
5) aggressively recruiting qualified students with rural backgrounds;
6) recruiting outstanding rural students from 4-h and ffa programs to consider a veterinary career;
7) practicing sustainability workshops for texas panhandle & plains (tph&p) rural veterinarians which will include training for mentoring veterinary students and improved community communication skills
recognizing the need to revitalize veterinary service to animal agriculture in the tph&p regions rural communities the tamu-cvm created the vero partnership with wtamu in canyon texas hiring two seasoned food animal veterinarians and charging them with aggressively addressing the veterinary shortage issue in rural tph&p these two veterinarians working with tph&p veterinarians students high school teachers and producer groups have laid the groundwork to ensure program success
rural tph&p has significant veterinary opportunities the organization and necessary collaborative partnerships are in place at wtamu and the vero to achieve the unique grant funding objectives and for several of the objectives to become self-sustaining
dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm said that the usda-nifa funding of this proposal will have a tremendous impact on the ability to grow our efforts and multiply the impact through regional livestock and veterinary groups such as the texas cattle feeders association the high plains veterinary medical association and the panhandle livestock professionals
the revitalization of veterinary health care in the texas panhandle and high plains regions has been on the agenda of west texas citizens for some time green said their concern has matched our recognition of the need to further support veterinary health care in the beef epicenter of the nation and in surrounding rural communities in a way that has the potential to be a national model
the usda-nifa grant will make a tremendous impact on the tamu-cvm efforts to revitalize texas panhandle veterinary service said walter v wendler president of west texas a&m university currently tamu-cvm is making a significant investment at west texas a&m to better serve the veterinary needs of texas panhandle communities through veterinary student training veterinary research and veterinary outreach the educational goals target tamu-cvm students to provide training in livestock services and service to rural communities we believe that if we recruit and train veterinary students in the panhandle we have a better chance of getting them to return to build their practices and build their lives in our rural communities
griffin who is also professor and director of the vero said with the successful funding of the usda-nifa grant the tamu-cvm along with wtamu is taking another step forward in firmly establishing a cvm satellite in the panhandle the satellite will support training of veterinary students at every level of their education
being awarded this grant for the next four years allows us to have a positive impact to assist in the rural practice revitalization said posey who is also professor and academic coordinator at wtamu we are very excited about our ability to continue to offer innovative training for veterinary students through this grant and to support a food animal mentoring program aggressively recruit future veterinarians and hold workshops on rural practice sustainability this is an exciting time in the texas panhandle
collaborators on the grant include: brandon dominguez dvm; amanda hartnack dvm; glennon mays dvm; tanner robinson phd; juan romano dvm phd; allen roussel dvm; kevin washburn dvm; and kevin williams phd
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
their professional paths may have diverged but the mutual support drs morgan scott and cheryl herman have for their unique interests and ambitions make them ideally suited for their work…and for each other
few couples within the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have more differing professional interests than dr cheryl herman and her husband dr morgan scott
herman a clinical associate professor teaches anatomy to undergraduate and professional students whereas scott is a principal investigator researching antimicrobial resistance among zoonotic bacteria
their unique paths diverged from the same beginningthe university of saskatchewan in saskatoon saskatchewan canada where in 1985 they met as veterinary students during the many social gatherings that brought their two classes together not only did they share a common professional interest in large and mixed-animal practice but they also shared an affinity for pursuing outdoor activities in the canadian rockies: skiing cycling and backpacking
i dont know where the time went said a smiling scott as he recalled their initial meeting in which they connected easily
herman graduated first in 1987 and eventually moved to lloydminster in alberta canada to start her clinical career four hours away from scott as he finished up veterinary school and then started out in a separate practice after two years they were reunited at lloydminster animal hospital a mixed-animal practice in which for efficiencys sake they divided their clientsscott took on the food animals mostly bovine patients while herman jumped at the opportunity to work specifically in equine medicine
i started out only wanting to work on horses and ended up working only on cats herman said with a laugh thats why i always tell my students ‘never say never
even though they essentially worked together they had a unique set of patients which made the work more individualized if the occasional overlap resulted in conflict scott admitted with a chuckle she was always right
as clinicians their dedication to their clients took precedence over their lives because working in a small practice one was constantly on call which made it impossible for the young couple to plan any dates or trips especially in a time before cell phones
these grueling nights among other things began to wear on scott
i got bored fairly quickly in the type of practice i was pursuing there was a lot of repetition in that 95 percent of what i was doing were things i did routinely and then there was 5 percent that was new and kept the job interesting he said one spring i had done 120 caesarian sections and the last one i took 17 minutes skin-to-skin i thought ‘oh isnt that fantastic and i was like ‘well is it really
scott began to focus on those few unusual cases that raised unanswered questions such as when he came across a steer that had died from pneumonia but also harbored lung worms a rare find in the frozen north the case left scott wondering: should northern alberta ranchers invest in treating their animals for this parasite which was otherwise rare and had no apparent ill effects
to delve into the research and statistics that would help clients make those kinds of decisions scott obtained his doctorate in epidemiology from the university of guelph in guelph ontario canada a feat made possible by hermans support as she continued to work in clinical practice
she funded this whole expedition scott said
after graduation scott accepted a position in food safety surveillance in the alberta government where he became interested in bacterial resistance and specifically how agricultural practices like antibiotics in animal feed might encourage resistance in humans
he wanted to investigate these questions but acknowledged the inherent complexity in designing a logical scientific study as scott put it: how can we investigate resistance factors associated with foodborne bacteria if i dont even remember where i ate two days ago
the answer to his design problem was waiting for him at texas a&m where scott accepted a research position in 2001
at an aggie thanksgiving hosted by the university scott met the chief veterinarian for the texas department of criminal justice the late dr derry magee their discussion revealed the perfect setup for a studythe texas prison system where the food supply and consumers were understood in such a way that scott could confidently know where the food came from and where there would be very little food introduction from the outside world shortly thereafter scott and a team of researchers from texas a&muniversity and the united states department of agricultures agricultural research service received a $15 million grant to study the bacteria in the animals food and humans in the unique system
their move to texas sparked unforeseen changes not only in scotts career but for hermans as well in ways arguably greater than the change in climate
while scott began his research herman decided to explore her growing interest in teaching their clinic had hosted several summer students who had been drawn to hermans approachable and patient nature making her a preferable mentor so when the couple moved to texas herman too began working at texas a&m where her passion for teaching has grown as she has interacted more and more with the cvms veterinary and biomedical sciences students
anatomy is an easy subject to make relevant plus she said with a smile its just fun
herman said she has no regrets about switching to teaching after 14 years of clinical practice even though texas clinics probably see more interesting cases because of the warmer climate and a much more diverse disease ecology
its all here: vector diseases toxic plants rare fungal conditionsthings we had to know for the north american veterinary license exam but we never thought wed see in practice back in western canada scott said
while scott prefers teaching smaller groups through graduate-level courses he said he admires his wifes dedication toteaching
the tendency of a researcher is to become narrowly focused; teaching keeps you fresh and honest by having to know the breadth of your discipline and not just the narrower focus of your research area he said
he said he is more drawn to the solitary work of research punctuated by interactions with his colleagues
according to my meyers briggs intj [introversion intuition thinking judgement] personality im only allowed five close friends at a time anyway scott said poking fun at his self-proclaimed introversion and then pointing to his wife so shes number one
their unique accomplishments have been made possible by their mutual support and their taste for new experiences such as when the couple completed a 23 000-kilometer (thats almost 14 300 miles for us americans) around-the-world bicycling expedition in 1999/2000
it changed us both forever herman marveled you spend nearly 14 months with all your belongings on a bicycle and then you come home and ask yourself ‘is all this stuff really necessary
this perspective shift was solidified when their house was burglarized during their excursion
at that point we realized we really didnt care that much about the stuff scott said with a shrug
the trip of a lifetime was good for their marriage their world view and apparently scotts research
i did my best thinking on that bike he said you have a lot of time to think and its not easy when youre riding in traffic in new delhi
or herman added with a shake of her head when its pouring rain in germany nonstop it is an experience we would have again if we dont retire too late
both are self-described perfectionists about their work which makes it easier to understand each others commitments
it helps that we have similar schedules herman explained i think its more difficult for couples when one person doesnt really get the time commitment
while their different and rigorous professional paths have been possible because of their mutual support for each others ambitions and their unique interests they also believe their differences complement each other and make them ideally suited for their respective professions
above all it is their shared value of open communication that has reinforced their lifelong companionship
were best friends they said smiling at each other
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
college station june 25 2018 – former texas a&m university mascot and first lady of aggieland reveille viii who served from august 2008 until her retirement to texas a&ms stevenson companion animal life-care center in may 2015 passed away monday june 25 she was 12 years old
veterinarians and student caretakers at the stevenson center said she fell ill in the early morning of saturday june 23 and was taken to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary medical teaching hospital
dr kate creevy associate professor of small animal internal medicine said she had a disease that involved her liver her spleen and many of her muscles we could see this was a source of pain for her and not something that we wanted to ask her to fight a final diagnosis will be determined and reported shortly
reveilles primary care doctor clinical associate professor and chief medical officer dr stacy eckman in the department of small animal clinical sciences said the critical care team and the internal medicine team that cared for her most recently did everything they could to find out what was going on and keep her as comfortable as possible she was quite the lady i went by to see her sunday night in icu and she was just like she always wasjust such a good dog even sick she was regalshe just had that air about her
dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences commended the veterinary team for administering her care
we in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences are profoundly saddened by the passing of reveille viii today we are honored that she lived with us in the stevenson companion animal life-care center during her retirement where she enjoyed relaxing while still able to hear the familiar campus sounds including those from kyle field we are also gratified to have been able to provide all of her health care needs throughout her life in the veterinary medical teaching hospital in the end after veterinary specialists did all they could for her in her final days the decision was made to prevent her from suffering she deserved that after being such a great first lady of texasa&m
i would like to thank the students and staff at the texas a&m college of veterinary & biomedical sciences and the stevenson companion animal life-care center and the corps of cadets for providing the former first lady of aggieland a life of care and comfort so deserved by one our institutions finest ambassadors texas a&m university president michael k young said each reveille for the last 87 years has played an important role in making our university feel like home for students around the world and reveille viii fulfilled that role exceptionally well
reveille viii will be buried alongside the previous seven reveilles in kyle field plaza on the north side of the stadium
it has been a privilege for the entire staff of the stevenson companion animal life-care center to care for reveille viii after her retirement stevenson center associate director ellie greenbaum said reveille was truly loved by the center staff present and past and has brought immense joy and love into our lives i speak for everyone at the stevenson center when i say that reveille proudly embodied the aggie spirit and enriched our lives tremendously
reveille viii a collie from topeka kansas made her debut as texas a&ms mascot at kyle field during the opening game of the 2008 aggie football season against arkansas
reveille viii is more than just a dog or even a mascot shes a lady a former student a loyal companion and a perfect representation of why texas a&m is so great ryan kreider reveilles handler said she was truly a part of my family and im forever grateful to have held the honor of serving as her handler
our family was so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend time with rev viii since our arrival here in 2015 said dr danny pugh vice president for student affairs we loved having her in our home she was dignified distinguished and i will fondly remember time spent petting her while sitting together on the kitchen floor pope francis is reported to have told a boy that dogs go to heaven and i am certain rev viii is there now with rev i through vii and they are leading a host of aggies closely watching the scoreboard
the reveille tradition began in 1931 when members of texas a&ms corps of cadets hit a small dog on their way back to campus from navasota pets were not allowed on campus but the cadets picked up the injured dog and cared for her and hid her away in a dorm room
her cover was blown the next morning when reveille was played by a bugler to wake the cadets and she began barking earning the name aggies around the world know her by today reveille i was named the universitys official mascot the following football season when she led the band onto kyle field the first reveille served as mascot for 13 years until her death in 1944
reveille ii a shetland sheepdog donated by a texas a&m graduate made her appearance on campus eight years after reveille i passed away reveille iii was the first full-blood rough collie and every reveille since then has belonged to that breed the most current reveille is reveille ix who was introduced in may 2015
each reveille mascot since 1960 has been cared for by a mascot corporal a sophomore cadet in company e-2
we are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of reveille viii today she was a beautiful mascot for our university and represented texas a&m with grace and charm wherever she went as with each reveille it was an honor for the corps of cadets and company e-2 to take on the responsibility for reveille viiis security and well-being for nearly eight years corps of cadets commandant brigadier general (ret) joe ramirez said she enriched the lives of all the cadets who had the privilege of working with her during her reign as ‘the first lady of aggieland and always made all of the members of the corps of cadets proud to have her among them on the quad she will be deeply missed by all of us who had the honor and privilege of knowing her and working with her
the stevenson companion animal life-care center was established in 1993 within the veterinary college as a place for pet owners to send their animals when the owners pass away or are no longer able to care for them it is staffed by a team of veterinarians caretakers and student workers who live on site to ensure 24-hour care and company for residents
the stevenson center was honored to be asked by interim president (mark a) hussey to be the retirement home for reveille vii when she retired in 2015 said stevenson center director dr sonny presnal said reveille was still seen by visitors to the center and she has always been accessible to the cadets of e-2 reveille viii has been a delight to be part of the stevenson center family for the past three years
updatemon aug 6: the funeral service for former texas a&m mascot reveille viii has been set for thu aug 30 2018 at 8:30 am at the zone plaza at kyle field there will be standing room only surrounding the gravesite contact reveilleservice@tamuedu with questions for parking information visit txag/rev8funeralparking
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
almost any scientist who doubles as a parent knows that sometimes laboratory work takes a back seat to your kiddos in the car seat for couples who both work in research one person tends to sacrifice more resulting in a sort of parasitism of one career by the other
however for drs haili zhang an assistant research scientist and fengguang guo a research associate both in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) their relationship resembles a symbiosis that benefits each other their research and their children
zhang and guo grew up in chinas inner mongolia region and met at inner mongolia university for nationalities
we were studying plant protection guo said basically the study of plant parasites
like the plants they studied their affinity for each other grew where it was planted: they studied together they graduated together and before they knew it they were planning their lives
i think we were actually studying on our first date said zhang smiling as she reminisced about their early years
learning and growing together is exactly where they wanted to be and 20 years later they still share that sentiment
although they still study parasites they made the jump to human-animal parasites eight years ago when they started working with dr guan zhu professor and principal investigator in the vtpb department zhang had just completed her doctorate in genetics at the chinese academy of sciences and guo was preparing to start his doctorate in veterinary microbiology
surprisingly the jump from plant to people parasites was not as grandiose as their move from the east to the west the group of parasites they study called apicomplexans share many similarities to plants in terms of molecular structure and biochemistry for instance both plants and apicomplexan parasites have a plastid a structure that makes and stores chemicals important for metabolism (apicoplast in apicomplexans) or photosynthesis (chloroplasts in plants)
molecules unique to the parasite and not the host serve as the perfect avenue for developing drugs to combat parasites unfortunately not every apicomplexan has such an easy target as an apicoplast such as the organism zhang and guo study cryptosporidium parvum (c parvum)
c parvum – a single-celled eukaryotic parasite belonging to the group apicomplexa infects the digestive system causing severe diarrheal disease or cryptosporidiosis (which tends to be especially severe in developing countries and for the immunocompromised such as young children the elderly and aids patients) c parvum is especially tricky because it is resistant to common disinfectants such as bleach and chlorine; thus even treated water may harbor the parasite as a result about 748 000 cases can be attributed to the apicomplexan a year in the us alone
to target disease-causing parasites like c parvum zhang and guo study pathways important to the parasites biochemistry such as enzymes involved in parasite metabolism normally enzymes make excellent drug targets because without them essential reactions cannot occur like those involved in energy metabolism the problem is that many of the enzymes in a parasites metabolism are similar to their counterparts in humans so it becomes critical to identify drugs that act more on the parasites enzyme rather than the hosts
using a method called drug screening zhang and guo simultaneously test many drugs with similar chemical properties that target specific parasite enzymes through this process they find the best match the drug compound that will inhibit the most parasite growth and be the least toxic to the host cell
studying parasites is hardly romantic and theres hardly any romance shared between the couple from what an observer can tell during the day they are hard at work at their separate stationsguo hunched over his bench pipetting and separating samples into tiny plastic tubes and zhang on the other side of the room eyes glued to a microscope as she counts the parasites left after her drug treatment
no one would guess that these two meticulous researchers share a private life yet come five oclock they leave together hand-in-hand
they work very hard and they work well together zhu said i can always count on them
collectively they publish two to three papers a year sometimes individually and sometimes together; yet daily productivity is difficult to maintain if the daycare is closed or a child is sick on days like this they alternate between their roles as parent and as scientist zhang takes the morning shift with the kids while guo is busy at the bench; they reconvene for lunch and swap
jumping between roles never diminishes their role as spouse however; they believe sacrificing for their kids is necessary but sacrificing for each others career is not an option from books to bench they continue to be each others support in a field that isphysically and mentally demanding
we are fortunate to be in the same molecular biology laboratory with similar research interests and technical abilities; we understand each others projects and can help each other with some of the experiments if need be said the couple
but at the end of the day they happily trade pipettes and petri dishes for baby dolls and toy cars which is the secret to balancing their roles as scientists and parents according to zhang
you have to adjust yourself to where you are and enjoy the moment whether we are at work or at home she said adding that as soon as they see their childrens smiling faces its hard to think of anything else
once the kids are asleep the couple might seek each others help in solving a problem in their research they share a basic knowledge of each others projects but not too much detail which keeps the work theirs an important consideration when working so closely together
i feel like i have my own thing and he has his zhang said
despite their obvious passion for science theres no pressure for their kids to be scientists
thats not our decision said guo as they hold their little ones on the couch we just want them to have the best education and want them to be happy
for now thats drawing for lucy age 6 and everything cars for lucas age 4
zhang and guo proudly display lucys crayon ponies and princesses in their office adding a splash of color to the gray walls and brightening their work-time moods
if deadlines call for weekend experiments lucy can be found working on her next masterpiece with her markers spread out acrossher mothers desk lucas artistry is more narrowly focused as he draws the same car again and again; he prefers a good story either read to him or memorized and read by himself his favorite books are you guessed it about cars
for some couples sharing a life-long career with their spouse is not appealing
i could never work with my husband admits mary yu a doctoral candidate in zhus lab who works with the couple i need my ownspace and i like that my husband and i have different interests and specialties
but zhang and guo are grateful to share the scientific passion and culture that is difficult to relate to if one of them were a nonscientist they are excited about what they might discover together and their constant presence in the laboratory is a good reminder that their careers are a part of their life and not the other way around
because after all whats the point of discovery if you have no one to share it with
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
as a married couple drs larry suva and dana gaddy share a laid-back joking rapport that is highlighted by a mutual respect for one another but when it comes to their joint research efforts the two are serious about solving the health problems that have hitcloser to the bone
long before drs larry suva and dana gaddy became partners in life they were collaborators in the field of musculoskeletal research
they met at a small science conference in new hampshire in 1997 as gaddyan assistant professor at the university of arkansas for medical sciences (uams) who had established her career as a card-carrying reproductive endocrinologistbegan focusing her scholarly attention on menopausal bone loss; suva an assistant professor at harvard university was already established as the bone cancer guy devoting his career to understanding the skeletal consequences of disease
the ‘bone group i was in was very dogmatic in their views because they had been ‘bone people for a long time and were not necessarily receptive to an interloper coming in with a new perspective even though thats what id been hired to do gaddy said they wanted me to bring in new ideas but do it their way because i came from outside of the field to me bone was just another system to learn i was excited about it
gaddy found that not only was suvas group more open to her as a new researcher in the field but they were also much more fun
we thought she was a post-doc and that we should make her feel comfortable because the guy we thought was her boss is a nice guy but hes a bit stuffy suva said so a bunch of us tried to rescue this post-doc who turns out was a tenure-track faculty member that created a little bit of interaction as you might imagine but thats what got us our field interested in what she had because she brought a very unique aspect of reproductive endocrinology to the bone community
the two departed the conference as newfound collaborators whose work together would extend over the next two decades as they published on a variety of diseases including breast cancer down syndrome and bone anabolic treatments
it really stimulated a whole plethora of research suva said dana was incorporating skeletal ideas into a grant she was writing i and our other colleagues in the uk started reading the grant helping to edit it and she ended up getting funded
after traveling to england for a project at oxford university gaddys career took off and she settled into her faculty position at uams
my career wasnt just launched by our interactionit was a very fertile environment for me as a new person in the field and there was huge opportunity to make a contribution; (but) it likely would not have been so successful if it hadnt been for larry and the folks i met at the gordon conference she said it really helped to have larrys expertise in editing to get the bone language and the salesmanship down; thats really one of his great strengths and it continues to be critical to our success
in the meantime in 2000 suva who had begun working in the private sector began looking to return to academia
i had a job offer in pittsburgh and then this opportunity in orthopedics in arkansas came up suva said dana was in arkansas so i said ‘oh arkansas pittsburgh i chose arkansas
by 2002 suva was an associate professor in orthopedic surgery and director of the uamss center for orthopedic research he ran a large lab which was one of the highest-ranked core research facilities in the state and enjoyed a continued research collaboration with gaddy
in 2002 they were also married
more than a decade into their partnership suva and gaddy were at another science meeting this one in colorado when they attended a session on hypophosphatasia a rare genetic disorder of alkaline phosphatase an enzyme mutation characterized by the abnormal development of bones and teeth caused by defective mineralization in the body in humans it can be quite debilitating
a really good friend of ours who works as one of the worlds clinician experts in the disease shows a picture of a tooth from a child with hypophosphatasia; the tooth had come out roots and all suva said a month before our granddaughter had been at our house eating a grape and her tooth came out in the grape we both thought ‘that looks just like olives tooth! olive has that disease!
their granddaughter hadnt been formally diagnosed so the couple called the genetics department at childrens hospital in arkansas and asked a colleague if olive could be tested
we took her in and there it wasshe had hypophosphatasia suva said it all happened from science
because hypophosphatasia is extremely rare and the musculoskeletal system was their area of expertise suva and gaddy took matters into their own hands starting a project that not only would bring them to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) but also would have serious implications for a disease about which very little is known
a crucial step in finding a treatment or cure for any disorder much less one that has been researched only intermittently iscreating an animal model to study how the disease progresses
some data exist (on hypophosphatasia) in humans but its mainly cross-sectional; they may have 20 people with one specific mutation whom they saw at 10 years old but they dont know what happened when the child was 4 suva said all they have arepictures of them at 10 and 15 showing what they look like (with the disease)
their initial attempts to create a suitable animal model with mice proved unsuccessful so suva and gaddy explored the idea of using sheep a validated model for studying the human skeleton
because that large-animal model didnt exist suva and gaddy turned to the expertise of the cvm for a possible collaboration but after visiting texas a&m the two decided instead to join the cvm facultysuva as department head of veterinary physiology & pharmacology (vtpp) and gaddy as professor of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs)so they could create a model without the obstacles presented by working more than 400 miles away from the cvm
only a year into their work they are seeing early signs of success effectively replicating the disease in sheep by editing the sheep genome using crispr technology and implanting the embryos into ewes
the project is exciting for a number of reasons
we have built the first real mechanism in which you can longitudinally study how the muscle develops and then once we know why its weak identify things we can do that might intervene suva said well see how the disease progresseswhat happens when theyre 2 or 3 years old and how that is impacting them when theyre 6 or 7
importantly the next step will involve manufacturing a compound heterozygote a sheep that carries exon 5 and exon 10 mutations which happen to be the two genetic mutations carried by their granddaughter
with this disease there are more than 300 mutations that have been reported; most are reported as compound heterozygotes because the mother and father dont know they are carriers and are not symptomatic gaddy said
while their research is still in the early stages their work already has attracted attentionand funding; one company also has expressed interest in working to help them understand hypophosphatasia because of the human implications
in order to make a drug for a bone-related disease the pharmaceutical industry requires scientists to conduct studies in rodents and a large animal before humans suva said now we havea large-animal genetic model to serve as the platform for that step
spending so much time together on such a personal project might not be possible without suva and gaddys laid-back joking rapport one also highlighted by a mutual reverence for one another and the individual strengths they bring to both their working and personal relationships they work so well together they say because in many ways they see themselves as complements
its a really good combination i have a really broad view; i know lots of stuff but its not in great detail suva said dana is focused in particular areas; so she can drill down into levels of information in her brain shes got these detailed pockets of information like a computer
those aspects of their personalities also carry over into their home lives
hes the chef and im happy with that because then ill do all the cleaning he cooks because thats his way to relax for me cooking is not relaxing; i do it because its necessary gaddy said so he can relax and cook and ill be happy to relax and clean then im happy and hes happy
and while many couples may cringe at the thought of working together its the science that brings them together
i would think 75 percent of the time that were together theres science involved suva said
thats probably a scary number but science really intrudes in everything gaddy said its not like we end each day talking science; i can guarantee were not that nerdy but i do think its a lens through which we see life
i really feel bad for scientist couples who dont work together because they never see each other when theyre doing their own thing she said for me working together seems much more rewarding because you can share in success; i feel what we have is hugely beneficial
it may help that their shared research interests allow them to work toward a common goal especially as they address issues that have affected them personally in addition to their granddaughters hypophosphatasia both of their mothers died of bone fracturessuvas as the result of bone loss that stemmed from breast cancer and gaddys as a result of postmenopausal osteoporosis
the irony of bone researchers having parents die of fractures and then to have a granddaughter with a rare bone disorder you cant laugh about the irony of that really suva said talk about motivation
weve watched our granddaughter play tee-ball and ice skate but she has muscle weakness shes 7 and shes got four teeth left he said only molars gaddy added
they know the challenge that lies ahead is not only in creating the phenotype that affects their granddaughter but in utilizing that information in a much broader way
were much closer to the disease than we have been in the past by working in mouse models gaddy said
when we started we didnt understand anything about teeth by the time we get to the next part well know plenty about teeth we know about her muscle weakness; weve seen that suva said were going to fix it; were going to find a way
even if we dont fix it for her were going to fix it because if she ever has a child that could be a problem he said we have always done things to try to improve peoples lives and to better understand this got a bit closer to the bone
trimming changing and replacing dna could revolutionize modernmedicine and prevent common medical conditions
crispr-cas9 is a gene-modifying tool that targets a specific area of the genome (an organisms full set of inheritable chromosomes) allowing researchers to cut out and insert new dna
the groundbreaking research introduced in 2013 has opened the doors for monumental breakthroughs in medicine by allowing humans to repair genes responsible for diseases or as in the case of texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) drs larry suva and dana gaddy replicate the genetic mutations that cause hypophosphatasiaan enzyme mutation characterized by the abnormal development of bones and teeth caused by defective mineralization in the bodywhich will allow them to study the disorder and hopefully will lead to its treatment
crispr pronounced crisper which stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats has been previously researched at the cvm to fight duchenne muscular dystrophy or dmda disorder caused by a genetic mutation that deteriorates muscle as humans ageand in enhancing production traits in livestock
wr harvey contributed to this piece (the battalion oct 11 2016)
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
there are two laboratories at texas a&m university that tout the name threadgill but while they may share a name each lab is devoted to its own unique niche of research
dr debbie threadgill an assistant professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) investigates bacterial-induced diseases while dr david threadgill a distinguished professor in the vtpb department and in the college of medicines department of molecular and cellular medicineas well as the director of the texas a&m institute of genome sciences and societystudies mouse models of cancer
debbie and david threadgill started their research careers in aggieland as graduate students though their paths never crossed as undergraduates at texas a&m david graduated with a bachelor of science degree in zoology in 1983 and debbie graduated with a bs in animal science in 1980
they met instead soon after davids graduation as doctoral students at texas a&m in dr jim womacks lab studying cattle genes their first date was at mamas pizza which was the best pizza in town according to david
who would have guessed love was in the laboratory
debbie did
when youre spending up to 50 hours a week together these things tend to happen she said
much to everyones surprise they showed up at the womack barbecue together no one more so than the poor girl mrs womack brought for david as a surprise blind date
they married in college station in 1987 with many members of the womack lab in attendance and after finishing their doctorates david in 1989 and debbie in 1990 the two started their scientific careers first with post-doctoral fellowship positions at case western university and then with professorships at vanderbilt and the university of north carolina before finishing up at north carolina state university and returning to tamu in 2013
during their post-doctoral time their daughters caitlyn and meaghan were born and the couple had to balance raising a family with developing their research
debbie recalls being torn between her two loves being a mother and being a scientist when the former superseded the latter they collaborated on their research
david had some projects that had a bacterial component that i assisted with and then i was looking at some bacterial induced diseases that needed an animal model that he helped out with debbie said
although exhausted at times debbie believes that working full time helped her be a better mother
continuing to work was beneficial in helping me to appreciate the time with my family more she said even though i had limited time with my children i was much more engaged in their lives and vigilant in their well-being than i think the tendency is for a stay-at-home mom
now that their girls are grown and the threadgills are back at their alma mater most of their collaborative work involves their graduate students whose research sometimes crosses the two threadgill labs
as graduate mentors theyve adopted their preferred mentoring styledavid has a more lassiez-faire approach emulating their graduate mentor which he believes allows his students to explore their interests and come into their own professionally while debbie provides more guidance for her students
the issue she says is that most students wait until they graduate before questioning what comes next so debbie encourages her students to think about their strengths and interests early on in their graduate studies
nowadays she said there are many more opportunities for graduates than when i was in school but we are not training for them
david agreed adding i think the biggest challenge is theres not necessarily one best avenue to go but most students dont get enough exposure
i encourage students to go and listen to talks that are not necessarily in their field but strike their interest and talk to the speakers afterwards said debbie the tamu genetics graduate program tries to invite speakers from many walks of scientific life from writing to industry to teaching and to research
debbie is empathetic with her students because it took some time or her to figure out what to do after she received her bachelors degree but while david quickly realized attending graduate school was something he wanted it wasnt until he took summer courses after completing his bachelors degree that he learned that graduate school was even a possibility
today for david its all science all the time and thats the way he likes it
science to me is more of a hobby; its not really a job he said
his science mind is on 24/7 and he never turns it off while debbie prefers to have a life outside of the laboratory with her girls
the summers are ideal for both threadgills allowing family and work to connect; the family often travels together for scientific conferences meetings and seminars that coincide with summer vacation during these trips (usually at the jackson laboratory in bar harbor maine or cold spring harbor laboratory in long island new york) the family will set aside time for golfing hiking and other outdoor activities though golfing is the threadgill familys preferred sport
we told the girls they had to do a sport in high school and they both chose golf said david who taught the sport to his daughters and helped them to become better golfers
an active lifestyle seems to be the one pressure they imposed on the girls as for now neither meaghan nor caitlyn want to be researchers caitlyn is studying to be a nurse practitioner at the university of cincinnati after earning degrees in public health and nutrition with a minor in molecular biology; meaghan an undergraduate animal science major and spanish minor at texas a&m wants to do whatever job will allow her to own horses david said with a chuckle
both girls like their mother have taken some time to explore their career trajectories
when they ask me ‘mom what should i do i dont like to limit them debbie said i say ‘i dont know what you want to do with your life either so you should try to get work experience in different areas and see what you enjoy most
often during their trips david spends most of his time on the golf course either with his family or with other scientists
ive got a network of probably eight or 10 scientist friends i know very well; whenever were at meetings together well find a way to go out david said smiling as he adds i spend four hours on a golf course with my colleagues and what do we do we talk science the whole time
reflecting on his career david said theres a lot of luck involved with it being in the right place at the right times and knowing the right people which sounds a lot like how their relationship came to be in the womack lab he goes on to say you never have an end to an experiment because you tend to raise more questions than you solve
similarly their marriage is like a lifelong project through which they learn about each other and themselves
you make it as much as you can (with both marriage and research) david said theres always challenges but its best to look at it from the perspective that nothing is ever finished and nothings ever perfect
dr david threadgill has turned his love for science into a preeminent career as the director of the texas a&m institute for genomic sciences and society and the holder of the tom and jean mcmullin chair of genetics in the texas a&m college of medicine
davids primary research focuses on identifying genetic and environmental factors that lead to differences in disease susceptibility and progression in 2016 he and his collaborators received a $53 million national institutes of health grant to study how lead exposure affects humans and a $32 million grant from the defense advanced research projects agency (darpa) to explore genetic factors that account for soldiers differences in response to infectious diseases
dr debbie threadgill investigates bacterial-induced digestive diseases such as those caused by campylobacter spp several campylobacter species are known to infect humans and are the main culprits of bacterial foodborne disease campylobacter infection occurs from eating raw or undercooked poultry leading to an estimated 13 million illnesses each year in the us infected individuals usually recover without medical treatment unless the individuals immune system is compromised by infection (eg aids) or age (ie children or the elderly)
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
when angela brenengens 5-year-old golden retriever bree anna rose stopped eating for a day or two it was easy to attribute it to brees pregnancy; after all this was brees third litter of puppies and it is common for dogs to forsake food in the days leading up to delivery
but what they thought was typical labor became anything but when bree started acting strangely and then began seizing
brenengen and her family sprang into action calling the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) part of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) though it was memorial day vmth staff members told brenengen to make the 40-minute drive from normangee
after she had the seizure she picked up her head; she was awake and looked at me but after that she went out brenengen said by the time we got here literally when they opened the door she started trying to fall out (of the vehicle) she was not with us the whole trip and not when we got here and not for days she never woke up
when third-year critical care resident dr laurie torkildsen joined the case brees condition was dire
her blood glucose levels were very very low which we can see in late term pregnancy but not often; thats what had caused the seizure torkildsen said we were able to resuscitate her but she was very very critical we also wanted to make sure puppies were ok; we were able to measure their heart rates and they were ok but we needed to wait until the next day to deliver we didnt think shed be able to have the babies on her own and survive
the next morning as the doctors ran tests to determine the optimal time for a cesarean they found that while bree was better she wasnt yet out of the woods
she had some bleeding in her gi tract that we couldnt explain; we did a few tests to look for a reason but we couldnt find one torkildsen said then her puppies started to go into distress and we had to take her to emergency surgery
in the delivery room doctors got another surpriseinstead of the six to seven puppies that are typical for a golden retriever bree delivered 13 puppies and though some of the puppies had to be resuscitated the team was able to save them all
we put the puppies on bree to get one feeding because the first feeding is where they get all of the protection from mom all of the antibodies that will protect them from things in the environment until theyre old enough to get vaccinated torkildsen said they got their one feeding and then they went home because we didnt think bree was healthy enough to nurse all of them
back at home brenengen and her family were coming to terms with the shock of having 13 puppies and the exhaustion of bottle feeding them all; torkildsen compared caring for 13 puppies to caring for a newborn human
theyre keeping us busy brenengen said with a smile it takes an hour to feed the puppies; then you have to clean upbleach towels make new bedding wash bottles get all of the supplies you used and then get ready for the next feeding
the puppies get baths twice a day and weighed once a day they eat every two hours day and night she said we got a little system down and even my little grandbabies who are 2 and 3 are helping the 2 year old grabs the pads to hold the puppies in our laps; thats her job to hand them to us
my mom darla giles has been a lifesaver she has been taking care of these puppies with all of her love patience heart and countless hours i am very blessed to have her caring for these puppies; the puppies are blessed as well said brenengen adding that her nephew norman giles her daughter ciara and her husband have all offered support and put in long hours throughout the process it takes an entire family to raise 13 puppies!
while their hands are full they are also extremely grateful to the doctors at texas a&m
it was a holiday and there wasnt a lot else open either but we needed help and we needed someone in a hurry i was very impressed by the quick response we had when we brought bree to the hospital we were greeted by a staff of three and a gurney; bree was in excellent caring and experienced hands from the time we pulled in brenengen said you can tell that they love what they do
its been a remarkable experience its nothing short of a miracle she said i never expected for bree to live much less for the puppies to live we were more than excited to take her home i didnt think this day would happen we are so very thankful
initially torkildsen said the doctors on brees case werent sure if she would survive the first night either
while they have been unable to pinpoint a direct cause for brees condition theyve ultimately decided that the comatose state was caused by the drop in blood glucose which was most likely caused by the 13 puppies after she delivered bree lost almost 15 pounds or approximately one-fifth of her body weight
it still doesnt quite explain everything but weve done a bunch of tests to rule out other causes of the signs she had and we havent been able to find one; you can sort of explain it all by being pregnant with so many babies although its not quite super clear cut torkildsen said we are just glad that she has gotten better
that bree and all of her puppies survived is the best possible outcome especially considering all of the unusual elements involved in brees case without each of the many vmth services clinicians and students who were a part of the team that happy ending may not have been possible according to torkildsen
everyone worked really closely together torkildsen said our radiology team came in on the holiday because her case was so weird to do a full abdominal ultrasound on her; they were really helpful in determining that the babies were healthy our anesthesia team worked really hard on her also and so did our fourth-year student ali (carriker) the surgical team including resident dr brittany ciepluch and professor dr lisa howe was instrumental in the success of the case
everyone did a great job she said it was truly a team effort
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
veterinarians from the farthest corners of texas some driving four to five hours traveled to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) on nov 18 to meet network with and hopefully recruit students at the veterinary job & externship fair
here at home more than 200 eager first- through fourth-year veterinary students entered booth-filled lecture halls in the veterinary & biomedical education complex (vbec) armed with their resumes and ready to secure coveted jobs and externships in their preferred areas of the state
the first expanded veterinary job & externship fair was a resounding success drawing a tremendous number of practices of all sizes that care for animals of all species as well as students who were serious about securing positions
in the spring of each year the college has traditionally organized an evening of interviews during which practitioners interested in hiring a new veterinary school graduate would meet with interested fourth-year veterinary students this year we wanted to maximize graduating students opportunities to meet with practices seeking an associate earlier in the year said karen cornell cvm associate dean for professional programs additionally we wanted to give our first- second- and third-year students the opportunity to meet with practices and discuss possible summer employment opportunities and externships
after developing the idea of the veterinary job & externship fair cornell contacted the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) and they were excited to partner with the cvm to provide this opportunity for both students and practices seeking associates
this is an event that has been needed for a really really long time said dan posey tvma president and academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university this actually allows the students to see what the opportunities are
there are 110 practices here that are all looking for veterinarians he said that opens up the eyes the first- second- and third-year students get to learn about the opportunities in texas and it happens in one place where students actually dont have to get in a car and drive all over the state of texas so its really student-friendly too
that student-friendly aspect appealed to many of the students who attended each of whom had their own reasons for attending carling urben a second-year veterinary student who plans to specialize in mixed-animal medicine came to the fair looking for summer externships and to begin scouting fourth-year externships because its never too early
its been a pretty positive experience; its been super helpful everyone ive been talking to has been really open to summer externships and been really awesome she said adding that she was impressed by the variety of exhibitors they brought a lot of people together; ive talked to someone from beaumont someone from abilene the dallas area houston area; so its been really nice to be able to kind of get all corners of texas and talk to them
urben said that while shes been told that she shouldnt be concerned about her job prospects following graduation a bit of anxiety about that had persisted until she attended the fair
it seems like a lot of people are looking for associates soon or looking for people to take over their practice yeah it kind of looks like the futures bright for us she said it is nice to have it cemented that all of these people are looking
likewise fourth-year veterinary student stephanie dodd had experienced a bit of job-related anxiety; she wants to practice mixed-animal medicine but she plans to return to the houston area where shes from where her boyfriend works and also where there arent a lot of mixed-animal practices
i was a little nervous for sure because there were only three practices that were mixed that were in the area that i was looking for but i had some good conversations and the couple practices that i talked to today really seem like good potential jobs she said im excited to go and schedule some time later to spend some time there
dodd said that while salary will be a contributing factor to the position she ultimately decides to take her biggest consideration will be the type of people with whom she will be working
i think the things that i value are good mentorship veterinarians im going to feel comfortable going to asking for advice asking you know ‘what would you do in this situation ive never done this can you just be there and make sure im doing everything ok she said i think long-term my goal is to own my own practice so right now its just getting the experience under my belt and having the right mentors
exhibitor joe hillhouse owner of carson county veterinary clinic two mixed-animal practices in panhandle texas also said that personality is something he is looking for in potential employees
we hire by character; we look for work ethic probably more than anything secondarily we look for somebody who is enthusiastic about a mix of things and then once they get into the practice they can have an opportunity to develop niches within the practice of things they like to do he said
one reason character can have such a high priority in his hiring process is because he knows hell get solid skilled veterinarians from texas a&m he said adding that he believes the education students receive in food animal medicine from kevin washburn and brandon dominguez as part of the two-week texas department of criminal justice rotation fourth-year students can take as an elective is particularly valuable
im very very pleased with our aggie graduates he said
hillhouse said networking with and tracking students has become a big part of his recruitment process especially in their location where there is a huge demand for veterinarians and the cvms veterinary job & externship fair will become a big part of those efforts
i like this (event); i think that we as practices need more opportunities to bring our faces forward he said networking is i think the most important part if we can pull the students in to talk to us if nothing else we will have developed an initial relationship with colleagues that may last for years
overall cornell was pleased with the fairs turnout and is looking forward to making the activity an annual event
we had more than 110 practices in attendance and provided students in all four years of our dvm program the opportunity to interact with their future colleagues from all over the state of texas she said we learned a great deal from this first event and plan to utilize the feedback from practitioners and students to make the event even better next year we truly appreciate the support of the tvma and the practice colleagues who joined us here in college station for the fair
the 2018 veterinary job & externship fair will take place at the cvm on sat nov 3rd
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texasa&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
veterinary students across the country will have the opportunity to learn more about preventive care through modules created by the center for educational technologies (cet) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) beginning this fall
working with the primary care veterinary educators (pcve) and partners for healthy pets (php) the cet designed and developed five modules on preventive health care topics such as vaccines and parasites dentistry nutrition and low-stress handling as part of an initiative to create materials that could be used by veterinary colleges
the pcve and php which introduced the modules at a launch party on june 23 during the veterinary educator collaborative (vec) meeting in ithaca new york came to the cet to implement the program
to begin creating the curricula the cet received input from individuals at more than 20 colleges of veterinary medicine internationally; the team also is working to ensure the curricula meets the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) competencies and the new competency based veterinary education entrustable professional activities (epas)
all of the modules we are creating have been mapped to those competencies which is a fairly universal language among the aavmc schools now; that helps each college know where they can use it in their individual curriculum said dr jordan tayce cet associate director and instructional assistant professor
one of the challenges which i think is going to be fun is figuring out how this can be used for different schools that each have unique curricula we have been working to create a program that is modularone school can pick and choose the parts that fill gaps in their curriculum while another school can choose different parts that fit for them he said
the goal tayce said is to create materials that will augment instruction not necessarily replace any existing materials
each learning module has an online component and in-class lesson plans for instructors to use or modify to customize the content for their own purposes; the curriculum also provides an instructors guide for rapid implementation into an existing cvm curriculum interwoven into the curriculum are professional skills topics such as communication internet marketing social media and practice management
we have unique activities in our modules through which students can practice what theyre learning he said we have some pre-designed lesson plans with ideas for faculty if they want to use something were saying ‘here is a way in which you can use it in your own classroom
an example of one of the activities the cet is developing includes a dentistry module that includes more than 110 dog and cat photos that students will use to practice numbering teeth
the activity starts out very simple and then the plan is its going to get very complexmaybe its on a timer to increase pressure because in the real world veterinarians dont have all day to examine an animals mouth; the animal is going to move tayce said the activity gets steadily more difficult as students advance through it
tayce said he hopes these modules will be useful to any veterinary college that chooses to implement them into their curriculum; all of these resources are free to use by any college
i think its really important that we were able to get so much buy-in from so many different schools; to be able to get 20 colleges to participate through their input is really big tayce said i am encouraged that this course will help them put more emphasis on preventive health care in their curricula
for more information or to receive the free preventive care modules contact tayce at jtayce@cvmtamuedu
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
dr ivan rusyn a professor of toxicology in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) will chair a national academies of sciences engineering and medicine workshop committee that will support changes being implemented to the united states environmental protection agencys (epa) integrated risk information system (iris) program
the iris program supports the epas mission of protecting human health and the environment by identifying and characterizing the health hazards of chemicals found in the environment
the ad hoc committee chaired by rusyn will organize two workshops that will facilitate discussions by recognized experts on specific approaches and issues related to systematic review hazard identification and dose-response analysis which will assist the epa with increasing quality transparency and confidence in its assessments
the national academies have provided continuous advice to the epa with respect to improving and expediting the process of reviewing the potential hazards and risks of chemical exposures rusyn said this committee will assist the agency in its important mission of protecting public health and the environment
the first workshop to be held in october will focus on the best practices for using mechanistic data in chemical assessments the topic of the second workshop tentatively scheduled for march 2019 will consider additional topics related to evidence identification the tools for systematic review study selection for decision-making evidence integration and dose-response analyses
the workshop committee will include members with expertise in systematic review methods toxicology dose-response modeling and risk assessment members will identify topics and speakers; be involved in putting out a call for posters and developing criteria for determining which posters to include; and participate in the workshops by serving as moderators discussants and/or speakers
rusyn has served on several committees for the national academies including the committee on incorporating 21st century science into risk-based evaluations and the committee on the design and evaluation of safer chemical substitutions most recently he chaired the committee to review a report on the long-term health effects on us army test subjects and briefed the us department of defense on the committees findings and recommendations this past april
at texas a&m rusyn also is chair of the interdisciplinary faculty of toxicology degree-granting program and director of the superfund research center his laboratory has an active research portfolio that focuses on the mechanisms of action of environmental toxicants the genetic determinants of susceptibility to toxicant-induced injury and computational toxicology
his studies on the health effects of environmental agents have resulted in more than 200 peer-reviewed publications he received his md from ukrainian state medical university in kiev and his phd in toxicology from the university of north carolina at chapel hill
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
raine lunde-young a second-year doctoral student in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences‘ (cvm) department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) has been selected to receive the kenneth warren merit award for her late-breaking and novel abstract entitled prenatal alcohol exposure produces sex-dependent patterns of gene disruption and molecular pathways in the fetal hippocampus
lunde-young accepted the award on june 16 in san diego at the annual meeting for the research society on alcoholism
each year the kenneth warren merit award is presented for outstanding research in the field of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (fasd) to either a graduate student post-baccalaureate health professions student or a fellow who is a member of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders study group (fasdsg)
it meant a lot coming from that really focused group of specialists lunde-young said ive worked in fasd research for so long so to be recognized by this group of talented individuals really meant a lot to me it was very validating
lunde-young discovered her passion for fasd research as an undergraduate at texas a&m
i decided to stick with this field because there is no cure and no approved treatment for fasd she said by doing these studies hopefully down the road we can find therapeutic intervention strategies to improve the quality of life for these children its a life-long affliction that goes well into adulthood so i think its a valid cause
for the award-winning work lunde-young focused on how alcohol exposure during development affects protein expression and gene expression in the hippocampal formation the region of the brain associated with learning and memory
we were interested in finding the molecular pathways associated with these genes and proteins that were dysregulated following developmental exposure our protein analysis was performed utilizing state-of-the-art mass spectrometry followed by transcriptome-level analyses utilizing rna sequencing she said then we did what is called ingenuity pathway analyses that identify over-represented functional and canonical pathways
lunde-young continued her study by taking the research one step furtherexploring the sex-specific differences in the developing hippocampal formation after alcohol exposure
we observed that these molecular pathways in the hippocampus that are critical for learning and memory are differentially altered in males and females following developmental alcohol exposure she said
i expected there to be some differences but i really didnt have any expectations (when i began the study) our observation was pretty surprising and interesting because it makes the story a little more complex than it already is lunde-young said if you would have asked me about gender differences before i would have told you no (there werent any) but they were very apparent
jayanth ramadoss a faculty member in vtpp recruited lunde-young to work in his lab during her masters program in biomedical sciences ramadoss said he routinely works to foster the kind of innovation that earned lunde-young the merit award in his lab
scientists trained in our lab are immersed in an educational environment that nurtures their enthusiasm and creativity in multiple facets of physiology the lab environment is conducive for training in communication and empowering the students to enhance their own strengths ramadoss said the research infrastructure in conjunction with access to state-of-the-art technologies is strategically designed to provide trainees with a solid foundation from which to augment and enhance their critical-thinking skills problem solving decision-making abilities and hands-on laboratory experience essential for advancing along a successful career path
through these efforts ramadoss has seen first-hand the dedication lunde-young has for her research and he knows just how prestigious this award is
the selection committee could have selected one of the post-docs who have more training but they selected her ramadoss said thats why my lab constructs individually tailored training protocols to ensure proficiency in research techniques and build the foundation on which to pursue their future scientific goals
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
for these fourth-year veterinary students in the food-animal medicine track practicing in rural areas is all part of the plan
texas a&m fourth-year veterinary student lauren thompson showed livestock from the age of 8 in her hometown of grandview texas and knew she wanted to become a veterinarian when she got her first horse at the age of 6
equine medicine interested thompson at first but her undergraduate courses in animal science at texas a&m university changed that for her
i got really involved in meat judging and nutrition thompson said initially i thought i wanted to work on horses until i got into undergrad and realized that cattle were my passion
thompsons motivation to become a food-animal veterinarian for cattle specifically draws on her passion for feeding the world
cattle are going to be a key provider of that thompson said just seeing how i can play a role in meat science and nutrition aspects in order to make sure that our future population has wholesome and safe and affordable protein sources has really solidified my passion for wanting to do it
relationships professional and personal also motivate thompson to reach her goals in veterinary medicine
going through all of my animal science courses and having all of the professors in the department mentor me made me realize that those are the people i love to be around thompson said its just mainly the people
thompson hopes to return to her rural roots after graduation and practice veterinary medicine
i could see myself doing both (large animal or mixed animal practice) thompson said i want to be in a rural area because i grew up in a small town thats just where i feel like i belong
growing up on his familys cow/calf and stocker production in gillespie county texas texas a&m fourth-year veterinary student charles lehne recognized the need for more veterinarians in rural areas
a fredericksburg native lehne said his family often had a difficult time finding an available veterinarian when he was working his show cattle
theres a lot of places where its hard to find a vet to get there to work cattle or help you with a problem lehne said its oftentimes hard to find one on call he hopes to be part of the solution to that problem by specializing in feedlot medicine or focusing on reproduction
im really interested in embryo transfer lehne said that would hopefully be my main focus eventually but its going to take awhile to get there
lehnes ranching and showing background motivated him to become a veterinarian
my passion for the cow/calf production system pushed me to do food animal lehne said i come from a ranching background and i hope to go somewhere in a rural community to focus my efforts where theres a lot of cattle
when fourth-year veterinary student brent hale was young he raised and showed beef cattle at local and county shows around his rural hometown of dayton texas
that made me realize that i wanted to work with animals for the rest of my life he said being young and unaware of all of my options for working with animals my first thought was becoming a veterinarian
luckily one of the local veterinarians in dayton is a family friend so when he got to high school hale began shadowing at the clinic and found that he loved everything about veterinary medicine
now at texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) hale is on track to practice food animal medicine following his graduation in fact hes already received an offer to return to his hometown and work at a mixed animal clinic
the more experience that i gain in veterinary school the more i realize that i keep going back to my roots of food animal medicine as far as my main interests are concerned he said
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executivedirector of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
the most characteristic feature of domestic animals is their tame behavior
using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (mri) the teamled by texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) professor leif anderssonhas found that domesticated rabbits amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex those regions of the brain involved in fear processing have been particularly effected the study has been published in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america (pnas)
in contrast to domestic rabbits wild rabbits have a very strong flight response because they are hunted by eagles hawks foxes and humans and therefore must be very alert and reactive to survive in the wild
in fact charles darwin wrote in ‘on the origin of species that ‘no animal is more difficult to tame than the young of the wild rabbit; scarcely any animal is tamer than the young of the tame rabbit andersson said there is no doubt that this type of differences in behavior between wild and domestic animals to a large extent are genetically determined
in the study scientists raised eight domesticated and eight wild rabbits under very similar conditions to minimize changes due to environmental effects the brain mri data were interpreted with sophisticated image analysis in which the scientist carrying out the analysis was unaware of the status animalsthat is wild or domestic
we observed three profound differences between the brains of wild and domestic rabbits said irene brusini first author and doctoral student at kth royal institute of technology in stockholm firstly wild rabbits have a larger brain-to-body size ratio than domestic rabbits secondly domestic rabbits have a reduced amygdala and an enlarged medial prefrontal cortex thirdly we noticed a generalized reduction in white matter structure in domestic rabbits
these differences in brain morphology make perfect sense in relation to the fact that domestic rabbits are less fearful and have an attenuated flight response compared with wild rabbits said mats fredrikson a professor at uppsala university and karolinska institute both in sweden and one of the senior authors on the paper
the results show that an area involved in sensing fear the amygdala is smaller in size while an area controlling the response to fear the medial prefrontal cortex is larger in domestic rabbits
the reduced amount of white matter suggests that domestic rabbits have a compromised information processing possibly explaining why they are more slow reacting and phlegmatic than their wild counterparts fredrikson said
this study follows a previous study in which the team reported that genetic differences between wild and domestic rabbits are particularly common in the vicinity of genes expressed during brain development according to miguel carneiro from the university of portos cibio-inbio in portugal who is one of the leading authors on the paper
no previous study on animal domestication has explored changes in brain morphology between wild and domestic animals in such depth as anderssons team has done in this study said andersson
when we initiated the study the concern was that any changes may be too subtle to be noticeable with mri but that was clearly not the case as we noticed distinct changes he said this study is not only important for our understanding of animal domestication but also for the basic understanding how variation in brain morphology can impact a complex behavior like fear response
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
for klause a 2-year-old red dachshund with an infectious personalitythe road to recovery seemed out of sight after a mauling by an unknown animal left him almost unrecognizable
but thanks to the work of a team of doctors at the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) klause has returned home and is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing a rare pleurodesis procedure
klauses owner cheryl chadwick had let klause and his sibling chloe out one last time before bed at around 10:30 pm when she heard a loud noise and raced outside to find the two seeing the extent of klauses injuries chadwick called aggie veterinarian dr kurt kainer who practices in weimar who told her she had two choicesleave klause with him overnight or bring him to texas a&m
when klause arrived at the small animal hospital (sah) emergency room doctors found puncture wounds in his abdomen and a hole in his lung part of his liver also had been torn and was displaced in his abdomen
dr laurie torkildsen a third-year critical care resident at the sah said that klause ranks in the top-5 most severe trauma cases of her career thus far
although the hospital deals with mauling incidents quite frequently torkildsen explained that the penetrating wounds to both klauses chest and abdominal cavity as well as the damage to his lung made this a rare and more severe case
anytime we have any penetrating wounds into a body cavity we flush it out so an infection doesnt brew then we went into his chest he was very critical under anesthesia and we almost lost him a few times torkildsen said we were able to partially tie off his lung to try and stop the leaking but he was not doing well enough for us to completely stop it
to complete the surgery torildsen performed a rare procedure called a pleurodesis which requires taking blood and putting in into the chest cavity
the hope is that all of the things that make your blood clot will cause the hole to plug she said i actually used my own personal dog took his blood and gave it to klause after the second procedure it worked and we were able to stop the leaking lung
even after receiving a guarded prognosis and waiting through several difficult procedures chadwick said she never lost faith that her sweet klause would return home
when they were going to start operating they said there was a 50-50 chance of survival then they called me later on and said he wasnt doing very well with the surgery and i told them ‘just do what youre going to do he is in gods hands and he is in your hands chadwick said i was not panicked about it i just felt like he was going to be ok
that chadwick was so calm about the ordeal may have been surprising considering her bond with klause after not owning a pet since high school the love and attachment chadwick felt when she received klause as a puppy certainly was a welcomed surprise for her
we named him prince klause and then we added ‘von to his last name to make is sound more german because of the dachshunds german roots his whole name is prince klause von chadwick its bigger than he is chadwick joked
he instantly became mine he lives in the house and he sleeps with me none of my friends can believe it they say ‘cheryl what happened to you she continued he has just really been life-changing
chadwick also called upon her friends family and the total strangers who are part of an online dachshund community to pray for klauses recovery; not only did those strangers contact chadwick and her daughter for daily updates but they also contributed to his medical expenses
klauses survival was just as important to torkildsen and rest of the vmth team
cassie burghardt a fourth-year veterinary student who cared for klause tirelessly during his six-day stay said klauses recovery was meaningful and rewarding in more ways than one
this would have been rewarding no matter what but because this was my first surgery and really my first big case to have him do so well and survive has been such a good experience for me burghardt said klause was the perfect patient hes the best guy and he is so sweet and his recovery has been amazing i think weve all been saying that since the beginning
chadwick who was filled with emotion and gratitude for the vmth when she arrived to pick up klause could not wait to take her little prince home
i feel that this is the premier veterinary hospital internationally it was a blessing for me to be able to get in my car dead of the night and bring him here she said i believe they were instrumental in saving his life
i almost wouldnt change this experience had it not happened that night it could have happened another night and rescue might not have been possible even though you could say ‘was there something i could have done differently i think that no matter how bad things always seem to go the way theyre supposed to chadwick said
i thought he would be here another week i thought i might not have the level of expertise needed to care for him in this condition but the fact that they feel he is ready to go home makes me ecstatic i am so excited
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
summers are crucial for students as evidenced by the internship externship technical and professional development opportunities that fill students email inboxes and job boards in the months leading up to spring semester final exams
summer opportunities sometimes help students discover particular challenges of a specific field of work while leading others to their dream job
last summer two students from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) took on the west texas winds and had an experience they will never forget
as part of a new program created by dr dan posey academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university and dr dee griffin tvmc director third-year veterinary students pamela may and michelle morelli participated in a food animal production externship in west texas the program was developed for students who have completed their second year of veterinary school
posey tailored the program to fit the interests of program participants but its goal is to expose students to the needs of rural west texas food animal production
may said the program revealed to her the stark contrast between veterinary practices in rural and urban areas
its very different in a rural area versus a teaching hospital or any of the private practices that are in houston or dallas may said its all very very different this program was a very big exposure to that
a south padre island native who is on the cvms food-animal track in order to pursue beef production medicine
may did not grow up with a food animal background but discovered a passion for food-animal medicine as poseys mentee as well as through her experiences on the production tour and summer externship program posey developed
may began her summer working at a 50 000-head beef cattle feedlot and then finished with two-week rotations at mixed animal practices she said her experiences exposed her to a different world of food animal production that she had yet to experience
before i went on the production tour in may i had never been to a feed yard and it was different from what the media portrays a feed yard to be may said i got to learn how it works from the ground up they taught me how to work cattle a lot of the basics you dont learn in school
morellis experience was tailored to her interests in the dairy industry
growing up in the philadelphia area of pennsylvania morelli conducted small livestock projects in high school but found her love for agriculture and specifically dairy production as an undergraduate at penn state university
morelli spent three weeks at two different mixed-animal practices and rotated between two consultant veterinarians who have contracts with farms mostly dairies she said she experienced a wide range of cases and learned how to apply her classroom skills to real-life situations
at the mixed-animal practice in the mornings we would go to different dairy farms morelli said in the afternoons we would go back to the practice and we would see mostly small-animal patients sometimes farm animals would come in so i got to see a lot of everything
though their summer activities varied may and morelli both said the summer was invaluable to their education morelli said she faced challenges throughout the summer but the growth she experienced made the challenges worth it she encourages other students to not fear taking a risk
getting up at 4 am isnt exactly the most fun but putting yourself out there gets you a lot of really invaluable experience morelli said there were a lot of things i did that i had never done before
i did a lot of first things was i necessarily ready to do them in that moment no but the veterinarians understood that and were there for me she said taking those risks is whats really important
may enjoyed the program location and hopes to return to the west texas area to practice veterinary medicine
i do think that i will end up back there may said my main goal is making a difference in how producers view women in veterinary medicine especially in food-animal medicine there are a lot more women coming into the field and i want producers to know that women can do what male veterinarians can do
as a student on track to become a food-animal veterinarian morelli said she hopes to repair the disconnect between consumers and producers in the conversation about food-animal production
i want to try and show people that the people who do produce animals that end up going to the food system really do care about the animals well-being morelli said they dont want to see their animals in pain or suffering and they do everything they can to try and fix that we all do care about the same thing
may and morelli both said they could not have done this on their own expressing gratitude toward posey for all he did to create a program that enhanced their passion for the food-animal field
dr posey made the experience what it was and he made it perfect for me may said
it was great that dr posey had the connections and set us up with the people who would go above and beyond for us morelli said
may and morelli said griffin who also is a texas a&m cvm clinical professor located at west texas a&m also played a large mentoring role for their respective programs
griffin was named mentor of the year for 2017 at the american association of bovine practitioners (aabp) conference in omaha nebraska may said the award is fitting
they started announcing the award by telling us to close our eyes and picture our mentor may said i pictured dr posey and dr griffin low and behold dr griffin was the one getting mentor of the year
out of all the professional and technical development opportunities presented to veterinary students for the summer may and morelli encourage anyone to pursue the west texas production program
it was an experience that i couldnt get here (in college station) may said i would encourage anyone to pursue this program
if you want to get a real hands-on experience and figure out how things are done with clients and how to get through the decision-making process this is a really great experience morelli said
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executivedirector of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
texas a&ms goweb team has recognized the center for educational technologies (cet) for its contributions to transformational learning at texas a&m university with 2018 goweb awards
the center was presented the 2018 goweb award for transformational learning and cet senior it professional iii dan shuta received runner-up recognition for a 2018 goweb award for innovation for his creation of stepstone a web-based elearning authoring tool application
the awards were presented on june 8 during texas a&ms annual goweb retreat
goweb is an inclusive collaborative community of professionals dedicated to supporting one another and elevating web communication across campus the goweb awards recognize individuals and teams that create innovative web communications supporting the universitys three pillars: impact innovation and transformational learning
comprising a multi-disciplinary team of 10 highly experienced faculty and multimedia production staff who produce a wide range of transformational learning experiences the cet has exemplified excellence in the transformational learning occurring within the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) by championing mobile technologies collaborating with units across the university and creating educational solutions for faculty and students
the cet incorporates the latest in educational technologies to transform education for all students at texas a&m said cet director nicola l ritter these immersive educational experiences prepare faculty and students to address the worlds most formidable problems and selflessly-serve the world around them
among the ways the center has embraced transformational learning is through its partnership with the dvm curriculum committee and faculty teaching in the dvm program to harnesses educational technologies to support the new curriculum which recently completed its inaugural year
the active online learning communities for veterinary students and faculty has expanded the cvms culture of in-person collaborations to online collaborations enabling cvm faculty to continue conversations on teaching and learning outside of meeting rooms and share new information more effectively around teaching and learning topics
the online learning community for students provides a one-stop-shop for all things related to the dvm program and their progress within the program ritter said students can communicate with their peers and instructors inside and outside of class more easily than ever before with everything dvm in one place program decision-makers can observe interactions from afar using the platforms robust analytics reporting capabilities that combine learning analytics and data visualization
the cet also has championed the veterinary program going mobile by creating device-agnostic platform-independent and easy-to-use digital educational resources accessible to all this includes the development of stepstone a content authoring software that allows educators to create a variety of learning experiences accessible from any internet-enabled device
stepstone is a great example of leveraging educational innovations to support transformational learning ritter said the cvm now has a scalable solution that allows them to rapidly produce e-learning materials and enhance every course in their new veterinary program
through its collaboration with tamus it accessibility and disability services the cet developed an inclusive teaching and learning culture that includes training faculty on accessibility topics; creating accessible online instructional materials for students; and consulting with other units on campus to provide transformational learning experiences for all
the cet has embedded accessibility into every aspect of the unit from creating an inclusive culture to applying universal design teaching techniques to adding robust accessibility testing ritter said the cet continues to lead by example in transformational learning for all by developing innovative learning experiences and sharing the cets experiences with others
shuta has created more than 150 technology applications for tamu and worked with approximately 100 educators to make their visions become a reality approximately 10 000 students and 200 instructors have impacted by his work according to ritter
dan is a brilliant programmer and talented illustrator at texas a&m she said he has over 25 years of experience in web communications specifically for the purpose of learning he is a lifelong learner and thrives on creating educational innovations to share information with others in an engaging way
among his contributions to transforming learning was his development of stepstone which has been used by approximately 100 educators to created more than 200 online educational resources since its inception
dan single-handedly developed a tool that allows tamu to rapidly develop instructional materials this has improved tamus content development and others inside and outside the college have taken note ritter said under his leadership stepstone continues to grow and his efforts have aided in making this product sought after by other colleges at tamu and worldwide stepstone has also opened the door to other fields of collaboration
to ensure stepstone continues to meet the needs of its users shuta is collaborating with tamus it accessibility and disability services to add accessible functionality to all the features available in stepstone
to learn more about the centers contributions to transformational learning at tamu visit the cets submitted portfolio at tamucetorg
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
for decades biomedical engineers have used their acumen to revolutionize healthcare through the development of devices tools equipment techniques and pharmaceuticals that have advanced the medical field in ways previously unimaginable
while patients around the world have benefited from this ingenuity those patients almost exclusively have had one thing in commontheyve all been human
researchers in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the college of engineering have teamed up to begin filling that gap in the biomedical engineering fieldthat of veterinary medicineby exploring the possibilities of what can be accomplished when innovative minds come together
dr ashley saunders a professor of cardiology and clinician in the veterinary medical teaching hospitals (vmth) small animal cardiology service began using 3-d imaging and printing to create models of the heart to aid in the teaching of anatomy and preparing for complex surgeries for animals but while 3-d models are useful in this regard the technology has not been a definitive training tool especially in the case of treating minimally invasive cardiology defects
cardiology residents are taught heart and blood vessel catheterization through observation and practice relying on an understanding of the anatomy and the feel of inserting a catheter to perform a procedure
teaching catheterization using 3-d printed models is difficult because doctors cant see inside the blood vessels theyre trying to navigate and its also difficult to replicate the feel of an animals blood vessels; therefore doctors have to learn catheterization on a beating heart
thats how you learn saunders said thats how i learned
because heart defects like patent ductus arteriosus (pda)a congenital defect characterized by an opening between two blood vessels leading from the heartare the most commonly addressed congenital defect by cardiologists at texas a&ms small animal hospital (sah) saunders began looking to create a safer environment in which residents could learn and practice one in which the stakes werent quite so high
enter dr duncan maitland the stewart & stevenson professor i in the college of engineerings department of biomedical engineering and dr mark wierzbicki a post-doctoral researcher in maitlands biomedical device laboratory
maitland whose research focuses on novel treatments for cardiovascular disease had previously worked with a vmth cardiovascular doctor to create devices for use in the operating room; the doctor encouraged maitland and the biomedical engineers in his lab to move toward creating devices for animal patients
i learned long ago that we could reduce the number of animal iterations on device development if we brought clinicians in or even imported our models into the clinical environment for more advanced testing maitland said just getting iterations on models of real anatomies reduces the number of animals that need to be used in studies and the quality of devices goes up exponentially
maitlands lab had developed blocks made of silicone to test devices created to treat cardiovascular diseases one day saunders toured maitlands lab and immediately began thinking about how the technology could be applied to help her train residents to treat pda
the silicone block was made to resemble a pda and i knew we could use the 3-d prints from our patients to make one that is more anatomically correct saunders said
and thats exactly what she and wierzbicki a doctoral student at the time did the two put their heads together and devised a plan that would combine the 3-d imaging technology saunders was already using with the silicone-based technology wierzbicki was exploring for his dissertation
the final product looks like a clear rubber block inside which upon closer inspection has the outline of several tubes these tubes are arteries cast from the actual heart from one of saunders canine patients to make the cast saunders used ct scans to create a 3-d representation of the dogs heart printed on the 3-d printer in maitlands laboratory
we were able to 3-d print the ct scanned heart using a dissolvable material and vapor polish the printed model to smooth out the ridges from the 3-d printing process wierzbicki said we took the smooth 3-d printed heart cast silicone around the model and then dissolved out the 3-d-printed part after completing those steps we were left with a model dr saunders could use for training
the result was a solution to multiple problemsnot only did the project become part of wierzbickis dissertation but it produced anatomically correct customized models that might change the way budding cardiologists are trained to learn catheterization techniques and repair heart defects
to create an even more realistic setting saunders incorporated a camera that projects what the doctors are seeing onto a computer screen so that they train on a simulated heart that mimics a true procedure
when we do these procedures in a dog we cant see inside the body; we use fluoroscopy with images displayed on a screen that we have to look up at so it is important to learn how to do these procedures by watching a screen she said we can mimic the procedure by having the silicone blocks because they have the anatomy inside and the block is clear so they can see through it; the document camera displays the image up on my computer screen
they watch as they pass a catheter in and they learn how to do the procedure by getting the feel of inserting a device she said it doesnt require fluoroscopy or radiation and it doesnt require them being inside an actual dog to practice for the first time
the best partthe silicone blocks are virtually indestructible this means you can take the block into a training lab setting knowing that its going to stand up to being used over and over again saunders said
because of what the model means for how doctors treat cardiac defects saunders wierzbicki and maitland have published multiple papers related to the model and other devices used in cardiology
saunders also has begun using the model in training exercises and labs for both residents and specialists who have an interest in catheterization techniques and interventional cardiology during a recent training that included specialists from around the world saunders found that the doctors responded enthusiastically to the model
they really loved it she said they said they feel like theyre more comfortable practicing with the model; it makes more sense to them
while most companies that manufacture devices for human cardiology currently arent interested in making devices for animals as more and more veterinary surgeons begin recognizing the value of this kind of model maitland said he hopes that attention will open the doors for more opportunities for collaboration between biomedical engineers and the field of veterinary medicine
if you look at all of engineering and biomedical engineering specifically you dont think about animal health care as a primary focus were not trained to do that and so there are not enough partnerships going on between the two colleges and specifically biomedical and the cvm said maitland who is chairing a committee in his department to do just that i think we could make a lot of impact and in this case not just with what ashley is developing for training but we can also impact the technologies that are used in animal health care significantly if we just pay attention to it
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
that horse has a lot of heart
there is no better compliment to bestow on a ranch horse far more than descriptive of its endurance and athleticism the statement defines a horses physical and mental toughness and willingness to try despite being maximally challenged or physically exhausted
these guys want to give their all regardless of their job description no quit no counterfeit
in order to give his all the horse must call upon mental and physical attributes of his heart; intestinal fortitude plus the efficient 8- to 10-pound muscular pump secretariats heart was estimated to weigh 20 pounds
the equine heart must circulate about 12 gallons of blood per minute through its 1 200 pound body while performing with speed agility and endurance adding excitement to the equation generates an appreciation that horses need to be heart healthy to benefit their own as well as their riders safety
but as tough as horses are their equine cardiac pumps occasionally malfunction due to heart diseases additionally cardiovascular problems may be responsible for poor performance
fortunately significant heart disease is rare
however in elite equine performance athletes such as racehorses or any horse that works at high speeds it is considered the third most common reason for poor performance after lameness and respiratory diseases
so its important for horsemen to recognize symptoms of equine acute and chronic heart disease awareness of other syndromes predisposing horses to heart problems is key
heart attacks similar to those suffered by humans such as coronary artery disease are extremely rare in horses as are strokes and other peripheral artery diseases because of their unique athleticism horses can compensate for diseased hearts for many months or years without signs of heart failure however eventually these heart muscles may weaken losing ability to provide adequate circulation in meeting the bodys needs
large vessel ruptures are very rare but can lead to collapse or sudden death usually when the horse is exercising internal parasite-induced aneurysms can be prevented by proper de-worming practices
traumatic injuries are uncommon but deep penetrating wounds to the chest cavity can be fatal depending on the extent and location; branches pipe fenceposts horns etc can be culprits accidents unfortunately come with athleticism and environment
horses can develop heart diseases quickly or over a period of time the most common congenital disorder of horses is ventricular septal defect (vsd) foals are born with a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart symptoms include lethargy shortness of breath and the inability to exercise normally vsds are associated with loud heart murmurs
developmental heart diseases in horses most commonly involve valves as valve leaflets thicken becoming deformed usually with age leaks can develop leading to fluid accumulation and cardiac insufficiency clinical findings in severe disease can include murmurs jugular vein distention cough and fluid accumulation in the abdomen legs or underbelly
common toxins affecting equine cardiac function include monensin and lasalocid (livestock feed additives and supplements) blister beetles in alfalfa hay plus ornamental landscape plants including oleander rhododendrons and yew certain wildflowerssuch as potentially cardiotoxic milkweedsare generally unpalatable to horses but inadvertent ingestion comes from clippings or contamination of hay rattlesnake venom can have cardiotoxins that damage equine heart muscle a syndrome that may be underdiagnosed depending on where the horses live
horses have more abnormal heart rhythms than any other domestic animal species however not all are considered to cause horses problems atrial fibrillation (af) is the most common clinically relevant arrhythmia in horses; the atria fail to contract but instead quiver or fibrillate upper heart chambers may beat up to 400 times per minute going to non-stop; this rapid fluttering action doesnt produce significant blood circulation into the lower chambers thereby negatively affecting performance
af is often associated with poor performance in horses practicing high-intensity exercise its also the most common cardiac arrhythmia in human athletes engaging in endurance sports af often develops in horses with advanced heart disease; af can develop with minimal or no detectable cardiac signs electrolyte abnormalities resulting from excessive sweating may predispose horses to af it can also occur in horses having experienced previous illness that inflames the heart muscle (such as severe colic influenza and toxemia)
in addition to clinical signs thorough auscultation of the heart alerts veterinarians about cardiovascular disease when murmurs and abnormal rhythms are heard the next tool for the evaluation of horses with murmurs or arrhythmias is centered on the echocardiogram this diagnostic modality is becoming increasingly available at many referral equine hospitals
aiding the assessment of athletic performance in equine sports standardized exercise testing (set) can be useful to evaluate poor performance the assessment of training progression and as preventative medicine tools
in order to utilize set in western performance horses clinicians at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) are validating a protocol for exercise testing horses in this study are competitors on the texas a&m intercollegiate stock horse team and had met show season expectations
clinicians are hoping this protocol will be useful for investigating poor performance and as a preventative medicine approach of the management of high-level western performance horse athletes said dr cris navas a clinician and professor of equine internal medicine in the cvms veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth)
this comprehensive exercise testing protocol simultaneously evaluates musculoskeletal respiratory and cardiovascular systems and was assessed by historical questionnaires general physical and subjective lameness examinations and gait analysis using digital body mounted sensors he said resting and dynamic upper airway endoscopy plus evaluation of respiratory tract secretions were utilized echocardiograms resting and exercising electrocardiograms (ecgs) sweat responses testing and laboratory values were acquired during the project
subclinical abnormalities were detected frequently in these horseswith the musculoskeletal system being the most commonly affected
but cardiovascular plus upper and lower airway abnormalities were also detected these results suggest exercise tests may be useful to detect subclinical abnormalities in western performance horses navas said further evaluation of both normally and poorly performing horses is necessary to determine if exercise testing can improve health performance and welfare of these horses
for people with horses with poor performance my recommendations are to have a veterinarian you are confident with examine the horse he said if there is a clear abnormalitylike lameness wheezes coughing heart murmursthat can explain the performance problem investigate or treat if there is no smoking gun do an exercise test that evaluates all body systems at the same time this has two advantages: saving time while diagnosing subclinical problems that can be treated simultaneously the disadvantage is cost and sometimes inconvenience
the cvm believes each member of a teamwhich includes a primary-care veterinarian trainer and specialist in internal medicine surgery sports medicine and rehabilitationcan solve part of the poor performance or preventative medicine equation
with the help of the texas veterinary community we hope to move forward with further clinical trials in sports medicine that also will hopefully prevent the rare events associated with equine activities or sports resulting in compromised (sudden death) safety of horse and rider and public perception of welfare during equestrian sports navas said
i should think that ranch horses should follow the same pattern as occurs in previous studies in sport horses in that they often have several subclinical diseases simultaneously that dont quite stop them from exercising navas said lameness is consistently the most common one in other groups then respiratory second depending on the group then cardiac disease more rarely
ranchers and cowhands may not label their toppy horses as elite equine athletes but when athleticism (turning a cow) speed (getting around cattle fixin to scatter) agility (dropping off in a draw) and excitement (‘ringy cows town indoor arenas) are considered ranch horses may be more elite than previously considered
food for thought considering numbers of ranch horse sales (and average price tags) are increasing: sound gentle capable athletic…with a big heart are always good in sale catalogue resumes
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this article written by dr ginger elliott was previously published in livestock weekly it appears in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
krisa camargo a graduate research assistant in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary integrative biosciences department and a pre-doctoral trainee with the texas a&m university superfund research center has been recognized with a 2018 kc donnelly externship award
granted by the national institute of environmental health sciences superfund research program (srp) the kc donnelly externship award is a supplemental award that provides current srp-funded graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with translational/transdisciplinary opportunities and experiences within other srp-funded centers government laboratories or other agencies
with her award camargounder the mentorship of texas a&m professors anthony knap josé sericano yina liu thomas mcdonald and weihsueh chiuwill travel to gloucester point virginia to work with michael unger at the virginia institute of marine science
her research focuses on characterizing and modeling how people are exposed to legacy contaminants within the galveston bay and houston ship channel region of houston particularly in the aftermath of hurricane harvey
in virginia camargo will expand upon her work to develop a low-cost screening approach for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that will help prioritize sediment samples that should be analyzed for toxicity
this experience will allow me to strengthen my skillset and broaden the tools available for our srp centers work camargo said i hope to use this transdisciplinary and translational project to create a screening method that could be used for rapid needs assessments during public health emergencies and to inform emergency responders in the aftermath of disasters like hurricane harvey
camargo is one of eight students from across the country recognized with a 2018 externship award recipients receive financial support for up to three months for supplies travel and housing costs for the duration of the externship (as much as$10 000 in direct costs) as well as travel funds to attend the srp annual meeting where each recipient is invited to present their research
the kc donnelly externship was named in honor of dr kc donnelly department head of environmental and occupational health at texas a&m university who passed away on july 1 2009
in addition to his research studying environmental exposure and genotoxicity of complex chemical mixtures donnelly was a dedicated mentor to his students and post-doctoral researchers instilling in them the importance of applying their knowledge and findings to communities exposed to environmental contaminants
to be eligible for the kc donnelly externship award applicants must be a graduate student (masters or doctoral) or a postdoctoral researcher and conducting research/activities in any srp r01 grant or project/core within an srp center
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)


when jill lee noticed that her labrador retriever waylon couldnt walk and was heavily panting she immediately knew that something was wrong after further examination she discovered that waylons paws and nose were covered in painful scabs and pimples
his paws were so itchy that waylon was literally chewing his paw pads off lee said he was causing so much damage to his skin; i was worried for him
fortunately for waylon the dermatology service at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was there to help after examining waylons case dr adam patterson clinical associate professor and chief of dermatology at the cvm concluded that waylon was experiencing an autoimmune disease of the skin
his own immune system was attacking his skin patterson said the pimples on his paw pads were extremely painfulhe couldnt even assume the posture to urinate
since waylon hadnt urinated prior to arriving at the cvm his bladder was full causing more pain the first thing patterson did was take waylon outside hold him up and let him urinate this slowed waylons panting and heart rate to normal levels
from there we just started managing his skin disease called pemphigus foliaceus patterson said it can occur spontaneously for no reason occasionally we believe that it can be triggered by certain drugs or vaccines but nothing has been fully proven
to help waylon regain his health patterson began treating the disease with steroids and a combination of other drugs slowly but surely waylons condition improved over the course of a few weeks however lee and waylon still visit the cvm every two weeks for a check-up
its important that we constantly monitor cases such as waylons patterson said when he comes in we evaluate him and run blood work to see if he is tolerating the drugs in his body luckily waylons condition has improved enough that we are starting to taper the amount of treatment he receives
im beyond grateful to dr patterson and his amazing team for the passionate care they continue to provide waylon lee said fortunately waylon is now in remission and i have the honor of bragging about the fantastic care my sweet dog received from the best veterinary dermatologists in the world at texas a&m
though veterinary dermatologists are trained to treat emergency cases such as waylons most dermatology cases at the cvm involve health issues with fleas and ticks skin allergies and secondary conditions such as bacterial ear or yeast infections
in dermatology were like allergists are to people patterson said animals can be allergic to many thingsincluding fleas the food they eat pollen grasses or even indoor things such as house dust and mold at the cvm we mainly treat allergic skin and ear disease of dogs cats and horses
in addition to being examined by a veterinarian dermatology patients at the cvm are also seen by doctor of veterinary medicine students this provides a unique and effective environment for treatment as well as a great learning opportunity for students
our goal at the cvm is to educate the next generation of veterinarians patterson said students are taught to recognize details between different skin diseases so that when they become veterinarians theyre confident in treating dermatology conditions in waylons case i taught students how to differentiate between a skin allergy and an autoimmune disease
since he started at the cvm eight years ago patterson said the dermatology service has grown a lot between more dvm students enrolling in the dermatology rotation and the first veterinary dermatologist residency at the cvm patterson is happy to see the service expand
we are able to see more appointments now patterson said when i first got here having one appointment in a day was exciting now we see multiple cases in a day monday through friday
whether a patient is having an emergency such as an autoimmune disease or they are experiencing symptoms of a common skin allergy patterson and his team are ready to face any condition with a passion for dermatology and an itch to make a difference the dermatology service continues to provide excellent care for its patients
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine

with a charming personality bubblesa 3-month-old black brown and white shih tzulives up to her name
but it wasnt her sparkling disposition that led to the moniker; bubbles received her name because she was born with meningoencephalocelea rare abnormal sac of fluid brain tissue and meninges (the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord) that protrudes from the top of her head
when darci davenport the co-owner of peacelovedogs/pld dog rescue project in missouri city learned from a friend that the 5-week-old puppy was dropped off at a montgomery county animal shelter davenport whose rescue is known for taking in high-risk animals went to visit bubbles and fell in love
she has so much spunk davenport said shes just a regular puppy; she has no idea there is anything wrong with her once she bit my nose it was over with
davenport had bubbles examined by a veterinarian in houston and the puppy was referred to the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) where she was cared for by a team from the small animal hospitals neurology service including dr beth boudreau third-year neurology resident dr arturo otamendi and first-year neurology resident dr maya krasnow
meningoencephalocele can happen either because of congenital abnormalitiesthe skull just didnt form properlyor sometimes toxins or nutritional deficiencies can cause that in utero as well; sometimes it can be acquired because of trauma otamendi said in bubbless case it was congenital; shes had it since she was born this happens actually very rarely in dogs and cats more commonly in people
the abnormality can cause seizures and if at any point the bubble ruptured the puppy could suffer from meningitis encephalitis bleeding and even death
we were worried about the pouch covering the outside potentially getting injured because shes a puppy and shes pretty active krasnow said she wants to be able to play with other dogs but if the bubble were to become damaged we would worry about her potentially getting encephalitis additionally there is an opening in her skulltheres nothing really there covering her brainso we were worried about her experiencing trauma to her brain as well
otamendi krasnow and other texas a&m surgeons explored their treatment options and decided surgery was the best approach as they waited for the 2- to 3-pound puppy to get a little bigger in order to perform the surgery they explored various surgical treatments including working with a pharmaceutical/bioengineering company to produce a bio-compatible implant that could be placed over the defect in her skull
a couple of weeks later the doctors were presented a second optionone that involved technology being used by a surgeon in another of the hospitals services; dr brian saunders an associate professor of orthopedics works in his laboratory with a memory foam implant that will become malleable at warmer temperatures and then hardens as it cools
we called him and asked if he knew anyone who did 3-d printing which was our initial idea and he volunteered that he and a chemist he works with might have something that could interest us boudreau said
with a surgical plan now in place the doctors were ready to remove the meningoencephalocele from the top of bubbless skull and implant the centimeter-and-a-half circle made from saunderss memory foam technology that would protect her brain the two-and-a-half-hour surgery went off without a hitch
i think the biggest challenge was that we didnt know quite what to expect during surgery; its not something that many of us have done before and we werent sure what kind of complications we would run into krasnow said but everything went extremely well our memory foam from dr saunderss lab actually fit in very well and we didnt have any problems she woke right away after surgery and was eating so we were really happy
the doctors emphasized the huge team effort that went into the surgery including veterinary specialists from the small animal hospitals neurology orthopedic surgery anesthesia and radiology services as well as through the hospitals fundraising mechanisms which helped offset the cost of bubbless surgery
we were able to combine funds for the surgery through the laughing labs robbie vanderpool save the animals and starr funds accounts otamendi said we definitely thank everybody at texas a&m and the texas a&m foundation for helping to provide these funds so we could perform the surgery that will allow bubbles to hopefully live a better life

through her rescue project davenport had raised some money before hurricane harvey hit the houston area but afterward because there were so many others in need davenport said she felt guilty about asking for more for one dog when so many other people and animals were in need
shes just so cute; shes so sweet and has such a will to live that i want to do whatever i can to get her better davenport said she has such a spunk and so much will to live that how do you deny that a puppyhood
davenport said it means a lot to her that texas a&m worked to help financially
to me this is the most amazing university ever; its the best of the best we dont hesitate any time we have something thats complicated to just drop everything and drive the two-and-a-half hours to texas a&m because youre not going to get any better care davenport said they are so caring and for them to help the way they have and go out of their way to accommodate bubbles and my rescue is…im just so grateful
throughout this process davenport worked to find a good home for bubbles to return to after her surgery she found that in houston resident theresa cline who learned about bubbles through a friend
i lost my dog to breast cancer three months before i saw bubbles and i was just so distraught; i didnt know if i was going to have another dog anytime soon cline said when i saw bubbles it was about at that three-month mark (following her dogs death) and bubbles was almost 3 months old; as soon as i saw her i was like ‘thats my dog! i just kind of felt like my dogs soul was in this dog; she just kept pulling me in i knew i was done that this was my dog
while bubbles no longer has the meningoencephalocele that earned her her name she does have a sister with whom she can play now that shes fully recovered and officially a normal puppy as she waited for bubbles cline adopted maia puppy she said looks so similar to bubbles that they could have come from the same litterso that bubbles wouldnt be alone
for davenport knowing that she found a home for her little unicorn puppya puppy that under normal circumstances may not have survived to make it to a shelter much less through surgeryis bitter sweet
everybody said ‘youre not going to be able to let her go davenport said but this is what i liketo be able to send a dog home with someone like theresa; thats my job
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine

the unprecedented devastation caused by hurricane harvey displaced countless people many were forced out of their homes to find shelter because of the extensive flooding the damage from which claimed almost everything they owned
port arthur resident charles moss lost his home and many of his belongings in the storm and for a night he thought he lost his 6-year-old gelding named kash
moss was trying to rescue kash from the floodwaters when the horse was startled by the rumblings of the storm and escaped from moss grip
there was no calming him down moss said a power line fell and hit the water and he took off running the water was too high so we had to wait until the next morning to search for him
moss said the unexpected floodwaters made it a challenge for many horse owners to recover their animals
a lot of people lost their horses because they didnt expect the water to get that high moss said they couldnt do anything to save them
moss immediately contacted the jefferson county sheriffs department giving officials a description of kash and sending pictures for identification the next morning the sheriffs department said they had located kash and had sent him to the texas a&m large animal hospital (lah) in college station
many horses were sent to ford park in beaumont where the owners could go to claim their lost animals; kash however was sent to the veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) where animals with serious injuries were taken to receive treatment
dr michelle coleman an assistant professor of large animal internal medicine in the lah operated on kash and a team that included other lah doctors as well as veterinary students on the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) fourth-year clinical rotation took proper precautions to ensure his healing
he had a laceration right over a joint so we cut some tissue off and sutured it back up coleman said the wound was really deep every time we went to check on the injury he reacted poorly so we knew he was very sensitive we put a foot cast on him to increase his comfort level and make sure he would heal as quickly as possible
coleman said kashs injury was significant but many other horses did not fair as well
many horses were submerged underwater for more than 10 hours coleman said the skin of those horses just started sloughing off kash was one of the lucky ones
moss was thankful for the quick response from the sheriffs department at the time of the flooding
the longest kash was in the water was about eight hours moss said i was glad the sheriffs found him when they did it could have been a lot worse

moss and the community of port arthur have a lot of rebuilding to do moss said his entire neighborhood was completely destroyed and in late september when he picked up his gelding moss was concerned about bringing kash home to no food or shelter but donations of hay had started pouring in after the hurricane
people from all over the world were donating feed; we have hay for about a year now because of the generous donations moss said we came across a big blessing i also found a stable for him to stay with a lady who breeds jumping horses she will help take good care of him
coleman said it will take some time for kash to heal physically but the emotional toll an event like this takes on a horse can be harder to repair he will just need to get used to being loved again coleman said
moss said he is grateful for everyone at texas a&m who has helped kash through the healing and recovery processes and that he is confident that kash received quality care while at the lah
i want to thank everybody who helped kash moss said he can have a little attitude at times so sometimes working with him requires a great deal of patience
even though kashs full recovery will take time moss said he looks forward to seeing kash completely healed and performing at his best once again
we trail ride a lot moss said once kash heals he is going to be trained as a cutting horse i will give him a good four to six months before i even try to ride him just to make sure he is completely healed im just really thankful that he is alright
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
this story originally appeared in the spring 2018 edition of cvm today magazine
texas a&m and cornell universities have joined forces to advance research on antimicrobial resistance (amr) in veterinary medical education and to expand the pipeline for underrepresented students in the field
funded by a $300 000 federal grant from the united states department of agricultures (usda) national institute of food and agriculture (nifa) researchers from both universities will work together to develop and study the impact of a comprehensive collection of competency-based educational resources on antimicrobial resistance to aid veterinary education programs throughout the united states
the three-year grant will finance research focused on the development of multidisciplinary problem-based lessons on antimicrobial resistance the creation of an online platform to share educational resources with all veterinary colleges in the us and expanding the pipeline for underrepresented student populations regarding career opportunities in food and agricultural sciences veterinary medicine and public health
antimicrobial resistance poses an increasingly serious threat to global health and veterinarians must be properly equipped to assume leadership roles in addressing this challenge said dr kevin cummings principal investigator for cornell university crucial to the success of the amr mitigation effort is the need to educate a wide variety of stakeholders about proper antimicrobial stewardship in production agriculture
nicola ritter principal investigator for texas a&m university and director of the center for educational technologies (cet) housed in texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) will lead efforts to create the online platform and implement the outreach campaign the cet will share the lessons created from this project with all us veterinary colleges on an open online platform
as a part of the outreach campaign the texas a&m team also will share education lessons on antimicrobial resistance topics suitable for undergraduate audiences to four universities within the texas a&m system that have significant under-represented student populations including prairie view a&m university west texas a&m university texas a&m kingsville and tarleton state university
the undergraduate outreach campaign dovetails well with texas a&ms initiative to expand veterinary education research and outreach into several rural areas of texas with under-represented student populations said ritter who is also an instructional assistant professor in the cvms department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs)
in addition to researchers from cornell university the multi-institutional project also includes researchers from texas a&ms cvm and college of education & human development
these groups understand that it will take multidisciplinary teams to achieve the institutions goals of transforming education within the texas a&m university system and around the world ritter said
the team also links together other female leaders in the field of veterinary medicine education including:
by the end of the project the team anticipates reaching 3 000 graduates per year from veterinary colleges across the united states and 1 000 undergraduates per year from programs related to animal science
about texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences was established nearly a century ago to serve the needs of the texas livestock industry today it serves the largest livestock industry in the us in addition to protecting the health of all animals people and the environment in the countrys second-most populous state it is an innovative leader in veterinary medical education recognized for housing the center for educational technologies and graduating top-quality practice-ready veterinarians from texas a&m university which is the seventh largest university in the nation and a top 20 tier one research institution
about cornell university college of veterinary medicine
cornell universitys college of veterinary medicine is recognized internationally as a leader in public health biomedical research animal medicine and veterinary medical education ranked the no 1 veterinary college in the nation by us news & world report consistently since 2000 the colleges strength is due to the strategic breadth and depth of its programs to the expertise of its faculty and to the achievements of its alumni cornell awarded the first veterinary degree in the united states to daniel salmon best known for discovering salmonella and again made history in 1910 when it awarded the first american woman with a veterinary degree
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
for years doctors have associated the brca1 and brca2 gene mutations with an increased risk of breast cancer
but researchers at texas a&m university have now identified another gene that may have an impact on breast cancerassociated with the bodys circadian rhythm
texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) professor weston porter and his team have found that period 2 (per2) a regulatory mechanism within each cells peripheral clock plays a crucial function in mammalian mammary gland development and that when suppressed per2 leads to severely disrupted gland development in mice
the findings published in the scientific journal development add to a growing list that ties disruptions to our circadian rhythmthat is the central clock mechanism in our brainsto a higher risk of cancer progression obesity some neuromuscular diseases and other impairments including jetlag
circadian rhythm is controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (scn) in the brains anterior hypothalamus in addition to coordinating our sleep patterns the scn coordinates the other peripheral clocks in our body which run on a 24-hour cycle that corresponds with each day
not only do we have a central clock but every one of our cells has one of these peripheral clocks and theyre in coordination with the central clock porter said when you wake up in the morning and see light the light goes right into the brain and it triggers this molecular mechanism that regulates the (circadian rhythm) process
in their study porters team evaluated per2 which provides the negative feedback or counterbalance to the circadian rhythm process
the negative and positive feedback mechanisms are constantly in balance going up and down ones up during the day the other ones up at nightthey oscillate right at 24 hoursbut when you see light that resets it in the morning porter said whenper2 comes back it suppresses another gene called bmal or clock
their findingthat per2 has a crucial function outside of timekeeping in mammalian mammary gland development where per2plays a role in cell differentiation and identitydescribes a potentially important role for per2 in breast cancer per2 expression is lost in a large percentage of mammary tumors which suggests it may have protective effects
we discovered that these glands have what we call a kind of a bipotent phenotype; theyre actually halfway to cancer porter said theyve already have many of the characteristics you would see in a premalignant cell
we started to look at the mechanism associated with that and found that the stem cell markers associated with a loss of per2are more basal which is characteristic of more invasive cancer he said this reinforces the idea that per2 is functioning as a tumor suppressor gene associated with cell identity
in addition to disruption of the developing mammary gland porter also saw the same defect in transplant studies showing that it is per2 and not just the central clock itself that is responsible for the lack of mammary ductal growth in the developing gland
their next step is to revisit studies that correlate working a night shift with an increased risk of breast cancer
right now we are investigating how our findings relate to humans porter said there are studies out there showing a relationship between decreased levels of per2 and certain types of breast cancer which are more invasive so we believe that there is a direct relationship
understanding circadian rhythm and its effects on the body have become increasingly important to the science community the 2017 nobel prize for physiology or medicine was awarded to researchers for discoveries of the molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm and the national cancer institute recently named the role of circadian rhythms in cancer as one of their 12 provocative questions for the year
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
three faculty members at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences are among the 24 university faculty and staff to be recognized with a 2018 distinguished achievement award by texas a&m university and the association of former students (afs)
university-level distinguished achievement awards were presented to joanne hardy and michelle pine for teaching and to noah cohen for graduate mentoring during a ceremony on april 27 in rudder theatre on the texas a&m university campus
hardy a clinical associate professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences (vlcs) has a record of teaching excellence that has been recognized both by students and her peers
during her 15 years with texas a&m she has received the richard h davis award for excellence in clinical teaching and the clinical service award and also was nominated for the international veterinary emergency and critical care society t douglas byars educator of the year award
previously at the ohio state university where she taught for 13 years she was recognized with the college of veterinary medicines faculty clinical teaching award and was nominated for both the norden distinguished teaching award and the deans award for creativity in teaching
in addition hardy has worked to integrate her patient-care responsibilities in the vlcs into the clinical instruction she provides; she has coordinated a foal care elective and developed two other hands-on elective educational opportunities the trauma team and the colic team
these electives are the embodiment of high-impact learning: they combine a small amount of didactic material to provide fundamental and essential background information and then allow students to have first-hand experience with events like birth of foals traumatic injuries to horses disaster relief experiences as occurred with hurricane harvey and medical emergencies like colic a nominator said these events are rare and cannot be substituted by simulation or reenactment at the time dr hardy implemented these electives they represented an innovation in our large animal curriculum
because of her dedication hardy has enjoyed overwhelmingly positive teaching evaluations in both didactic and clinical instruction
her dedication and passion for teaching are unparalleled in the large animal department as she takes what is taught in lecture and exposes students to real scenarios on the clinic floor a nominator said she carries her passion for teaching on to the clinic floor as an emergency clinician after hours she is encouraging instructive and helps each resident develop advanced surgical skills throughout the three-year program she is truly the rock of the residency program and continues to inspire each of us daily
a clinical associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) michelle pine came to texas a&m as a postdoctoral research fellow but it didnt take long for her to find her calling in teaching
over the course of her 15 years in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences pines passion for educating undergraduate graduate and veterinary students has resulted in high evaluation scores and a score of teaching awards and recognitions including the tamu teaching excellence award; selection to participate in the national bayer animal health communication project faculty program; and being honored as a fish camp namesake
in addition to her enthusiasm pine is noted for incorporating innovative teaching techniques and state-of-the-art technology in 2012 she was awarded an tamu instructional technology services grant flipping your course as well as a tamu classroom instructional technology matching grant to improve gross anatomy educational instruction in the college
because dr pine is a gracious ‘team player in our department dr pine has made (the technology) available to other instructors who use the gross anatomy lab a nominator said
in the classroom pine is described as meticulous clear and well-organized; in her efforts to maximize student learning she also is creative illustrating anatomy in motion using art and dance; developing an anatomy in clay activity that allows students to mold and shape muscles out of clay and then attach them to plastic skeletons; and creating a virtual reality bone box for undergraduate and graduate studentsproving that she will go to great lengths to facilitate a successful and creative environment for student learning a nominator said
even in the rigorous veterinary program she always communicated to us how she wanted our experience in her class to be informative clinically relevant and relatively low-stress a student said she expected us to know the material so that we were competent in day-to-day applications and her activities and tests always reflected that expectation i can say with the utmost confidence that dr pine has had a hand in shaping who i am as a student and as a future veterinarian
during the course of his 29-year career at texas a&m cohen vlcs professor and associate department head for research and graduate studies cohen has made a substantial commitment to his research as well as the success of the students whom he trains
a leading expert in the epidemiology of equine infectious disease cohen has made significant contributions to strategies for prevention and management of rhodococcus equi including co-developing a vaccine that has been effective in initial challenge studies he has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles has been the principal or co-principal investigator for nearly $25 million in funding to research on animal disease and was among the first to influence our knowledge of the epidemiology of many equine diseases
but it is his devotion to the vlcss students that has ultimately led to the growth and refinement of the departments graduate program
among his efforts have been serving on the graduate committee for 24 masters studentschairing eight of thoseand 28 doctoral studentschairing seven of those as well as supervising four post-doctoral students and the research program for eight clinical residents
since 2011 cohens mentees have published 23 articles in peer-reviewed journals seven hold or have held faculty positions at veterinary schools in the us or canada five have received grant funding as principal investigators
although dr cohen is internationally recognized for his success as a specialist in equine veterinary medicine and groundbreaking research of equine infectious diseases i believe dr cohens most impactful contribution to the profession is his mentoring to others a nominator said dr cohen is an extraordinarily effective unconditionally committed positively passionate and universally admired mentor to young veterinarians and research scientists
dr cohen always puts the needs of his mentees above his own giving them the time encouragement resources and confidence they need to succeed he has provided countless veterinary residents interns graduate students veterinary students and undergraduates with the tools necessary to succeed the nominator continued as a result dr cohens impact on the veterinary profession and the lives of many students is sustaining and immeasurable
university-level distinguished achievement awards were first presented in 1955 and have since been awarded to more than 1 000 professionals who have exhibited the highest standards of excellence at texas a&m
each recipient receives a cash gift an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) recognized five alumni for their commitment service and leadership in the veterinary and biomedical sciences fields as well as to their communities
the annual outstanding alumni reception and dinner held on april 27 at bryans miramont country club honored 2018 outstanding alumni award winners dr l garry adams dr claire buchanan andreasen dr scott echols and dr robert clay stubbs as well as rising star award winner dr mary anne wegenhoft white
these alumni are ambassadors for the cvm and we are proud of their commitment to service education and leadership said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are honored and privileged to recognize our former students and the impact of their work on our college our state our nation and the world
dr l garry adams 64
dr garry adams career has centered around texas a&m but the implications of his work have been felt around the world
a senior professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) and a faculty fellow at texas agrilife research adams earned his bachelors and dvm degrees at texas a&m before completing a national institutes of health post-doctoral fellowship at the cvm while he obtained his phd in anatomic pathology
joining the texas a&m faculty in 1968 adams has devoted his career to researching animal diseases from the molecular and genetic perspective with an emphasis on diagnostics and the immunological response his work has led to more than 260 authored or co-authored original scientific publications in refereed journals on infectious diseases such as salmonellosis brucellosis johnes disease rift valley fever and african swine fever
his research also has led him to colombia where he directed rockefeller foundation- and united states agency for international development-sponsored teams in working to develop diagnostic assays and vaccines for anaplasmosis babesiosis and trypanosomiasis
his research teams results have been implemented to improve the scientific basis of the two largest us animal health regulatory problemsbrucellosis and tuberculosisand he has been very active in leading the development and implementation of biodefense and emerging disease research initiatives
garry is a kind-hearted easy-going unpretentious gentleman whose unassuming demeanor belies his 60-plus page curriculum vitae he has done research in mexico south america canada germany and the united kingdom but managed to find his way home to college station and tamu one nominator said
he epitomizes what is best about the veterinary profession the nominator continued his efforts in the research laboratory allow those of us in practice to better prevent and treat disease when those preventative measures were not used this is no small contribution
a devoted servant-leader to his family church community and the veterinary profession adams passion for research has led him to offer his expertise on national research committees and councils as well as in training students serving as a committee advisor for more than 130 texas a&m graduate and phd students
dr adams positive and unselfish personal attributes continue to have a lasting impact on all who have had the privilege to know and work with him another nominator said garry is a wonderful example of what a veterinarian should be and what makes veterinary medicine such a noble profession
a diplomate of the american college veterinary pathologists (anatomic) adams has been recognized with a variety accolades from texas a&m the nih the usda the academia veterinaria mexicana and the united kingdoms royal college of veterinary surgeons he was recently honored with the american veterinary medical associations lifetime excellence in research award and its avma award the highest bestowed upon a member
adams and his wife gerry jane have been married since 1965; they have two children alison paige an aggie veterinarian and thaddeus hunter who earned his phd in nutrition from texas a&m
dr claire buchanan andreasen 82
throughout dr claire buchanan andreasens meteoric career in academia she has made a tremendous impact on the veterinary profession
a texas a&m graduate with two bachelors degrees and a dvm andreasen practiced veterinary medicine for three years before returning to school this time at the university of georgia to complete her pathology residency and phd in 1994 she became board certified as a diplomate of the american college of veterinary pathologists
andreasens journey to her current position as a professor and director of one health at the iowa state university (isu) college of veterinary medicine started at oregon state university where she was a faculty member in 1996 she joined isu and over the course of 20 years she served in positions advocating for faculty advancement and diversity as a department chair and as associate dean for academic and student affairs
during her time as an administrator andreasen continued to focus on research publishing numerous articles abstracts and book chapters on comparative cell function in infectious disease and emerging and zoonotic disease education
in her current role she serves and supports isus one health program as they work to achieve optimal health for humans animals and the environment across multiple disciplines a nominator said dr andreasens unique background in food security and public health along with her expertise in pathology make her the ideal director for this important program as we as a global community work to combat zoonotic and infectious diseases as well as safe animal-sourced food products
her work also has allowed her to improve the intersections of animal and human health through collaborations with the isu cvms center for food security and public health the kansas state center of excellence for emerging and zoonotic animal diseases and the texas a&m institute for infectious animal diseases with funding from the department of homeland security and the usda in the areas of emerging and transboundary animal disease education pathology and secure food continuity during disease outbreaks
dr andreasen is making a tremendous impact in the critical areas of disease prevention and the maintenance of secure and safe animal food products another nominator said she has impressed upon her colleagues the importance of animal health and the important role of veterinarians to the international animal community through her leadership roles in veterinary medicine research and development
a former president of the american college of veterinary pathologists and the american society for veterinary clinical pathology andreasen has been recognized with the smithkline beecham (pfizer) award for research excellence the student chapter of the american medical associations clinical science teaching award and isus foundation outstanding achievement award in developmental leadership
dr andreasen is inspirational inclusive nationally recognized and a leader in pathology and education within the profession a nominator said she is a wonderful mentor role model and colleague
dr scott echols 95
dr scott echols innovative approach to imaging has professionals in both veterinary and human medicine taking a second look at what is known about the body
a 1993 and 1995 texas a&m graduate echols passion for avian medicine took flight as an associate at a private practice in oakley california where he completed a residency and was certified as a diplomate in avian practice
the evolution of that passion has led echols to open a number of businesses including an avian mobile service that provides phone and email consultation and traveling surgical services in the us and abroad and avian studios which provides video production services to create educational media in salt lake city utah
but it is his latest venturethe product he developed as founder ceo and president of scarlet imagingthat is revolutionizing thoughts on imaging in both human and veterinary medicine as well as in the anatomy of all species
that product britevu® is an easy-to-use high radiodensity intravascular contrast agent that penetrates to the capillary level better still britevu® is non-toxic and environmentally friendly
echols also is working on several other projects including one that is pressing the veterinary profession to better understand and utilize advanced imaging like ct and mri; another includes developing new techniques for nerve staining that will allow for a better understanding of nerve and brain injuries; and yet another to develop a means to measure bone density through a radiograph which is critically needed in human and animal medicine
to be forward-thinking isnt enough for echols; over the years he has developed a strong desire to share his passion for the veterinary profession via collaboration and volunteering his services all to improve the care of veterinary patients
an internationally known speaker he has been invited to australia europe south america and asia to speak on avian medicine and imaging technology and echols is currently collaborating with numerous universities and entities across the globe including nasa and the us military to share his expertise products and services
his latest research is the grey parrot anatomy project a collaboration between the university of utahs departments of bioengineering biology and its scientific computing and imaging institute along with more than 20 other institutions around the world
a singular distinguishing feature of dr echols career and contributions to our profession and the scientific world as a whole has been his selflessness honesty and openness to collaboration a nominator said these characteristics are special unique and embody the goodness of what i hope we all can aspire to as professionals scientists and health care professionals
among his accolades echols has been honored with the tj lafeber avian practitioner of the year award the texas veterinary medical associations 2007 non-traditional species practitioner of the year award and last year he was a finalist for the prestigious international wellcome images award 2017 which recognizes images that communicate significant aspects of healthcare and biomedical science
when hes not working his interests include playing guitar artwork and just about any outdoor activity
dr robert clay stubbs 65 (posthumous)
it is said that necessity is the mother of invention
it was both necessity and a determination to improve equine dentistry that led dr robert clay stubbs to create tools and techniques that would revolutionize his field
stubbs attended tarleton state university before transferring to texas a&m
after graduating in 1965 stubbs served for four years in the united states air force and then began what would become a lifelong career as a veterinarian he worked in austin and coleman texas before building his first private practice in burnet and later practices in blanco and johnson city where he and his family settled
at age 50 stubbs followed his dream to establish a mobile equine practice; to do so he had to tackle the obstacle of taking a one-man operation on the road his first inventiona stock trailer that would allow him to travel to his patientswas followed by many others including six us patents for equine dental tools that are now used by veterinarians across the country
years ago when equine dentistry was the stepchild of veterinary medicine dr stubbs was looking for a ‘better way to bring dentistry from the back of the barn where a strong back and a weak mind were considered the equine dental professional trademark one nominator said clay through trial and error patience and common sense invented a dental system that today is considered to be unmatched in the industry
in addition to pioneering modern equine dental procedures and selling more than 65 of the mobile and stationary equine stocks he created stubbs contribution to the equine medical field includes creating a protocol for the safe sedation and reversal of an equine patient performing usda-approved clinical vaccine studies for six years and giving many educational presentations and live demonstrations to both horse trainers and owners
highlighting his dedication to the profession stubbs also taught his theory and the use of dental equipment and techniques to veterinarians across the country and was well-respected by his clients all over the state
his expertise led him to testify before the texas legislature on equine dentistry issues and in 2010 he was named equine practitioner of the year by the texas veterinary medical association
what he has done for equine dentistry is truly remarkable he really changed equine dentistry with the instruments and the methodology he has created said another nominator he certainly has made the lives of horses better through his own work and the work of many who have followed his methods
stubbs passed away on nov 25 2016 at the age of 74 he is survived by his wife linette; his daughter jacqueline dana lewis; his son evan; and five grandchildren
outside of his veterinary work he loved spending time with his family and friends being outdoors creating bronze sculptures of western art dancing writing poetry building things in his shop and he always enjoyed a good laugh or a funny story
dr mary anne wegenhoft white 09
when dr mary anne wegenhoft white joined the texas veterinary medical association as the class of 2009s representative during her first year as a veterinary student it was the beginning of what would become a more than 10-year commitment to service that would span beyond the tvma and into her community
whites remarkable service to the tvma during her student years including two additional terms as a student delegate led her to develop a stellar reputation within the organization for her ability to handle the complexities of tvma governance her passion for assisting staff with events and her ability to handle issues facing the tvma
following her graduation in 2009 white accepted a position at private practice in san angelo where she now serves as the managing veterinarian she also serves as a rotating emergency medicine veterinarian with the concho valley veterinary emergency association
it didnt take long for dr whites reputation to grow as an excellent practitioner and community leader a nominator said dr white has a great passion and compassion for the care of her feline patients she is currently on the quest to establish her clinic as an american association of feline practitioners-recognized cat friendly practice this is not an easy task to train all technicians and veterinarians in cat-friendly restraint techniques it takes a very determined individual to accomplish this feat
her professional endeavors however have not slowed her commitment to service both within the tvmawhere she has played an integral role in the organizations strategic planning committee on the board of directors as a permian basin district representative and on its membership committee which she chaired for three yearsand in her communitywhere she has served as secretary for the sierra vista united methodist church board of trustees and as a member of the churchs 2017 visioning team as well as chairing two subcommittees as a member of the city of san angelos animal shelter advisory committee
dr white has only been a practitioner for eight and a half years and her level of service has been extraordinary for a young practitioner the nominator said while out of veterinary school for less than five years tvma was comfortable handing her one of its biggest challengesand dr white has been more than up for the test her career accomplishments will serve as a beckon for younger practitioners and guide them on their path toward leadership
her selflessness humility and thoughtfulness have earned her many accolades including the buck weirus spirit award presented by texas a&ms association of former students; the gamma sigma delta outstanding graduating senior award for animal science; and the memorial student center harold w gaines award for distinguished service
she is also one of the brightest individuals that i know another nominator said to me dr white is more a constant star giving guidance quietly but consistently dr white is not a star that will rise burnout and fade because of her deep personal convictions strength of character and desire to constantly improve and grow she is someone who will continue to build up those around her and lead our profession and her community
to view photos from the event visit: txag/2018oarsphotos
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
viruses have a very limited set of genes and therefore must use the cellular machineries of their hosts for most parts of their growth
in a new study scientists at texas a&m and uppsala universities have discovered a specific host protein that many viruses use for their transport within the cell
the human gene zc3h11a is found in all vertebrates and is expressed essentially in all human cells; the gene has been known for about 20 years but its functional importance has been unknown
the team led by texas a&m professor leif andersson however has discovered that zc3h11a is critical for the replication of multiple medically important virusesincluding adenovirus influenza virus hiv and herpes simplex viruswhich opens up new possibilities for the development of new broad-spectrum antiviral therapies
the discovery was published april 2 in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences (usa)
with modern dna sequencing technologies it is relatively easy to identify all genes coding for proteins in an organism but it is often much more challenging to really understand the cellular function of proteins according andersson professor of animal genomics in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) and professor of functional genomics at swedens uppsala university
the discovery is the result of a project by uppsala doctoral student shady younis who used the gene-editing tool crispr-cas9 to inactivate the zc3h11a gene in a human cell line; initially he found that the inactivation of zc3h11a had little effect showing that it is not essential for the growth of these human cells
but while discussing his finding with fellow doctoral student wael kamel younis decided to challenge the cells lacking zc3h11a with a virus infection
to their surprise there was a drastic reduction of the growth of adenovirus (a group of viruses that can infect the tissue linings of the respiratory tract eyes intestines urinary tract and nervous system) in the cells lacking zc3h11a compared with cells expressing the protein
the team has now demonstrated that at least four different viruses that replicate in the host cell nucleus are dependent on the zc3h11a protein for their efficient growth; these viruses need zc3h11a for the transport of virus rna from the nucleus to the cytoplasm where the virus proteins will be produced before the viruses can exit the cell and infect other cells kamel said
this serendipitous discovery is an excellent example of how a good scientific environment can inspire scientists to collaborative efforts that may lead to important scientific discoveries andersson said
the group also has demonstrated that zc3h11a is a stress-induced rna binding protein and appears to be part of a previously unknown mechanism for how cells handle stress
the observation that the amount of zc3h11a protein increases during a virus infection was a very surprising finding since viruses typically shut down host-cell protein expression to favor virus production andersson said
our data suggest that nuclear-replicating viruses have hijacked a cellular mechanism for rna transport activated during stress for their own advantage he said
the spread of the influenza virus that has severely impacted people around the world proves there is a strong need to develop new antiviral drugs; a major goal for the team is now to test if they can block how viruses take advantage of the function of the zc3h11a protein and if this will impair virus growth in living animals not only in cells as they have proven in the current study andersson said
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
college station texas the us food and drug administration has granted orphan-drug designation to gtx-101 for the treatment of angelman syndrome a rare neurogenetic disorder that affects approximately 1 in 15 000 people gtx-101 is the first drug candidate for startup genetx biotherapeutics llc (genetx)
no approved treatments for angelman syndrome exist today said allyson berent genetx chief science officer the fdas orphan-drug designation for gtx-101 highlights the significant need for treatments for individuals with angelman syndrome and we believe that targeted delivery of gtx-101 represents a promising novel approach to treat this devastating disorder
angelman syndrome (as) is caused by a loss of function of the maternally inherited ube3a gene symptoms of as include developmental delay impaired motor function loss of speech and epilepsy
gtx-101 is an investigational antisense oligonucleotide designed to inhibit transcription of the ube3a-as across the paternal allele of ube3a in vitro studies show that as a result of this inhibition transcription of the paternal ube3a gene is restored in neurons of the central nervous system
an antisense oligonucleotide is a synthetic string of nucleic acids that interferes with the normal processing of a target gene to for example turn on or turn off expression of a target gene or to alter the splicing pattern of the gene clinical trials have shown promising results using antisense oligonucleotides to treat neurogenetic disorders for spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
this is a new area of medicine known as a targeted therapy said scott dindot phd associate professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) historically clinicians have treated symptoms of a disease or disorder with medication but not the cause of the condition a targeted therapy goes after the cause of the condition and attempts to fix it
genetx entered into a worldwide license agreement with the texas a&m university system and a research collaboration agreement with texas a&m agrilife research under which genetx hopes to further develop and commercialize this novel antisense oligonucleotide as a targeted therapy for patients with the disorder
the fdas orphan drug designation for gtx-101 is an important next step in bringing effective treatments to individuals with angelman syndrome said paula evans genetx chief executive officer activation of the normally silent paternal ube3a gene has the potential to mitigate many of the disorders debilitating symptoms
the orphan drug act became law in 1983 fewer than 5 000 applicants have received this special designation according to the fda website rare conditions are often described as orphan diseases or disorders when there are few or no treatment options there are about 7 000 known orphan diseases in the united states
the fdas orphan drug designation program provides orphan status to drugs and biologics that are defined as those intended for the safe and effective treatment diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases or disorders that affect fewer than 200 000 people in the united states
the designation allows the sponsor of the drug to be eligible for various incentives including a seven-year period of us marketing exclusivity upon regulatory approval of the drug as well as tax credits for clinical research costs annual grant funding clinical trial design assistance and the waiver of prescription drug user fee act (pdufa) filing fees
about genetx biotherapeutics
genetx biotherapeutics llc is a start-up company dedicated to developing and commercializing safe and effective therapeutics for the treatment of angelman syndrome
about angelman syndrome
angelman syndrome (as) is a rare neurogenetic disorder caused by a loss of function of the maternally inherited ube3a gene on the 15th chromosome ube3a is an imprinted gene where only the maternal copy is expressed in neurons of the central nervous system imprinting of ube3a is regulated by expression of the paternally expressed ube3a antisense transcript (ube3a-as) individuals with angelman syndrome generally have developmental delay balance issues motor impairment and debilitating seizures some people with as never walk most do not speak anxiety and disturbed sleep can be serious challenges among those with as while individuals with as have a normal lifespan they require continuous care and are unable to live independently typical characteristics of as are not usually evident at birth individuals with as have feeding difficulties as infants and noticeable delayed development around 6-12 months of age they need intensive therapies to help develop functional skills in most cases as isnt genetically inherited angelman syndrome affects all races and genders it is often misdiagnosed as autism or cerebral palsy there is an unmet clinical need for individuals with as in the areas of motor functioning communication behavior and sleep for more information about angelman syndrome please visit cureangelmanorg
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
as the new director of texas a&ms schubot exotic bird health center dr sarah hamer brings an array of professional experience and most importantly a passion for studying and preserving native and exotic bird species
as a graduate student at the university of illinois dr sarah hamer spent countless hours inspecting trees and bushes and scanning yards and sidewalks in search of the american crow transforming residential neighborhoods and community parks into vital sites for her research
hamer was tracking and observing this particular species in order to understand their movement behavior and nesting habits hoping to find out why the birds seemed to adapt to urbanization better than other native bird species
we sewed radio-transmitters onto the birds tail feathers to track their movement and see what habitats they were using said hamer now an associate professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) by understanding how these birds moved and utilized resources we could identify critical factors that allow these birds to thrive in the urban environment
hamer and her colleagues began to notice that a large number of american crows were getting sick and dying
because we were tracking their movement we were able to locate and test the birds quickly after their death she said nearly all of the dead birds tested positive for the west nile virus the virus impacted a lot of different types of birds but disproportionately impacted american crows
we also sampled and tested mosquitoes from the key habitats where the crows were roosting at night and found the virus within the mosquitoes as well hamer said
as they conducted this sampling people living in those neighborhoods also were getting sick from the virus and what began as a young students ecology project quickly morphed into research on the relationship between human and animal health
that experience as a masters student really set me on a career path of studying these emerging pathogens that impact animal health but also impact human health hamer said i became very interested in studying wildlife populations and disease vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks and how the pathogens they transmit are passed to humans
as she was pursuing her doctorate in disease ecology at michigan state university she began to realize that much of her work involved communicating with health practitioners which sent her down yet another route
i realized about midway through my phd that i was communicating with a lot of medical doctors and veterinarians hamer said i decided then that if i had a medical background it might open up more doors for my research so thats when i started in vet school
after completing her doctor of veterinary medicine degree at michigan state university in conjunction with the completion of her phd hamer came to texas a&m university to start a faculty position and lead a research program that focused on the ecology and epidemiology of a variety of human animal and vector-borne diseases
her work has ranged from chagas disease in humans dogs and wildlife to conservation medicine for the endangered whooping crane to studies of ticks and tick-borne diseases across the country
it was her passion for wildlife paired with her success in mentoring students and leadership in interdisciplinary federally funded research that led to hamers appointment as the richard schubot endowed chair and director of the schubot exotic bird health center at texas a&m
in the role which includes a joint appointment with the cvms department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) hamer oversees the expenditures of the schubot endowment to enhance avian health research teaching and clinical practice including work conducted at the unique and world-famous aviary for exotic and native birds
im fortunate that my research and my hobby have converged hamer said ive loved raising birds for most of my life and being a bird watcher being out in naturestudying wild populations and trying to keep them healthyhas helped fuel a lot of the research questions that im asking
her leadership position gives her a chance to assist researchers and current students in reaching their academic goals while also expanding on the current scholarship in which the center is engaged
it is awesome to be surrounded by so many people who are united by their passion for bird health i value this opportunity to help solve important bird health problems and to provide meaningful training experiences for students hamer said i also have a vision to expand the scope of the types of bird work the schubot group tackles
part of that expansion involves finding opportunities for internal and external partnerships
im looking to grow collaborations with a number of partners that also share this mission of improving avian health hamer said
partnerships hamer said are going to be essential as the team at schubot moves forward
many pressing issues with respect to avian health are complex requiring expertise from different disciplines she said we will combine the strengths within the schubot center and partner with others to expand our capabilities and solve these complex problems
hamer said the schubot centers strong foundation has provided her with a great opportunity to lead researchers and establish the center as a powerhouse in avian health research
she said the resources and facilities at texas a&m will help tremendously
we have a lot of resources and capability as one of the top vet schools at this big tier one research institution she said combine that with what we have in the wild lands just outside of our campus and it puts us in a good position
education and research will be one-and-the-same in the center under hamers leadership
because her education helped her discover her passion for studying zoonotic diseases hamer hopes to empower students with similar opportunities to launch into their own career paths focused on improving health
combining her teaching and research for example hamer co-designed a new high-impact course methods in vectorborne disease ecology with funds awarded to her as a montague teaching scholar in the course small teams of undergraduate and graduate students worked together to conduct original research throughout the semester several projects centered on wild bird health
our students completed a study that was published last year looking at zoonotic pathogens associated with the great-tailed grackles the large black noisy birds that hang out by the hundreds in the urban grocery store parking lots around town hamer said we worked through the federal state and local permits necessary to allow our students to capture and band the birds and also collect blood and fecal samples that the students then analyzed back on campus
our students found that some of those birds were shedding salmonella a food-borne pathogen she said when those birds hang out on your grocery carts that your food is in this can be an issue this is an example of how wild birds maintain pathogens that might have an impact on human health
hamer said the schubot centers world-class aviary provides countless opportunities like these for student research studies
there is no shortage of students who want to be involved in avian health researchundergraduates graduate students and veterinary students hamer said these students will continue to be the fuel behind all our research output
education is a key component in my vision for the center in order to succeed as a research powerhouse we must serve as a training ground for students of various capabilities she said
hamers leadership at the schubot center she said is just another way for her to pursue a passion that started as a hobby and led her down a unique educational pathand hopefully will lead others to do the same
i view my position at the schubot center as a way that i can merge some of my own background and perspective with an awesome team of enthusiastic clinicians faculty and students so that our research and training can have even more of an impact than we would have been able to individually hamer said
research from the laboratory of texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) associate professor scott dindot has become the basis for an investigational antisense drug that researchers hope will lead to the treatment of angelman syndrome (as)
investigational-new-drug-enabling studies on the potential therapeutic are currently underway with genetx biotherapeutics llc (genetx) a new biotech launched last week by the fast (foundation for angelman syndrome therapeutics)
this is a new area of medicine known as a targeted therapy historically clinicians have treated symptoms (of a disease) with medication but not the cause of the condition dindot said a targeted therapy goes after the cause of the condition and attempts to fix it in some way the drug we developed is called an antisense oligonucleotide which is a synthetic molecule of dna that binds to a gene and alters the way it is regulated
there are a few drugs that have been developed like this he said the drug is synthesized and it looks like dna but its not dna
a rare genetic disorder that affects approximately one in 15 000 live births as is caused by a loss of function of the maternally inherited ube3a gene symptoms of as include developmental delay impaired motor function loss of speech and epilepsy
individuals with angelman syndrome do not make the ube3a protein in their brain because their fathers copy (of the gene) is turned ‘off by a naturally occurring phenomenon called genomic imprinting-we dont know why this happens but it occurs in everyone-and because they have a mutation on the copy inherited from their mother which leaves them with no ube3a protein in the neurons of their brain dindot said the drug works by turning on the copy of the ube3a gene inherited from the father
dindot said this type of therapy has implications for other genetic disorders
first you have to know what gene is causing the condition and then depending on the type of mutation you can use this technology to manipulate the way the gene is regulated he said fast has been funding my lab to understand the way the fathers copy of ube3a is turned off and why; we invested a lot of time and energy in understanding how this process works
while we are still trying to understand it we discovered something that we thought was important and we thought that it would be a good target for this drug he said we designed a drug to the target and all of our preliminary studies indicate its a good target
depending on the outcomes of the investigational new-drug-enabling studies the hope is to move the drug into a phase i clinical trial
this approach has been shown by other labs to be effective; it improves some of the core symptoms of the disorder in a mouse model of as dindot said
owned in part by texas a&m university genetx entered into a worldwide license agreement with the texas a&m university system and a research collaboration agreement with texas a&m agrilife research in hopes of further developing and commercializing this product
the launch of genetx is the logical next step in fasts mission to cure angelman syndrome said paula evans fast chairperson and genetx ceo we want to ensure potential treatments for as are brought to each patient as safely and expeditiously as possible and being actively involved in the interim process between bench and bedside ensures we will have a strong voice in the pricing and accessibility of possible treatments for angelman families worldwide
for the past eight years fast has narrowly focused on investing in leading-edge technologies to treat the underlying cause and debilitating symptoms of angelman syndrome said allyson berent fast cso and genetx coo our aggressive research agenda and collaboration with texas a&m agrilife research has identified and characterized a promising therapeutic to address this debilitating syndrome angelman syndrome has such a significant unmet need for which there are no approved therapeutics and the landscape for bringing meaningful treatments to the community is significantly expanding
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) will host its 25th annual open house on saturday march 24 from 9 am to 4 pm
open house is an exciting free-to-the-public completely student-run event during which people of all ages can venture behind the scenes at one of the nations top veterinary schools!
texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine is the only veterinary medical college in the state of texas the veterinary medical students enjoy the opportunity to sponsor an event that provides the public an educational and entertaining experience that emphasizes the roles veterinarians and animals play in society
open house features exciting indoor and outdoor exhibits a variety of hands-on activities and tours of several areas in both the large and small animal hospitals that are usually inaccessible to the public veterinary students answer questions about specimens in pathology parasitology and anatomy rooms
children can experience veterinary medicine first-hand by entering a real operating room and performing teddy bear surgery one of open houses most popular events on their favorite stuffed animal
informational events include a variety of talks given by veterinarians prospective veterinary students will have the opportunity to attend question-and-answer sessions with both admissions committee members and current veterinary students
open house is free open to the public welcomes people of all ages and does not require registration!
texas a&m university veterinary students invite members of the community to attend this fun and unique event and anticipate that attendance will reach record numbers this year
there is so much to do and something for everyone at open house so bring your family and friends!
visit https://vetmedtamuedu/openhouse for schedules maps and more; follow the event on facebook instagram and twitter for updates and announcements; and pre-register for a tour of the small animal hospital by emailing openhousesahtours@gmailcom with your name the number of people in your party and what time your group would like to tour
visit the vet school on saturday march 24 for an animal-filled day of fun!
canyon texas – the texas a&m university system regents today announced plans for a $228 million building for veterinary education research and workforce opportunities in the panhandle as part of almost $90 million in new commitments to the state agriculture industry on the west texas a&m university campus
in a special telephonic meeting thursday morning the board of regents added the texas a&m universitys new veterinary education research & outreach (vero) center to its capital plan the vero center will be constructed adjacent to west texas a&m universitys new agricultural sciences complex and a new texas a&m veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory (tvmdl) facility currently in the process of relocating from amarillo to canyon
this is a great day for texas a&m west texas a&m and the panhandle said chancellor john sharp with these three new facilities in canyon the texas a&m system has invested nearly $90 million in the future of agriculture and animal health in this region we have created a two-way superhighway of veterinary education and research activity from canyon to college station and it runs right through these new structures
once the vero center is completed in 2020 it will provide an anchor in canyon where students from texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) will be able to take courses participate in externship programs and conduct research opportunities for research and collaboration with faculty and staff at tvmdl west texas a&ms agricultural sciences complex and the cvms vero center will be available to students from both texas a&m and west texas a&m
this arrangement is a perfect model of how through collaboration with the systems regional universities and state agencies we can expand our reach and our impact on the lives of texans said texas a&m president michael young
when we first announced this partnership we indicated that we wanted to increase enrollment of promising future veterinarians from the panhandle area at the cvm knowing that they were more likely to return and work in this area following graduation said west texas a&m president walter wendler by bringing the college of veterinary medicine to wt those students wont have to wait until after they graduate to come home and begin making a difference
thursdays announcement is the latest development in a nine-year effort on the part of the cvm to expand veterinary education research and undergraduate outreach throughout the state
in 2009 the texas higher education coordinating board encouraged the veterinary school to increase its enrollment to meet future state needs with no state appropriation available for construction during the recession texas a&m invested $120 million from the permanent university fund to construct a new teaching complex which opened in 2016 that same year in anticipation of their expanded capacity for enrollment the cvm announced partnerships with four system institutions–west texas a&m university tarleton state university prairie view a&m university and texas a&m university-kingsville–designed to encourage more underrepresented minorities and rural students to pursue veterinary education
an initial focus was placed on the partnership with west texas a&m university because of its location in the epicenter of the us livestock industry the cvm established the texas a&m veterinary medical center at wtamu in 2016 and hired dr dee griffin and dr dan posey two experienced veterinary professionals to build a program to address regional industry needs and enhance interest among students evidence of success materialized quickly in 2017 west texas a&m universitys college of agriculture and natural sciences set a school record of 10 graduating pre-veterinary majors who were accepted into veterinary schools nine of the 10 went to texas a&m
we are thrilled by the rapid return in our investment in west texas a&m and ecstatic to be establishing a permanent presence on their campus said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine in the cvm the texas panhandle leads the nation in livestock production so it is vital that we continue to provide this region with exceptional graduates and quality service as only texas a&m can our success here will also inform our approach with the three other partnerships that make up our statewide system-wide initiative
about the texas a&m university system
the texas a&m university system is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation with a budget of $455 billion through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies the texas a&m system educates more than 148 000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year systemwide research and development expenditures exceeded $972 million in fy 2016 and helped drive the states economy
to read dean greens comments at the vero announcement click here
texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the north american veterinary community (navc) will welcome game-changers innovators entrepreneurs and visionaries to the second annual veterinary innovation summit (vis) april 6-8 in college station
at this event veterinary and non-veterinary entrepreneurs and health professionals will share fresh perspectives that will challenge the status quo and help develop a mindset and skillset to thrive in this world of change
dedicated to sparking and fostering ingenuity the vis features a combination of unique programming a diverse attendee pool and an immersive learning environment for veterinary professionals at texas a&m
it is clear that the world is changing not just at a linear rate but exponentially and these changes are having a profound effect on veterinary medicine as they are on the rest of the world said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm the vis brings together a diverse group of forward-thinking innovative veterinarians and non-veterinarians such as health professionals engineers entrepreneurs regulators and more together they will explore how veterinary medicine will not just respond to these changes but will lead them prosper from them and ultimately make our word healthier
the second annual vis programming will focus on three main themes: patients like us the human-animal bond and veterinarians serving society
each theme will feature three to four keynote speakers who will deliver ted-style talks designed to expand the perspectives and minds of participants after gaining this foundational knowledge participants will move into smaller breakout sessions that have been designed to provide participants with the knowledge and expertise to turn those ideas into action
we are looking forward to the second annual veterinary innovation summit said dr aaron massecar program manager of veterinary innovation and entrepreneurship at texas a&m university working with this group of innovative professionals brings out the best in all of us and provides us with opportunities to make positive changes in the world as creative thinkers share ideas and insights into what propels innovative genius the ‘aha moments come alive and its awesome to see
presentations and demonstrations will include fresh perspectives from todays veterinary entrepreneurs and startup companies will have the opportunity to present innovative ideas additional presentations will focus on the foundations of telemedicine and how communications technologies can be utilized within the veterinary profession
opportunities for networking and business development as well as discussion panels will facilitate collaboration and conversation
visit veterinaryinnovationsummitcom for more details
about texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biological sciences
one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the united states and canada the cvm was established in 1916 and since that time has graduated nearly 8 000 veterinarians texas aggie veterinarians proudly serve texas the nation and indeed the world in countless ways from highly sophisticated veterinary practices serving the 19 million residents of texas and their animals to military industrial government and university roles aggie veterinarians hold positions of prestige and responsibility the faculty and staff of the college are committed to exceptional teaching research and patient care the research addresses significant problems in both animal and human health which impacts both texas and the world
about the navc
founded in 1982 and headquartered in gainesville florida with offices in orlando florida the north american veterinary community (navc) is a non-profit organization that provides world-class professional development to the global veterinary healthcare community its largest initiative the annual vmx: veterinary meeting & expo formerly the navc conference hosts more than 17 000 attendees each year other offerings include vetfolio an online ce platform in conjunction with aaha; its official journals: todays veterinary business todays veterinary practice todays veterinary nurse and veterinary advantage; and educational event offerings: the navc institute navc live and navc discover visit navccom for more details
dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) spoke on thursday about the significance of the new veterinary education research & outreach center (vero) and what it means to establish a superhighway between canyon and college station
below are her comments:
you may have heard that around $90 million is being invested at west texas a&m university (wt) to support veterinary medicine agriculture and rural texas i would expand on that figure to include the hundreds of millions of dollars invested over the years to create and sustain one of the largest and best veterinary colleges in the world
this includes texas a&m universitys recently completed $120 million veterinary & biomedical education complex which has the capability to be a direct connection between college station and the panhandle for students faculty researchers educators and others and gives us the capacity to educate as many veterinarians as texas needs now and into the future
this also includes the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) which trains veterinary students and serves texans and their veterinarians with unique features like the state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging & cancer treatment center
the research facilities house researchers who explore significant problems in animal and human health while finding and sharing solutions in the texas panhandle throughout texas across the nation and around the world by linking our campuses and regions we are pooling capabilities to make available to the texas panhandle the resources of the texas a&m cvm including the talents of approximately 300 veterinary faculty we also are making available to college station the agricultural strengths of wtamu as the epicenter of the livestock industry
veterinary students in all four years of their curriculum will have exceptional opportunities to gain hands-on experience in rural and livestock veterinary medicine the educational experiences will be led by texas a&m veterinary faculty who live in the panhandle and work at wtamu these hands-on opportunities will be available to all of the veterinary students some seeking concentrated livestock experiences and some wanting to learn more about livestock agriculture before they choose their career paths this new generation of veterinarians not only will serve food animal agriculture production and rural communities in this region but also will meet future needs in veterinary diagnostic labs food safety regulatory agencies and veterinary pharmaceutical research
the vero center will house on-site researchers who will form research teams between campuses and beyond as needed to address panhandle-specific issues and those with broad impact on the livestock industries
in summary these shared resources will create and support for many years to come the best food animal veterinarian education and research program in the nation and the world the combined investment and shared expertise at wtamu tamu and the tvmdl along with partnering with local veterinarians through externships and internships will contribute to this excellence in veterinary medicine
in closing this is one of the most exciting days for me as dean of the texas a&m cvm this is a dream come true to expand the college strategically across texas to serve every texan every day
to read the systems vero press release click here
texas a&m university professor dr jim heird an internationally-renowned equine expert is the new president of the american quarter horse association (aqha) after five decades of dedication to the organization
the announcement monday (march 5) came at the end of the aqhas four-day annual convention in jacksonville florida where many of its more than 250 000 members from 50 countries gathered to learn from and celebrate the largest equine breed registry in the world
the scholars presidency marks a first for the texas-based organization: never before has the american quarter horse association elected an academic as its leader though heirds career includes 42 years of teaching researching and mentoring at four universities his command over the areas of equine conformation and behavior is recognized well beyond classrooms and labs
heird who has coordinated the equine initiative at texas a&m for nine years said hes eager to build on the aqhas goal to transform and grow the association as president
were an organization thats 78 years old and there are many things being done that remain great but we need to look at all aspects and make sure were meeting the demands of todays youth todays amateur and certainly the owner who is a professional outside the horse industry we need to make sure were giving them value for their membership
aqha is an international group dedicated to the preservation improvement promotion and record-keeping of the american quarter horse it sanctions competitive events maintains the official registry of all quarter horses and houses a museum in amarillo
while protecting the associations finances while growing reserves is a priority heird listed other keys to success he will focus on as aqha president including:
we need to make sure our breeders are served; that our judges and stewards are the best trained and capable in the world; that our races and shows are fair drug-free and honest; that ranch producers are appreciated and understood; and that we provide a show environment where our horses can excel with riders ranging from professionals to youth heird said in his acceptance speech and we need to do all of this while making sure that our horses are treated safely and humanely every day
there is tremendous potential for expanding aqha membership is outside the united states heird said adding that the organization will strive to be more inclusive
the trailblazer
his latest achievement follows a far-reaching list of honors that include an award for excellence from the us department of agriculture dozens of national leadership accolades being named horseman of the year by the colorado horse council an appointment as director of the texas racing hall of fame and being inducted into the texas cowboy hall of fame
dr eleanor green dean of the college of veterinary medicine said heird has devoted his professional career and personal life to horses the american quarter horse in particular
he has focused his many unique talents to advance the breed the association the membership the equine industry and ‘the horse from more conventional roles as a horseman and equine industry leader as well as from unconventional roles as an academician and academic administrator the dean said
he is a scholar an innovator a ground-breaker an influencer a role model a game-changer a program-builder an equine welfarist a generous giver of his time and talents and a longtime loyal member of aqha green said
the equine initiative which connects a&m to the industry through extensive outreach programs is a collaborative effort between the department of animal science in the college of agriculture and life sciences and college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences
heird said the program involves teaching future industry leaders research and veterinary medical care that improves not just the industry but the welfare of the horse it works toward curriculum enhancement outreach and engagement expansion facility construction and developing partners said heird who holds the glenn blodgett equine chair at a&m
heird landed texas a&m in the international spotlight with the development of the $35 million thomas g hildebrand dvm 56 equine complex a much-needed state-of-the-art facility that opened in 2014 with a show arena classrooms meeting spaces barns for a&ms womens equestrian team and a cross country course used by the college track team
there was an event of some type out here 285 days during 2017 he said adding that 32 000 people used the facility last year its even been rented for weddings and as a work retreat site it was not built with that intent so its surpassed our wildest dreams
hes currently raising funds and developing plans for a new equine nutrition and reproductive research facility at the complex as well as an orthopedic and wellness center for horses at the vet school
at a gallop
heird grew up on a small east tennessee tobacco farm where horses dominated his first dreams he said his father ended most days telling him a bedtime story born from his college days in kentucky where the blue grass country side was lined with white fences and horses grazed in picturesque fields
horses are all i can ever remember he said i read all the popular books on horses and was consumed by them i remember my dad coming home and saying we needed to go to a mans place to look at a new breed of horse brought in from out west he said theyre called quarter horses i fell in love the breed can do anything – they have a great disposition even-temperament theyre fast they work well with beginners and veterans they can work cattle and they had the mystique of coming from big ranches out west it was that classic image of the cowboys horse
he was about 12 at the time and soon ended up working for a breeder cleaning out stalls and exercising the horses never imagining hed live out his dream spending his life studying enjoying and educating others about his favorite breed
thats really a tribute to my parents – recognizing and realizing what i had a passion for and supporting me he said
its no surprise that heird went on to do the same for scores of students over the decades said craig huffhines executive vice president of aqha
hes a globally-renowned horseman and university administrator who has influenced hundreds of equestrian and agrarian leaders around the world huffhines said
it will take bright minds coming together who are committed to excellence dr heird is a catalyst that has been proven to do just that huffhines said adding that the researcher is not just driving educational opportunities at a&m but also innovation
its exciting for me to see the kind of top caliber leadership at our university said huffhines a 1991 a&m graduate and father of two aggies texas a&m has been and always will be an institution of higher excellence and it takes people like dr heird to create that kind of success
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt director of cvmbs communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
coral snakes are among the texas reptiles you may encounter in your back yard
while they are shy non-confrontational creatureswhich makes human encounters uncommonwhen a coral snakes hand is pushed they may choose to strike and although those bites are rare they are also extremely deadly
thats why doctors at the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) consider renee and angela ninos 1-year-old french bulldog coco chanel to be a very lucky girl
the ninos heard coco and her playmate an english mastiff named xena barking as they prepared for a party outside at their austin home on feb 17 when they found the two entangled with a coral snake the ninos knew they needed to take action and quickly
they saw their mastiff holding in his mouth a coral snake and their other dog the frenchie pawing at her face said dr stanley sowy a second-year resident in the vmths emergency and critical care service they put two and two together and realized that the frenchie was bitten by the coral snake and rushed her to their closest emergency veterinarian in austin
it was traumatizing for everybody renee said it was terrifying because at that point weve taken our dog to the hospital and they say theres nothing they can do
because an anti-venom does not exist in the united states for dogs the couple was referred to the vmths small animal hospital (sah) where they were met by veterinary intern dr jennifer gray
with coral snake envenomation most of the bites are dry bites which means they dont really release any venom said sowy who was the overseeing resident on duty but if its a wet bite where they release venom most of these patients develop neurological signs; in the most severe cases theres paralysis and the difficulty is that they cant breathe on their own
when i first saw coco she was ok for a bit and then slowly she started to decline he said thats when i knew this was serious and we had to intervene; we knew that in 20-30 minutes she wouldnt be breathing on her own and we had to put her on the ventilator
coco remained on the ventilator for 24 hours before showing signs of improvement; as the venom left her system the medical teamincluding clinical assistant professor dr justin heinz first-year resident dr katrina schmitz and intern dr alena strelchikwere able to turn their attention to making her stronger
the venom basically prevents the signal from the nerves to act on the muscles so there was no signal going through and as such coco couldnt move her muscles; she was so weak sowy said
dogs bitten by venomous snakes regain their function in the order they lost it he said first coco lost her ability to move her strength and then lastly the ability to breathe; when they recover from it first they regain the ability to breathe then regain the ability of their strength and then the ability to move again
within a few days of coco undergoing rehabilitation with dr daniel eckman a veterinarian in the sahs sports medicine & rehabilitation servicewho helped her regain her standing and walking strengthcoco was able to be discharged back to her family
renee said while they would drive over to college station every day to see their pup she is extremely grateful for the quality of care coco received at texas a&m
she had excellent care renee said emotionally i feel really good about it she was in the best place she could have possibly been in our family (as austin residents) were ut fans but i joke around saying that ill never again say a bad thing about a&m ill wear maroon thats for sure im really happy
for those on the emergency and critical care service cocos case was unusual because the dog was bit by a deadly coral snake; the bulk of the snakebite cases they see involve pit vipers which cause trauma to the patient but are not usually fatal
a coral snake is very rare; we dont see a lot of them and if we do its usually something catastrophic because if we dont do anything about it their breathing is going to fail sowy said but if we get them on a ventilator and we breathe for them their chances are pretty good we just have to wait for the toxin to wear off and they will eventually recover
sowy attributes cocos positive prognosis to her familys quick-thinking in first being cognizant in identifying the coral snake something renee also attributes to xenaand second in getting coco to a doctor as quickly as possible
xena was the mama in it all; she was the one who made us aware of it and thank god because without seeing the snake we wouldnt have known what she had gotten into because our house is on an acre of land renee said
while coco can ultimately thank her parents and her playmate for her positive prognosissowy said she may not have survived had she arrived 20-30 minutes later; many dogs bit by coral snakes can die within minutesothers at the vmth also attribute her survival to sowy saying he saved her life
i feel ecstatic about the case its something that ive read a lot about in booksabout coral snakesbut ive never dealt with it before sowy said its a great case for us to learn from and the mechanical ventilation is one of the things that we at texas a&m can offer that not a lot of places can
but cocos case was a team effort sowy said and im just one member of the team

veterinary technician abby rafferty and carl
though veterinarians play an important role in treating and caring for pets they are not the only people involved in pet care veterinary technicians provide innovative technical support in patient health and recovery at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
some responsibilities of veterinary technicians include restraining a patient for a physical exam checking vital signs administering medications obtaining diagnostic samples monitoring a patient under anesthesia and assisting a veterinarian during a surgical procedure
however some veterinary technicians are certified in special areas such as abby rafferty a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner in the cvms veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation (vsmr) service earning a certification allowed rafferty to learn how to help pets recover from surgery illness or injuries through assisted therapy
as a canine rehabilitation practitioner i help animals get back up on their feet rafferty explained dogs that cant walk after surgery or an injury need special exercises to recover such as assisted standing weight shifting or walking on a water treadmill thats where i come in to help
the water treadmill one of the vsmrs most effective therapy machines is described by rafferty as a valuable tool that is really neat to see patients that need this kind of assisted therapy are placed in warm water on a treadmill and walk to regain their strength; the treadmill eases pressure on their joints
the water supports the animals weight and makes them buoyant so they dont have to worry about dragging on the ground or hurting themselves rafferty said but at the same time the treadmill provides a little bit of resistance that the animals have to walk through
in addition to the water treadmill rafferty is trained to help patients heal through other therapeutic techniques such as massaging stretching to increase the range of motion and even balancing exercises if the patient requires intense physical therapy special equipment may be needed to help the patient heal
some cases require electrical stimulation rafferty said we can use neuromuscular electrical stimulation which allows the muscles to contract to help maintain muscle mass in patients that are immobile or we can use transcutaneous electrical stimulation for pain relief
though people are often expected to follow up surgery or an injury with physical therapy it is less common that pets receive the same treatment however rafferty explained that it is just as important for pets to participate in therapy as it is for humans
therapy can help speed recovery and get pets back on their feet faster rafferty said it doesnt mean that an animal wont ever return to normal function if they dont have therapy but it has the ability to help them recover quicker
rafferty described one case of a hunting dog that had fractured its ankle by participating in therapy the dog managed to stay in shape through recovery and healed fast enough to save its career as one of the main veterinary technicians who helped the patient recover rafferty said it was a case she will never forget
this dog needed to get better so he could return to his job rafferty explained otherwise he would have to retire at such a young age naturally i felt the pressure
because the dog lived an active lifestyle rafferty helped create a specialized treatment plan that allowed the dog to exercise outside though she could have exercised the dog on a treadmill indoors rafferty knew exercising outside was the best way to keep the dog in shape for his hunting career
the dog and i would jog from the hospital to across the parking lot and even up and down stairs rafferty said i knew he was a fit hunting dog so jogging outside was necessary to keep him in shape and conditioned to warmer temperatures
although veterinary technicians such as rafferty help many furry patients recover and return to their normal lives sometimes veterinary technicians face being unable to restore a patients quality of life
there are certainly challenges rafferty said as a more specialized technician i dont deal with euthanasia as often but when i do its harder for me because its typically a patient that ive been working really hard with or one that ive become attached to
despite these challenges rafferty said being a veterinary technician is ultimately rewarding and that happy times outweigh the bad
you cant let sad moments drag you down rafferty said you have to think of all of the happy and rewarding moments because thats what makes the job worth it
owners of pets and other animals expect state-of-the-art veterinary health for their animals just as they would expect quality care for themselves and family members at the cvm veterinary technicians provide such care as well as a comforting hand for those pets
dmd is a devastating disease that affects both children and dogs it is a genetic disease that affects boys all of whom die early in life living only into their twenties but only after much suffering any parent with an affected child is acutely aware of how devastating this disease is not only to the affected children but also to their families
the dogs with dmd at texas a&m are treated with great care and tenderness as they help unravel the mysteries and potential cures for this dreadful disease not only do our people who work with these dogs truly care about them as individuals the work being conducted is highly regulated and there is rigorous oversight of their care by a number of organizations including:
it saddens us that without full knowledgeof what we are doing how the dogs are treated and how close we are to an effective treatmentgroups have taken a rigid position and are using slander that adversely affects the opinion of those who dont know all of the facts
please be assured that those who work with our dogs have chosen to devote their lives and careers to the care and well-being of all animals
the warmer weather can mean many things for pet owners in texas chief among those should be ticks
the domestic brown dog lone star gulf coast and other ticks are the cause of the thousands of tick-borne disease cases reported annually in the united states
thanks to a diagnostic test created by researchers in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinarians now have a tool that can detect 11 types of tick-borne diseases including the seven most common in dogs
better still they can do so both earlier and less expensively than ever before
dr maria esteve-gasent an assistant professor in the cvms department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) and doctoral student joseph modarelli in collaboration with the texas a&m veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory (tvmdl) developed the tool the tickpath layerplex using a molecular technique that allows the researchers to determine if causative agents from tick-borne diseases are present in a dog
instead of looking at whether the animal has been exposed to a pathogen-when we would say that the dog may or may not have a disease-we are saying with this methodology that the animal has the pathogen-it has the bacteria-that is causing the disease esteve-gasent said its very specific; youre looking for the pathogen itself not for signs of exposure but of being infected
with the tickpath layerplex a dog that exhibits symptoms of a tick-borne disease can be taken to a veterinarian who can submit to the tvmdl a single blood sample taken during routine testing to check for lyme disease relapsing fever ehrlichiosis rocky mountain spotted fever and canine babesia and others
its very novel because theres no other technique like this in the veterinary field; its something completely new that was not possible until now said esteve-gasent weve been validating it with thousands of samples to make sure that its working and it has a 98 percent sensitivity specificity
because the test can detect 11 different pathogens it also is more cost-effective for clients
weve asked five companies across the country how much they charge and the cheapest for one pathogen for one disease was $80 to test for one esteve-gasent said you would have to pay hundreds of dollars to test for 11 diseases now (with our test) you might be paying $90 max
so our test is very competitive she said and its fast and reliable
unlike with other diagnostic tools the tickpath layerplex also more accurately determines the specific type of disease
a lot of veterinarians will submit blood for a cytology or serology test she said for example in the case of lyme disease and relapsing fever the tests are not that easy to differentiate them sometimes you can only say ‘it was either one or the other its not clear cut
with the texas a&m test if a sample falls into the gray zone where the test cant determine a positive or negative result you either collect a sample a few weeks later or if the veterinarian feels that the clinical signs correlate with the disease you think it is then treat it
either way this test allows the veterinarian to provide a more educated treatment when they see their patients esteve-gasent said
determining as quickly as possible if an animal has a tick-borne disease and what kind it may have can be crucial for a pet
most of these diseases if you treat your dog early the animals recuperate and they are nice and healthy and they live a healthy life for many years esteve-gasent said but if you dont diagnose them properly or early enough then theyre going to have problems; they may have heart or joint problems and you dont want that
or if the diagnostics are no good by the time you get your dog to the vet and they get the samples they diagnose the disease and they confirm what it is your dog may be dead the problem that we have right now is if a pet is infected with rocky mountain spotted fever the dog will die she said so the sooner that you test the better because all tick-borne diseases are treatable
in addition knowing the specific disease would allow the veterinarian to track the animals progress
if you know exactly what the dog has you can observe the clinical signs much better esteve-gasent said if you start antibiotic treatment and the veterinarian sees progress they could take a second sample later and see whether we still detect the pathogens because its very very very sensitive if the test says its clean that animal is cleared
the project funded by texas a&m agrilife and the usda agricultural research services has been submitted for a provisional patent and once more sampling has been conducted to further validate the test a final patent will be submitted veterinarians and dog owners can help with that process by submitting ticks found on dogs to the tvmdl for testing
for more information on submitting ticks to the tvmdl visit https://tvmdltamuedu
it is evident from their level of involvement on the texas a&m campus that junior biomedical sciences (bims) majors ryan bindel and elizabeth nevins have servant hearts
bindel is a member of the texas a&m corps of cadets who will join the us navy after he graduates; he plans to become a physician in the military an avid runner on marathon and triathlon teams hes active in the ross volunteer company and tutors his fellow cadets nevins who plans to become a pediatric hematologist or oncologist is involved in fish camp her sorority delta gamma and big event
both are active undergraduate research assistants in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) both also are scholarship recipients-bindel through the military and nevins through the terry foundation
i actually had two scholarships that allowed me to come to a&m nevins said if i didnt have these scholarships i probably wouldnt be here
because of the significant role that benefactors have played in their collegiate careers bindel and nevins decided to give back by applying to the texas a&m foundations maroon coats ambassador program which aims to increase the culture of philanthropy at texas a&m by educating students on the importance of outside support and thanking donors
more than 300 students applied for the prestigious position and the selection process was rigorous including multiple rounds of interviews according to the students only 20 were selected for the 10th class this year and both nevins and bindel were among them
im humbled and excited for the opportunity; i am really glad to bring the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences to maroon coats and the foundation because i want to support this college in any way that i can bindel said i know in previous years there have not been many maroon coats from this college and so i really was looking forward to the opportunity to say ‘hey were doing incredible things and we can grow in these ways please help us get there its really just exciting
bindel from mansfield texas never intended to choose texas a&m he was accepted into the united states naval academy and planned to move to annapolis maryland and then his father was diagnosed with colon cancer
we recognized late into my senior year that he was getting much worse and he ended up passing away in june bindel said so we made the decision that going away to the naval academy just wasnt a very good option for my family for my two younger brothers and my mom and i needed to stay in texas; and that was something that was totally ok with me
to bindel the next best military school was texas a&m so he applied and was accepted
initially i did not enjoy it at all he said of his freshman year
but one day bussing to west campus he took the only empty seat and noticed a copy of the battalion lying there in that edition was a story featuring the work of dr nancy turner a research professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology; that ultimately led to his involvement in undergraduate research
dr turner does colon cancer research and my dad passed away of colon cancer so that was just a really easy decision for me to get involved bindel said i said ‘yeah i want to contribute to this field and learn more about the disease i dont know how i wouldve gotten involved in dr turners lab if i hadnt read the battalion that day
through turners laboratory bindel works on a nasa-funded project studying colon cancer and how the cancer manifests in the astronaut environment his work is part of the undergraduate research scholars program and he wrote his thesis on the project
the experimental design that we use includes a no gravity high-iron diet which astronauts receive and then the radiation bindel said all three of those combine to cause injury to the colon which has the potential to cause cancer
the indirect connection to his father through his research and the new family he found through the corps of cadets have changed bindels initial views of texas a&m
over time i realized how important each of the traditions is and the family-like environment of being an aggie he said understanding what that means and getting all wrapped up in it i realized this is exactly where i need to be
it was also his connections in the corps that led him to the maroon coats program
my commanding officer last year marisa howat was a maroon coat and i got a little bit of a closer interaction with her and seeing what she did bindel said she got to wear the coat to a football game and sit in the presidents suite and i was like ‘thats kind of cool how do i do that that sparked the initial conversation
now though only an active maroon coat for a few months bindel has found that the program has deepened his connection to the university its donors and the entire community
an aggies always an aggie and i think its more than just the students; its the community as well he said the bryan-college station area and the former students who just care so much about what is happening at the school and more importantly the people who are in it all of the aggies are incredible that family aspect has really hooked me
unlike bindel the aggie traditions and people were a big part of nevins attraction to texas a&m like with bindel the research component became a major draw to the bims program
a plano texas native nevins said she always knew she wanted to be a doctor so selecting the bims program was the obvious choice
i grew up the youngest of three and so ive always been taken care of but ive always wanted to be able to take care of other people and science has always intrigued me she said ive always wanted to work with children as well because i was a swim teacher growing up i just love how resilient they are and how they have such a positive outlook on life
biomedical sciences is very tailored toward research and becoming more of a well-rounded student i especially like the electives im taking and its so interesting to actually be involved not just in the sciences but in the application of the sciences she said i think thats whats so special about bims; it helps you see real-world problems and how you can solve those problems innovatively using the sciences and then apply that to real-world problems today
knowing that she could make a long-term impact on the lives of others through research and the role research will play in her future career nevins got involved in the lab of dr kevin cummings assistant professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences studying the transmission of salmonella by examining fecal samples from animals in feed lots
were looking at birds mainly around h-e-b and kroger and you can see the transmission from animal to humans and how that relates she said the reason i was drawn to this research is because theres a bridge between animal and human transmission with diseases and i feel like sometimes it gets overlooked when youre going into human medicine
her lab work is facilitated by the fact that she doesnt have to worry about tuition as a terry scholar which provides her a full-ride scholarship ultimately easing the burden on her family of the expense of medical school
through the terry scholars program nevins learned about the maroon coats and the idea of giving back through service to prospective students and donors appealed to nevins greatly over the past decade the group has devoted more than 7 300 service hours in the community provided more than 200 campus tours to prospective students and other guests and written thousands of thank-you letters and made hundreds of phone calls to donors and friends
unfortunately ill never get to meet my terry scholarship donors because they passed away years ago but i know there are so many donors here who go unnoticed and unrecognized she said its funny; my freshman year maroon coats opened the door (at the a&m foundation) for me and i remembered that during my terry interview they asked me how i would give back in the future
through maroon coats im able to give back a little bit of my time nevins said in the future i want to give back monetarily like these donors have but for right now giving my time and my aggie spirit and wanting to make something of myself is i feel giving thanks to them
the gymnasium of the central baptist church family life center in bryan is filled with more cots than the eye can absorb in a single glance people wander aimlessly through the room past emergency stations set up for triage or to dispense medicine as students meet and attend to the needs of the injured or ill
screams randomly echo off the walls as a young man lies on one of those cots while texas a&m students hover over him assessing the dog bites on his leg and face another young man walks past searching for his dog has anyone seen his dog
it sounds like the scene from a pandemic genre movie but its actually all a part of the ninth annual disaster day training hosted in march by the texas a&m college of nursing the largest student-run mass casualty simulation event in the country brought together more than 300 students from nursing pharmacy medical and for the first time from the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) all of whom were employed to act as care providers for more than 400 volunteers portraying victims of a hurricane

students were able to gain experience by putting into practice the knowledge and skills they are acquiring within all of texas a&ms medical disciplines while nursing and medical students assisted actors with broken bones or flesh wounds 30 veterinary students reacted to three vet-med scenarios written by michelle kurkowski and laura hurst third-year veterinary students and co-presidents of the student one health association
kurkowski and hurst who were instrumental in the cvms involvement in disaster day and served as the vet-med liaisons during the event specifically created the cases with input from students from the other colleges in an effort to incorporate both human and animal medicine
the scenarios were designed to create a realistic experience that students might encounter in a similar situation as professionals; they included a man and his dogs showing signs of a bacterial disease and a girl suffering from head trauma who was brought in with her dog; it was ultimately discovered that the girl was epileptic and the animal was her service dog
the vet students and the medical/nursing students had to realize that the dog and the girl needed to be kept together at all costs kurkowski said failure to recognize this would result in the girl seizing without warning
in another incident a child was bitten by a husky amidst a dog fight
the owner took the dog to the tent for veterinary care and informed the students that the dog wasnt current on its rabies vaccination the bitten child was in the medical tent and it was the veterinary students job to find the attending physician and inform him that the dog wasnt current on its vaccine kurkowski said the mother of the child demanded the dog be euthanized and the medical and veterinary students had to diffuse the situation
the best part of practicing in this simulated environment according to kurkowski was the collaboration that emerged between the veterinary medical and nursing students
the veterinary students greatly enjoyed the chance to interact with the other colleges and get in on the main action they also remarked that they learned a lot clinically she said the senior students were vital in helping to teach the younger students how to approach each clinical case and make decisions
the medical and nursing students began to seek out the veterinary teams for assistance when needed; they even began to consult with the veterinary teams on cases that were not originally written as med-vet interface cases kurkowski said the students seemed to enjoy the additional layer of complexity to the scenario once it was clear what was expected of them and how to respond to veterinary situations the veterinary students were able to teach new things to the human medical providers and vice versa

likewise students learned a lot from what went wrong during the day; because this was the first year that veterinary cases were incorporated into disaster day awareness and communication were two hurdles that had to be overcome early
these experiential training opportunities in which our texas a&m students participate help them think outside the box; work with interdisciplinary teams of medical nursing pharmacy and veterinary professionals; and successfully address disasters said rosina (tammi) krecek research professor for texas a&ms global one health initiative such training builds confidence and readiness in our students to face inevitable challenges such as natural disasters pandemics and other catastrophes
in addition members of texas a&ms veterinary emergency team (vet)-the largest and most sophisticated veterinary medical disaster response team in the country- set up tents outside to support the cause helping students understand what its like to deploy for a disaster on the veterinary side by working through animal cases
its not just taking care of animals when youre in a disaster environment; theres noise and chaos around you people constantly coming in with this or that problem or needing you to talk to the media or offering to volunteer said deb zoran professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences and vet member the chaos of a disaster environment is similar to all of the other things that are going on while youre just trying to be a veterinarian; thats a really good skill set to learn for life
while these devastating events are hard to mimic through simulation-in brazoria county for example the vet saw more than 350 companion animals over a 10-day period accounting for about 30–35 animals a day coming in suddenly and sporadically-zoran said theres no question that the activity was valuable for students
it is a great experience that allows the fourth-year veterinary students opportunities to practice being team leaders perhaps most importantly for the first- second- and third-year veterinary students it is the first time theyre introduced to disaster response and the concept of triage and stabilization zoran said this training will help them as they continue in school because its just another way of developing the skills of thinking things through and problem solving
kurkowski and hurst also tied in an educational component following the simulation by providing handouts and bringing in cpr dummies to teach participants about canine cpr; they hope to establish an even greater presence at disaster day next year to increase the learning opportunities for everyone
there is never a large-scale disaster natural or man-made that doesnt involve animals in some way; people are very attached to their animals and often consider them members of the family and anyone who works in disaster management needs to understand this and have a plan for how to handle it kurkowski said
thats why it was so important for us to participate in disaster day; we wanted to add another layer of reality to the incredible learning experience that the school of nursing has created she said we also wanted to show students from all of the schools the communication and collaboration that is necessary when animals are inevitably involved so that they are better prepared for the real deal
the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) has received certification from the veterinary emergency and critical care society (veccs) recognizing the vmth as one of the most advanced emergency and critical care facilities in the country
veccs certification identifies hospitals that meet and exceed the minimum standards and guidelines the goal is to raise the standard of care while also increasing public and professional awareness in the field of veterinary emergency and critical patient care
veccs certification is becoming more and more important in the evaluation of emergency critical care hospitals not only as a reflection of resources available for patient care but also in regards to house officer training said dr christine r rutter clinical assistant professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) it is a reflection of our staff our continuing education standards our records our emergency capabilities and our facility
th veccs certification program identifies three levels (i through iii) based on facility operating hours equipment and personnel the vmth received a level ii facility certification
the distinction as a level ii certified facility reflects the commitment to high-quality patient care that our hospital can provide said bo connell cvm assistant dean for hospital operations it is an indication of our comprehensive capabilities cutting-edge technologies and world-renowned veterinary specialists; it ensures that the most up-to-date and advanced treatments are available to all of our patients
dana heath assistant director of the small animal hospital said that as the hospital works to achieve level i certification they can do so knowing that they already meet or exceed the vast majority of the veccs requirements
when we go through this process it makes us look critically at our standards and by doing that it helps us raise the standard of care at the hospital where appropriate she said i welcome these processes because it ultimately improves all that we are already doing well and makes us better patient advocates which is our goal
i would like to personally thank kim koehler the icu supervisor; jennifer sheldon the er supervisor; and melissa thomas my administrative assistant among many others who were instrumental in this process she said everyone pitched in; it was a huge team effort the faculty staff and students step up to make sure we are providing excellent care at every level and even when there are so many things going on in the clinics they give their time to participate in this review its incredible
the facilitys clinicians staff and veterinary students are committed to providing state-of-the-art care and making vmth a model for excellence in the state of texas and beyond
the vmth is shaping tomorrows veterinarians while providing an unmatched patient and client experience
in september of 2008 when hurricane ike hit galveston and houston waters as high as 15 to 20 feet flooded large areas and carried with it the sediment found in the houston ship channel and galveston bay
was this sediment safe for the people being exposed to it was it toxic officials didnt know
now with the support of the national institute of environmental health sciences (niehs) a team of texas a&m scientists is taking an innovative approach to offer solutions to these kinds of potentially disastrous natural and man-made emergency events before they happen
the texas a&m superfund research center will develop a comprehensive set of tools that can be used by cities counties states the federal government and other entities to respond to disasters and mitigate the health and environmental consequences of exposure to hazardous mixtures during emergency-related contamination events
under the direction of dr ivan rusyn professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and dr anthony knap professor of oceanography and director of the geochemical and environmental research group in the college of geosciences the center includes scientists from across the texas a&m campus and partners from across the country coming together to conduct four environmental research projects funded by a five-year $10-million grant
the projects will include a study on the transportation and mobilization of complex environmental contaminants in sediments; the development of novel low-cost broad-acting sorption materials suitable for decreasing exposures to complex chemical mixtures; and the establishment of rapid laboratory tests that will help determine the types of human health and environmental hazards to which people may be exposed
in addition the center will tackle the challenges of understanding and measuring chemical exposures; create new approaches for analyzing big data from meteorology analytical chemistry toxicology and geosciences; and help first responders and local state and federal government agencies make timely science-based decisions
all four projects will stem from a case study utilizing galveston bay and the houston ship channel
there are a hundred years of chemicals in the sediment in the galveston bay due to the shallow depth and the proximity to a densely populated area a hurricane or major storm will dislodge and mobilize many of the legacy chemicals in that sediment and eventually deposit it on land that creates a completely new contamination scenario knap said when that happened with hurricane ike almost 10 years ago the local and state authorities had to act on general standard procedures not scientific evidence about this particular event
the problem was not only did the regulatory agencies not know the types of chemicals or their toxicities but they also didnt know the concentrations of the chemicals in the sediment nor the changes that occur when the layers of sediment mixed as the water levels rose with the flooding they knew the sediment likely contained chemicals known to be hazardous because of the multiple industrial sources around the houston ship channel but they werent sure of the health and environmental impact
of course there is monitoring of the water and air quality but theyre not worried about whats actually in the sediment rusyn said surprisingly little is known about the fate and transport of chemicals in the sediment especially in salt water as it is stirred up by a weather-related event
texas a&ms superfund research center will investigate the many known and unknown factors of the sediments found in galveston bay; the research also will be readily translatable to other areas around the united states vast coastline
this project is going to make a lot of important discoveries but most importantly it is focused on providing solutions that are based on basic research rusyn said our goal is to measure as many factors as we can and then try to understand what else is in the exposure
were also developing tools that can quickly determine the type of hazard and which concentrations could cause a problem knap added this is where the ‘whole mixtures theme is important because traditional decision-making is done one chemical at a time but humans are exposed to mixtures of chemicals and especially in these emergency situations we dont know the identities of the individual chemicals or their potential toxicities
this work also will be applicable to other emergency situations; as the ferocity and frequency of storms increase due to climate changes coastal areas also will increasingly be at risk for weather-related disasters
it is well-known that subsidence and an increasing sea level are changing the vulnerability of coasts worldwide knap said adding a hurricane and toxic chemicals to this mix makes it essential to develop predictive models that can help provide information to responders
the new approaches and models being created also will be applicable to any type of emergency-response situation that may involve exposure to hazardous chemicals according to rusyn
this can be used for a chemical spill for example or an industrial area where an accident occurs; we may know what chemicals there are but we have no data on them what do we do how do we decide whether its safe or dangerous for people to be there rusyn said if there is a problem right now we cannot afford to just tell people to wait 50 years it cant be ‘the scientists will figure it out; we need to make some immediate decisions: do we move people out do we bring water in do we leave adults there but move pregnant women and children out those decisions need to be made quickly rather than within months or years
the potential is very high (for helping communities become more prepared) he said
the superfund program was established in 1980 by the federal government to fund cleanup sites contaminated with hazardous substances and pollutants through the program the niehs provides funding to 18 universities across the country most of them on the east and west coasts
the competition was strong; the applications were nearly a thousand pages long and the neihs funded only nine or 10 proposals rusyn said were a new program so its a major accomplishment and this university should be proud of having an outstanding team and unparalleled institutional support
the center also marks the return of a superfund research legacy for texas a&m which had a long-lasting and highly successful superfund project from 1989–2008
our previous studies also focused on toxic chemical mixtures said steve safe former texas a&m superfund director the newly funded project will provide novel and practical approaches for addressing critically important emergency exposures to toxic chemical mixtures
a majority of the existing niehs-funded superfund programs focus on legacy sites sites that are already polluted and have been studied for years or even decades however the texas a&m center decided to do something different by focusing on preparedness for future disasters
the center brings together researchers from the colleges of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences medicine geosciences engineering and science as well as the school of public health and the texas a&m energy institute it also includes partnerships with north carolina state university the university of north carolina-chapel hill baylor college of medicine and the pacific northwest national laboratory part of the department of energy
the reviewers said that our program was clearly one of those examples of when the entire program is greater than the sum of its parts rusyn said they really were excited about how we presented ourselves as a team rather than a collection of individually excellent projects
almost all of the activities will be here in college station and in our partner sites but we will work and collect samples with the coastal communities-anywhere from existing
research in the houston ship channel by faculty from the school of public health to marine and coastal research carried out by colleagues in the college of geosciences as well as other studies in surrounding communities and underserved areas of houston that flood all of the time rusyn said all are in the area that will be used in our case study
none of this would be possible without the support of texas a&m and the texas a&m office of the vice president for research which provided resources that enabled the center to coalesce around the central theme and will fund pilot projects facilitate interactions within the center support diversity contribute additional trainee funding and offer boot camp trainings to students faculty governments and first responders
one of the reasons i came to texas a&m was to develop and expand on new ideas; our program has been successful because there has been institutional support for creating and competing for marquee programs rusyn said its something that is just unparalleled; in this current environment many other universities are much less supportive this university has been really spectacular in that regard
many of the centers lead investigators including rusyn and knap have been recruited to texas a&m within the past five years and the synergy between their scientific ideas has already led many to join research efforts that were funded by federal and state agencies as well as by industry
the prestige of the superfund program grant and the new collaborations and grants that will arise also will give texas a&m something in return
having superfund support is a major statement of a very serious commitment that this campus has made to environmental health knap said because this particular program has to combine biomedical and non-biomedical projects as a requirement we really provide a unique opportunity for our trainees to cross train in environmental engineering biomedical research community engagement and other areas
its a very broad university-wide program and is meant to be a center of excellence not just for itself but it also will bring additional research and additional funding because we are acting as a team
while the research is underway the projects support community engagement and research translation cores will allow the teams to communicate their findings; offer the tools that were developed to assist first responders impacted communities and regulatory agencies involved in site management and cleanup; and address the health concerns of the populations that may be impacted by environmental emergency-related contamination events
through our translation core we will work to create packages that will serve as a how-to for affected areas creating a process to empower both communities and governments with tools to actually make the right decision because at present a lot of decision are based not on information but on emotion or other considerations rusyn said were increasing resiliency of both the communities but also governments in terms of understanding what to do when these events happen
to learn more about the texas a&m superfund visit superfundtamuedu
weihsueh chiu a professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) has received a $700 000 grant from the national academies of sciences engineering and medicines gulf research program (grp)
chius project on prioritizing risks from oil spills: supporting decisions with read-across using 21st century exposure and toxicological sciences was one of seven projects from researchers across the country funded through the grp the national academies announced on jan 24
this project further expands texas a&ms commitment to using cutting-edge research and technologies to address the impacts of disasters–in this case oil spills chiu said we are bringing together a world-class interdisciplinary team that reaches well beyond cvm including researchers at the texas a&m school of public health and geochemical & environmental research group as well as pacific northwest national labs and the consulting firm center for toxicology and environmental health
for the project chiu and his collaborators will use new approaches and technologies in exposure science and toxicology to try to predict the toxicity of substances to which people can be exposed during and after an oil spill
because an oil spill can involve a complex mix of interacting substances and environmental factors which then produces many unknowns that are either difficult or not currently possible to account for the team will work to address existing limitations and improve assessment and decision-making processes relating to public health risks resulting from oil spills
the project will build on and leverage several other recently-initiated projects including the texas a&m superfund research program and the institute for sustainable communities chiu said a key feature of all of these projects is their engagement with local communities and decision-makers involved in disaster response and recovery throughout the research process so as to accelerate the translation of research into actual practice
this project also will demonstrate the importance of engaging partners like local public health departments in harris and galveston counties to ensure that research is effectively translated into policy and practice to reduce the health impacts of oil spills said project collaborator jennifer horney department head and associate professor in the texas a&m school of public healths department of epidemiology & biostatistics
the project is one of two funded under the improving risk-based evaluations to support a public health response to the next oil spill category for projects focused on improving the information available to decision-makers for evaluating public health risks resulting from oil spills
many decisions relating to public health risks are made following a disaster such as an oil spill said chris rea associate program officer for the grps thriving communities initiative risk assessment science inherently involves numerous uncertainties though and decisions are limited by what we actually know about potential hazards the academies report highlighted recent advances that could be used to improve the science behind hazard identification exposure assessment and risk characterization and these two projects are working to apply some of those advances for use in assessing oil spill public health risks
the grp funding competition was specifically geared toward projects that would bring researchers and practitioners together to transfer knowledge and work jointly on efforts that advance both science and its application all awarded projects were selected after an external peer-review process
this funding opportunity is an example of how the gulf research program takes advantage of a core strength of the national academies – to supply expert consensus on using science to address real-world problems said evonne tang the grps director of external funding opportunities two recent reports on topics central to the grps mission were the basis of this grant competition and the awards direct funding toward efforts that will quickly begin to address the recommendations in those reports
the grp is an independent science-based program founded in 2013 as part of legal settlements with the companies involved in the 2010 deepwater horizon disaster it seeks to enhance offshore energy system safety and protect human health and the environment by catalyzing advances in science practice and capacity to generate long-term benefits for the gulf of mexico region and the nation
the national academies of sciences engineering and medicine are private nonprofit institutions that provide independent objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science technology and medicine the academies operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the national academy of sciences signed by president lincoln for more information visit national-academiesorg
when gerald parker jr came to texas a&m as an undergraduate he planned to follow in his fathers footsteps and become a veterinarian
completing both his bachelors degree in veterinary sciences and his doctor of veterinary medicine degree in just five years parker was on the path his father had hoped for him; the next step would be to return to san antonio where parker grew up to join the family practice but while serving in the corps of cadets (also like his father) parker decided instead to join the military where his trajectory would completely change setting the stage for a non-traditional career that would take him through 26 years of military service and a decade of service with the us departments of homeland security (dhs) health and human services (hhs) and defense (dod)
within two years of joining the military parkers work and interest in medicine began to shift from animals to humans which was accentuated by opportunities to earn a doctorate in physiology from baylor college of medicine and to participate in the industrial college of the armed forces at the national defense university he was the only veterinary corps officer asked to participate in the masters program at the industrial college which was one of the premiere senior service schools for future military and civilian executive leaders
ive always thought every job ive taken was the best job ive ever had and that was the best job i ever had at the time i was commander of the us army medical research institute of infectious diseases and when i got notification that i was selected i first went ‘boy i dont want to leave this job ' parker said i talked to my commanding general who was named general parker no relationship and he said ‘youre crazy if you think youre going to stay in (the) command (position); youre going to do this because youre destined to do bigger things so thats what i did
it was a great experience parker laughed i was really blessed to be selected and then to serve as student president for my class the overall selection rates really low and the in-residence program was hard work and competitive but very interesting i dont know how i got it but i did
through the industrial colleges rigorous curriculum parker learned about the elements of national power- economic political social and military-as well as resourcing the us national security strategy; this knowledge ultimately would benefit his governmental work in strategic policy and in developing his expertise in global one health
when parker retired from the military the executive leadership experience he had in biodefense emerging infectious diseases global health security and public health preparedness made him a natural fit within the dhs and eventually with the hhs where he served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response
as the no 2 person in charge he coordinated federal public health preparedness efforts and responses to hurricanes katrina thru alex the 2009 h1n1 flu virus pandemic and the haiti earthquake
it was during this time that emerging infectious diseases were recognized as threats to our national security and global health security became a public health focus parker said


today the growing threat of a pandemic is one of societys greatest challenges and flu viruses have the highest pandemic potential; this is what keeps me up at night but the emergence of new flu viruses are also right at the nexus of animals and humans where we have prevention opportunities parker said veterinarians have a huge role to play as most emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic; if we can prevent a spillover event from animals into humans or detect it early we may be able to prevent an outbreak anywhere from becoming a pandemic
efforts to prevent detect and respond to the threat of the new flu viruses and other microbes are examples of how human animal and environmental health converge to form global one health as a concept to contain emerging infectious diseases at their source according to parker
the actions also tie into the niche parker hopes to carve out for texas a&m as the new campus director for global one health and associate dean for global one health at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
i believe that one healths time has come one health is a very complicated concept that id be the first to tell you is hard to define i think the concept has suffered from trying to be too many things to too many people rather than focusing on priority problems parker said and its not just me saying that one health is growing in importance especially when focused on the fight against infectious diseases and related challenges like antimicrobial resistance; this has been brought up by the biodefense blue ribbon panel the presidents council of advisors for science and technology and recently by the g20 nations
at texas a&m parker also holds joint appointments at the bush school of government service and agrilife research he believes this not only reflects the multidisciplinary nature of one health but will allow for greater collaboration across campus
other colleges faculty and students want to be part of multidisciplinary coalitions to work on hard global problems and if we do that i know texas a&m will make significant contributions to solving some of the most pressing challenges of our time parker said
there are many reasons why parker decided to return his alma mater after his final governmental position in the dod including nostalgia
i felt theres something i needed to give back to help shape the next generation of leaders i continue to have an interesting career from where i started as a student here; i never wouldve imagined the things that i did he said veterinary medicine was a great foundation for me to build a career in national security and public health preparedness
while living in college station with his wife denise-his high-school sweetheart the mother of their three sons a fellow aggie and one of his role models-parker also hopes to be involved in mentoring students and raising awareness of the career opportunities available through global one health
we need to focus on emerging infectious diseases globally and locally and what texas a&m can do to be a part of the solution he said its a big challenge requiring academia non-governmental organizations government agencies and international partners working together
when dr susan eades professor and head of the large animal clinical sciences department at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) enrolled in engineering classes at louisiana state university (lsu) in the 1970s her family of engineers thought she was destined to take on the family profession however eades had a different plan
quickly realizing the field wasnt for her she traded her engineering calculator for a stethoscope and started a pre-veterinary program soon after she began her undergraduate degree passionate about becoming a veterinarian and helping companion animals eades continued her education at lsu and earned her dvm degree in 1982
though eades expected to specialize in companion animals horses had always intrigued her in college she took every opportunity to interact with horses including cleaning stalls and exercising horses for a cutting and reining horse trainer in veterinary school she purchased her first horse and developed a bond
this bond and her clinical rotations further convinced eades to develop her skills in large animal medicine with the goal of working in a small-town mixed private practice however during her fourth-year clinical rotations in small and large animal internal medicine eades decided she wanted to specialize in internal medicine so she applied for academic internships after earning her dvm degree and never looked back
i ended up never going into private practice eades said instead i stayed in academia
she participated in clinical research during her internship and residency at new bolton center at the university of pennsylvania and decided that another degree would be the next step in her career she earned a phd from the university of georgia in 1988 in veterinary physiology and pharmacology and then accepted a position there as a clinical faculty member
but eades love for horses never waned; she started researching laminitis a crippling disease that is categorized by inflammation in the horse hoof at the university of georgia she described this time in her life as perfect because her passions for medicine horses and research were being used simultaneously in the veterinary profession
her work with laminitis gave eades the opportunity to develop worldwide research collaborations though laminitis is a complicated condition eades and her research partners around the world have played a crucial role in gaining a better understanding of the condition
we really have made a lot of advances eades said its just a difficult condition to treat because by the time signs of laminitis are evident there is already so much damage to the tissues in the hoof that lameness is inevitable
after 10 years at the university of georgia eades decided it was time to continue her laminitis research and returned to louisiana to move her three children closer to extended family and work at lsu as an associate professor there she became a full professor and mentored faculty and taught students further encouraging her strong passion for education
i love teaching because i get to help students do something they never thought they would be able to do such as taking a blood sample or putting in a catheter eades said i love watching them gain confidence and grow exponentially with every little skill they learn
additionally eades learned the importance of veterinary outreach programs while at lsu she participated in these programs by collaborating with louisiana veterinarians helping them better serve clientele across the state
eades mentoring and administration experience at lsu led her to pursue her position at texas a&m this past spring with her kids grown eades felt moving to texas and working at the cvm was an exciting next step in her career after experiencing the aggie spirit and meeting other leaders at the cvm eades crossed the louisiana border once again to continue her leadership role in the veterinary profession
at lsu i became more active in faculty mentoring and administration and decided i wanted to do that full-time as a department head eades said i came to the cvm because of the resources positive energy and outstanding leadership thats here in the college
as a new cvm faculty member eades hopes to bring more focus into outreach programs at texas a&m
some of my personal goals are to reach out to veterinarians for feedback and find where we can strategically expand our services to help them better serve their clients eades said
she also hopes to help the large animal faculty excel in their efforts in clinical service teaching and research
though eades looks forward to spending a lot of time at the cvm she also is excited for new adventures in her personal life eades can be found hiking walking her dogs kayaking playing volleyball following many different sport teams-including the lsu gymnastics team-and of course caring for horses or watching the kentucky derby
whether shes lecturing students mentoring a faculty member or contributing to worldwide research in laminitis eades hopes to bring a lifetime of leadership to the cvm
im just really happy to be here eades said
texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary students michael george and aurash behroozi are taking advantage of the innovative technologies and learning opportunities presented to them in the areas of radiology and opthalmology while on their fourth-year clinical rotations at the veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth)
when george started his journey in a pre-vet program at tarleton state university he never imagined that his love for robotics in high school would translate into his future career in veterinary medicine but instead of a robot remote control in his hands he now is looking forward to using a probe to perform ultrasounds on animals
if i can have a probe in my hand all day id be happy george said
a veteran who grew up living all over the world george has a special interest in radiology and particularly ultrasounds
in fact george hopes to learn how to use ultrasounds to make more effective choices in treating various animals including dolphins and other wildlife for example performing an ultrasound on an animal can give george a better idea of how serious a disease is
radiology can be used to stage cancers or look for certain diseases such as liver or renal disease george said oftentimes you can make a diagnosis without radiology but you wouldnt know how extensive the disease is i think radiology is a really useful tool and it should be used more often to make better treatment choices
though george is now confident he is destined to be a veterinarian he wasnt always so sure after spending a year in the military george decided to pursue education to become a teacher however an experience with his friends pregnant dog changed his plan
when i first met blue she was pregnant and about to have her first litter of puppies george explained dogs usually dont like to have strangers around when theyre pregnant but she came up and sniffed my hand we bonded pretty quickly then a few days later i helped her give birth after that experience my friend suggested i look into veterinary medicine
since then george has excelled in his studies and is looking forward to more hands-on learning in his fourth year
i want to learn the day-to-day life of a veterinarian george said i know the medicine diseases and treatments but i dont know how to apply them yet; thats what i am really hoping to learn this last year
after graduation george hopes to move north with his wife susan and his daughter sophie he plans to continue pursuing radiology and practice in multiple settings including clinics and even aquariums
with his final year ahead of him he sees the opportunities as endless
behroozi has a special interest in small-animal ophthalmology despite his curiosity in many other fields including dermatology
if i could wake up tomorrow and be anything id want to be an ophthalmologist behroozi said
though he is the first in his family to pursue veterinary medicine behroozi is confident and ambitious he said these strong qualities stem from his parents who supported him throughout his life
my parents molded their children to be determined individuals to never give up and always try their hardest behroozi said
pursuing veterinary school has been behroozis goal since middle school when he helped care for a childhood pet with epilepsy
it was really hard for me when my dog got epilepsy behroozi said it was traumatic but i wanted to do something about it
the event motivated behroozi to learn more about animals and how to help them when they are sick or hurt; this motivation along with the support of his family pushed him to begin veterinary school early while he was still pursuing his biomedical sciences degree from texas a&m
although it may sound like behroozi is strictly business when it comes to academics he said that taking time to destress is important in fact behroozi admitted that some may think he is a little too relaxed sometimes
ive seen a lot of students get stressed out with school but one of the things i learned in college is that there is so much information and you cant learn it all behroozi said you have to manage the stress and take care of yourself
when behroozi is taking a break from the books he can be found playing with his miniature australian shephard; visiting his girlfriend who is a first-year medical student; or playing sports with friends
as behroozi begins his final year in the dvm program he looks forward to learning more about ophthalmology and gaining more independent-thinking skills in addition he hopes to get more practice and experience in different procedures such as surgery and making his own diagnoses
though he has dreams of practicing out of state behroozi plans to practice in houston after veterinary school no matter where he goes behroozis uplifting and confident spirit will guide him toward achieving his goals
in 2008 dr virginia fajt clinical associate professor in the department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology (vtpp) in the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) came up with a brilliant idea
collaborating with veterinary faculty drs dan posey jeff musser and floren buddy faries fajt devised a concept that would engage second- and third-year veterinary students in food supply veterinary medicine and hopefully impact students career choices
the result of that collaboration the food animal production tour now provides an innovative experiential enhancement of students learning building upon their knowledge base of the numerous opportunities in food supply veterinary medicine since its inception 58 students have gone through the food animal production tour in the texas panhandle
the tour focuses on providing students with a working knowledge and background in animal agriculture by allowing students to discuss and learn about the roles of food supply veterinarians
the six-day tour which runs sunday through friday is designed to expose students to multiple types of production units within a relatively short time; to access prototypical well-run operations which will showcase the veterinary career opportunities in the field; and to introduce production concepts and terminology of the food animal industries it also acquaints students with opportunities for future externships and elective courses while also improving their ability to work within food supply veterinary medicine
i had the distinct pleasure of attending the tour and must say that it was an extremely enlightening and educational experience said kameron soules third-year veterinary student at texas a&m university until then i had never seen a feedlot dairy processing facility or a swine production facility firsthand and i was exceedingly impressed
dr posey and dr griffin did a fantastic job of introducing us to people in the industry as well as to veterinarians working in the texas panhandle we were an inquisitive group and our questions were always taken seriously and answered thoroughly soules said due to this tour i will be seeking an externship at one of the veterinary practices we visited during my fourth year and will be tracking either mixed or food animal
the tours format exposes students to modern food supply veterinarians roles in feedlots dairies swine operations and rural private practice this years tour included partnering with the dalhart-based full circle dairy jbs swine operations and circle h animal health; the amarillo-based randall county feedyards texas cattle feeders association texas veterinary medical diagnostic lab and tyson packing house; the dimmitt-based dimmitt veterinary clinic; the hereford-based hereford veterinary clinic; and the panhandle-based carson county veterinary clinic
the food animal production tour is an elective in the students veterinary-school curriculum posey said an important aspect of the tour is the veterinary students opportunities to talk with agricultural leaders dairy and feedyard managers agriculture employees food animal veterinarians in the industry food animal veterinarians in private practice and veterinary diagnosticians
the tour is an important method to introduce veterinary students to large-scale production agriculture he said we are very thankful for our educational partners and appreciate their impact on the educational process of this tour
one of the tours main objectives is to take the student out of the classroom to develop the learners understanding of the learning experiencing reflection cycle through experiential learning; students learn the concepts in food supply veterinary medicine in the classroom experience it in the daily tour events and reflect on the concepts through open discussion and journaling according to posey
the tour has changed over time and is now focused on 3vm students who are exploring the career options in food supply veterinary medicine he said this also exposes the 3vm student to rural practice experience and the many opportunities for veterinarians in food animal careers outside of private practice
this years participants were: kameron soules michelle morelli libby woodruff susannah jones pamela may hannah klein anne jablinski ben shepard and mary cartagena
this was a career-altering experience for me and i will encourage others to attend next year thank you for funding this program and i hope that you continue to do so for future classes soules said i think that this was a fantastic way to get student exposure to food animal production and west texas opportunities! thank you again
one of the key components in this years food animal production tour is the cvms partnership with west texas a&m university‘s (wtamu) department of agriculture and natural sciences
wtamu was instrumental in the success of this years tour by providing a welcoming environment faculty resources to assist in instruction sharing their connections to agriculture industry and providing numerous departmental resources thanks to wtamu for their extraordinary help in educating future food animal veterinarians
look at sadie watson and you may not guess she has much in common with anyone at md anderson after all sadie is a 9-year-old french bulldog and beloved family pet but shes also facing the same diagnosis as many patients in md andersons brain and spine center: a brain tumor called a glioma
sadies owner kristin patrick and her husband robert watson also have two young sons but sadie was their first baby
when you love a pet so much they become part of your family patrick said
but in july 2016 while patrick and watson were on vacation in paris sadie had multiple seizures and eventually was diagnosed with the glioma
when it came time for patrick and watson to decide how to treat their beloved pet their perspective as both parents and researchers in the texas a&ms department of microbial pathogenesis and immunology shaped their treatment decision-sadie would undergo brain surgery to remove the tumor donate the tissue for analysis and enroll in an innovative clinical trial on gliomas being conducted at texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
participating in science is essential to move these therapies forward for families patrick said if our actual baby had a brain tumor-i cant even fathom that
the glioma clinical trial it turns out will have implications not only on sadie; the same brain tumors that affect dogs are found in humans too
using data from this clinical trial physician-scientists from md anderson and the cvm are teaming up to help man and mans best friend
we have the same struggles in that these gliomas in dogs are really hard to treat said dr jonathan levine professor helen mcwhorter chair and department head of small animal clinical sciences at the cvm where sadie is a patient
current therapies simply arent very effective at treating high-grade gliomas such as grade iv glioblastoma and survival is poor in both humans and dogs scientists know that tumors from both species look almost identical on mri scans and under the microscope in 2015 the national cancer institute (nci) created a comparative brain tumor consortium to evaluate canine brain cancer as a model for human disease
the big question is: are human and canine high-grade gliomas genetically the same said dr amy heimberger professor of neurosurgery at md anderson and co-leader of the glioblastoma moon shot
to find the answer shes leading a p30 grant funded by the nci fittingly heimberger is also a dog-lover with a pet collie named duke a west highland terrier named winston and a long-haired dachshund named millie
levine and brain tumor genomics expert roeland verhaak phd professor and associate director of computational biology at the jackson laboratory in connecticut are co-investigators on the grant (levine has a border terrier named lucy verhaak has a chihuahua named lola)
the p30 grant is the first large-scale advanced-sequencing project to characterize genetic alterations in canine glioma and the first screening project to identify immune responses in these tumors verhaak is currently analyzing data from whole-genome and rna sequencing of 90 tissue samples from dogs with brain tumors the grants long-term goal is to develop a safe and effective immunotherapy for both dogs and people with high-grade gliomas
these dogs not only do they stand to benefit but they represent an amazing opportunity to understand the biology of brain tumors to understand how tumors evade drugs and to understand the immune response levine said
all new cancer drugs are tested for safety and effectiveness in the lab-often in engineered mouse models-before they are approved for clinical trials in humans or dogs
pre-clinical studies can look fantastic in mice but fall apart in humans heimberger said
for a cancer like glioblastoma which less than 10 percent of patients survive for five years this is exceedingly frustrating
i want to reduce the cost and futility of clinical trials she said when you have a patient facing something this dire you want to offer them something with a good chance of success
the current model system is imperfect: mice do not grow brain tumors on their own their tumors are small sometimes microscopic they live in a sterile environment and their immune response is biased making it difficult to accurately assess immunotherapies
pet dogs on the other hand spontaneously develop large brain tumors they have a natural immune response to cancer and they live in the homes of their human families
as the grant team analyzes the tumor tissue samples from sadie and other dogs they will look for genetic mutations and immune responses known to occur in human brain tumors if the results show that canine brain tumors are indeed a good model for human brain tumors then clinical trials in mans best friend could reveal which new glioma immunotherapies have the best chance of success in mankind
cancer is horrible for anyone affected by it whether thats a dog or a person levine said theres a huge opportunity here to develop something that helps dogs and also helps people
this story by meagan raeke first appeared in md andersons conquest magazine the original article can be viewed here
anyone who has ever seen an ultrasound knows how difficult the images can be to interpret many soon-to-be parents have squinted at an ultrasound of their unborn child asking the doctor what is it that there
this situation is also a reality for many veterinary students when students learn to interpret images of an ultrasound or x-ray they are essentially learning to see a 3d object in only two dimensions even veterinarians who are trained to read these images are not getting the full picture in a single static image
but with new technology at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the work of dr ashley saunders students doctors and clients can better visualize images of the heart using 3d imaging and 3d printing
saunders an associate professor and cardiologist in the cvms department of small animal clinical sciences is focused on better understanding the heart using state-of-the-art echopixel software that merges many images from a ct scan into a single 3d model with this software and a pair of 3d glasses the viewer can see the 3d heart projected in front of them unlike virtual reality goggles the 3d glasses do not fully immerse the viewer or make them disoriented
it makes so much more sense when youre looking at a heart that is a complex 3d structure saunders said it is very exciting because we can repair things and see things that we couldnt before
creating 3d images of the heart also allows cardiologists to give patients unprecedented care because they are able to see and understand the heart in a novel way the software has been used in human medicine but saunders work is the first time its being applied in veterinary medicine and education
other software exists that can translate these images into 3d but saunders said the programs are limited allowing the heart to be viewed only at certain angles or restricting how the image can be rotated in contrast the software used by the cvm allows viewers to move the image any way they choose providing an unprecedented view of the heart
another option is creating a 3d printed model of the heart which can give clients and students a tangible way of examining the organ however 3d printing requires extra materials and can take hours to days to generate whereas the software creates a 3d image of the heart in less than five minutes according to saunders
these 3d images and models have the potential to revolutionize how veterinary students are taught by addressing students learning styles and making veterinary medicine more open to individuals to learn more effectively with non-traditional methods
were trained in veterinary school in anatomy first so you learn the body and you can see it and touch it saunders said but after that we spend our time teaching the students how to interpret the body in two dimensions on flattened images looking at x-rays and ultrasound images but when we start teaching in flat 2d images i think some things get lost if we can put it back into 3d and let them see the layers and structures its really beneficial
the 3d heart visualizations have proven wildly popular in the classroom
the students love the 3d everybody likes it because it helps you see and it has a ‘wow factor ' said saunders adding that she takes the technology beyond the wow factor by highlighting how practical the technology can be students can answer questions about different parts and see how they relate to each other and point out challenging concepts
veterinarians whove been trained to use x-rays and other 2d tools should not feel their skills are no longer valuable since 3d and 2d tools can be used in tandem as complements to each other; a 3d understanding of the anatomy helps veterinarians interpret the 2d images better in practice according to saunders
the technology is particularly useful for patients with congenital heart defects because surgeons are given a glimpse of the heart before the procedure
when we have a puppy or kitten born with a heart defect we have to figure out how we can fix it and visualizing it before you get in there is very very helpful she said
in preparing for a surgery saunders and her team can use 3d images and models to discuss specifics such as what the heart looks like compared to how the patient is positioned
then we can identify the problem and map it out she said it brings the cardiologists together with the surgeons so everybodys on the same page
saunders also makes use of 3d technology during an operation
we have a 3d ultrasound probe to build the heart in 3d and help us make decisions about how we are going to fix our patients right in the operating room when we need it she said thats been incredibly useful
the clients are really ecstatic saunders said theyre mostly happy that were able to fix their pet and i dont believe we would have been able to be as successful as we have been without being able to see the heart the way that we do
for many pets are significant members of the family so when our furry friends are in need of serious medical attention the treatment process can be stressful
now texas a&m universitys veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) is working to make that process a bit ease-ier with the introduction of a new mobile application that will allow families to track the progress of their pet
ease is a state-of-the-art mobile communication tool that allows the vmth to stay connected with provide timely updates to and educate the families of patients who are being treated at the hospital said bo connell assistant dean for hospital operations we are the first teaching hospital in the country to bring this innovative digital-media platform to the practice of veterinary medicine this is one more example of texas a&m leading on every front
ease has been widely and successfully implemented in human hospitals and healthcare systems for four years
through the application vmth doctors surgeons veterinary technicians residents and the hospital client liaison will be able to send customized updates-through texts photos and videos-to the families of patients as the animal undergoes treatment at the hospital
we are excited that for the first time our doctors and nurses will have a direct connection to their patients family members before during and after procedures and treatments being done at the hospital connell said it will allow our staff to give timely updates to our clients and to keep them informed about the care their loved ones are receiving during their stay
the vmths oncology cardiology dermatology and ophthalmology services are the first to utilize the app in its early adoption at the small animal hospital with the plan to expand to other services in both the small and large animal hospitals soon
jaci christensen licensed veterinary technician and oncology technician supervisor said the oncology service currently has 20 families signed up to use the ease app with the families of eight admitted patients actively receiving updates
a super important part of our job is keeping owners updated but we are so busy that it becomes difficult to do that in a timely fashion so ease has really made our job easier by simplifying that process she said its a huge help
christensen said the oncology team uses the ease app to send pre- and post-operation picture and video messages to clients
well send photo updates of patients such as a photo of a dog that has awakened from anesthesia so any general update that may make them feel better about their pet as theyre separated christensen said
all of the owners really like it most of our patients have cancer and are going through a cancer treatment of some sort so its a scary process she said ive always thought our clients are among the most dedicated to their pets because theyre going through a lot to gain some time so i think it means the world to their owners that somebody is treating them as if its their own pet
the app also seems to bring the clients a lot of comfort christensen continued its more personal to get photos of us loving on their pets as we perform our duties it allows them to see that their pets are getting quality care
to use ease the pet owners download the app which is compatible with both apple and android phones and register the patient before his or her arrival to the vmth families have the ability to select the types of updates they want to receive and also can invite other family members to receive updates
other features include messages that disappear after 60 seconds which protects patient confidentiality; the ability to communicate in both english and spanish; and following the pets treatment owners can take a real-time customized survey to offer feedback to the vmth
montgomery texas resident peggy raabe is among texas a&ms first ease users she brought her 7-year-old white labrador retriever molly to the vmth on tuesday to have a soft-tissue sarcoma removed from her hind leg
while not familiar with similar applications raabe said she signed up for ease with the help of the vmth staff and found it extremely easy to use she received pictures of molly as she awaited getting her bloodwork done and in the morning before her surgery which she was able to share with her husband who is working in kuwait; her daughter also signed up to receive the updates
the hospital staff also called raabe with updates throughout the process but she said having ease gave her something she couldnt get by talking on the phone
it is wonderful to have something like this when youre worried about your pet raabe said it was wonderful to be able to see molly; they took pictures and i had a video this morning and it was good to know she wasnt stressed and that everyone was taking good care of her
i actually called my vet as soon as they messaged me and told me that she came through surgery really well and it went better than they expected she said i told her how awesome the app is and that they should get it
you may find more information about the ease app at easeapplicationscom
stumbling across an unidentified large black bug in your house may make you feel panicked or even curious should you smash it with a nearby shoe or scoop it up in a cup and release it outside
if that insect happens to be a kissing bug you have another option-send it to dr sarah hamer and her research team at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
kissing bugs-also known as cone-nose bugs or triatomine insects-feed on human and animal blood the insects are of particular interest to hamer because of their potential to transmit the parasite trypanosoma cruzi which causes chagas disease a malady that can lead to acute or chronic heart disease or death in humans pets and wildlife acute heart disease is severe and has a sudden onset while chronic heart disease develops over a long period of time
there is a significant human health burden of chagas disease in central and south america and mexico where medical doctors are generally aware of the risk of disease there is far less awareness for the disease in the us despite estimates of over 300 000 infected people in the country
while many of these individuals are likely to have contracted the disease in latin america before moving to the us there is increasing recognition for locally acquired human infections in the southern states where infected kissing bugs are widespread a growing number of dogs across the south are recognized to be infected possibly from consuming infected bugs in the environment while some infected dogs may live happy health lives others may die acutely or suffer chronic cardiac disease because there is no vaccine and treatment options are limited efforts to control the vectors and parasite in nature may hold the key for disease prevention
to better understand the risk of chagas disease in the southern united states hamer and her team are taking an ecological approach to characterize the transmission cycles so that the parasite can be managed in nature before it spills over to humans and dogs they are gauging infection and cardiac health status in pet dogs working dogs and shelter dogs across the state and they are trapping kissing bugs to learn about their infection and feeding patterns across different regions
when hamer and her team started researching chagas disease they decided it was best to collect bugs from across texas to address different research questions about the bugs ecology however setting traps for the bugs was inefficient and did not provide enough for research; hamer said her team often came up empty handed or had few bugs to work with from the field
after talking to land owners hamer realized that many people are familiar with the kissing bug and have seen them on their property
people started hanging on to some of these bugs that they would see in their houses or in their dog kennels hamer said they would put them in an old pill container or plastic bag and save them for us and the next time we were out doing field work wed look at them
as the project grew to emphasize citizen science the teams research power expanded; citizen involvement granted the team access to more samples than they could ever dream of collecting themselves
we now have well over 3 000 bugs in our collection which is bigger than any other collection of kissing bugs in the united states hamer said our students still are out actively trapping bugs but we cant match the effort of the citizen scientists its huge and its awesome
with so much citizen involvement the program evolved to include outreach materials such as a website with an interactive map to show where kissing bugs have been collected informational pamphlets and an established email account to answer questions and further include the public on the project hamer sees the outreach component as a way to educate the public about kissing bugs and protect the publics health as well as the health of pets and surrounding wildlife
while citizen scientists are often interested in knowing whether the bug they submitted is infected hamer says the result of any single bug is less informative than the overall epidemiology of the vectors finding an infected bug in the yard does not mean the family members or the family dog are at immediate risk for the disease but broadly suggests the region around the home is suitable for kissing bugs and chagas disease hamer said the team often educates the public specifically about how the disease is transmitted to help the public make decisions about their health
in fact hamer said the route of transmission for chagas disease can be rather inefficient-the cycle of the disease begins when a kissing bug feeds on the blood of an infected host but unlike mosquitoes or ticks kissing bugs cannot spread the parasite by simply biting another animal or person instead the parasite occurs in the bugs feces and therefore the bug must defecate on a person or animal and the infected fecal material must be absorbed into the skin through the eyes mouth or a wound created by the kissing bug biting the victim that series of events can be a rare occurrence especially given a good standard of housing where bugs are unlikely to colonize inside the homes to reach people however oral transmission can also occur and hamer said dogs can contract the disease by consuming an infected kissing bug
once inside the new host the parasite circulates in the blood for some time and then can infect different organs including the heart where it replicates causing damage to the heart tissue cells over time more and more heart tissue cells are destroyed which can lead to heart disease
while the effects of chagas can be fatal many infected individuals may never know they have been infected its not possible to predict which infected individuals will suffer disease and so physicians and veterinarians have a difficult time discussing the prognosis hamer said some people infected with chagas may find out after donating blood since blood banks now routinely screen for chagas antibodies
because there is no cure for chagas disease only treatments to manage the symptoms hamer emphasizes that studying the parasite in bugs and wildlife can provide key data to protect the health of humans and dogs and public outreach is a key component
we are working on a cell phone app as a future direction to enhance our outreach and research hamer said people can upload pictures of their bugs and the app will time stamp it and mark it with location data in addition the app will also be a simple interface to get good information about kissing bugs and chagas disease
the team is collaborating with other veterinarians parasitologists entomologists geographers diagnosticians and public health officials at texas a&m the state health department other universities-including in mexico and brazil-and the centers for disease control and prevention without collaboration and teamwork hamers research interests and efforts to educate the public about chagas would not be possible
to learn more and submitting a kissing bug to the tamu citizen science kissing bug program visit kissingbugtamuedu
a team of scientists including texas a&m university and uppsala university professor leif andersson has discovered the origin of a new species of finch living among darwins finches in the galápagos archipelago
published on thursday nov 23 in the journal science their study reports that the new lineage was formed by the hybridization of two different species of darwins finches
darwins finches provide an iconic model for the evolution of biodiversity on earth due to natural selection
while conducting their field work on the small island of daphne major in 1981 princeton university researchers rosemary and peter grant observed an immigrant male that sang an unusual song and differed in size from all resident species on the island throughout their 40 consecutive years of direct observation the grants found that a new lineage which they named the big bird lineage was initiated when that male bred with a resident medium ground finch female
the couple followed the new putative lineage for six generations over 30 years dna sequence data now have revealed that the immigrant male was a large cactus finch which remarkably must have flown to daphne from española island more than 60 miles to the southeast
the identification of the big bird lineage is significant because while a critical step in speciation is the establishment of reproductive isolation and the process of speciation is usually assumed to take a very long time in the big bird lineage it happened in just two generations according to the grants
the interesting aspect of this study is that a hybridization between two distinct species led to the development of a new lineage that after only two generations behaved as any other species of darwins finches said andersson a visiting professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) and an author on the study if a naturalist had come to daphne major island without knowing that this lineage arose very recently it would have been recognized as one of the four species on the island this clearly demonstrates the value of long-running field studies
traditionally good species respect species boundaries and cannot produce fully fertile progeny if hybridization happens as is the case for the horse and the donkey for example; however in recent years it has become clear that some closely related species that normally avoid breeding with each other exchange genes by hybridization surprisingly often
the studys authors have previously reported that there has been a considerable amount of gene flow going on among the 18 species of darwins finches for thousands of years all 18 species have been derived from a single ancestral species that colonized the galápagos 1-2 million years ago
it is very likely that new lineages like the big birds have originated many times during the evolution of darwins finches andersson said the majority of these have gone extinct but some may have led to the evolution of contemporary species we have no idea about the long-term survival of the big bird lineage but it has the potential to become a success and it provides a beautiful example of one way in which speciation occurs charles darwin would have been excited to read this paper
the big bird lineage was identified because of the unique song of the original immigrant male since sons learn the song of their father and females mate with males that sing like their fathers according to the grants who are also listed as co-authors of the study
the new lineage also differed from the resident species in beak morphologyoften occurring in order for a lineage to be ecologically competitivewhich is also a major cue for mate choice in the case of the big bird lineage its beak morphology evolved from that of the immigrant finch to allow the species to utilize different food sources on the galápagos
it is very striking that when we compare the size and shape of the big bird beaks with the beak morphologies of the other three species inhabiting daphne major island the big birds occupy their own niche in the beak morphology space said sangeet lamichhaney a post-doctoral fellow at harvard university and co-author on the study thus the combination of gene variants contributed from the two interbreeding species in combination with natural selection led to the evolution of a beak morphology that was competitive and unique
the study was supported by the galápagos national parks service the charles darwin foundation the national science foundation the knut and alice wallenberg foundation and the swedish research council
aging is a universal experience shared by both humans and animals but many mysteries still surround the aging process now the collaborative dog aging project between the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) the university of washington and other colleges and organizations is set to chip away at these mysteries to better understand how our canine companions age both physically and mentally
the dog aging project is an innovative proposal to study aging in pets to benefit their health and longevity according to dr kate creevy chief veterinary officer on the dog aging project and associate professor at the cvm
the things that we can learn about dogs to benefit them also can benefit people she said we hope that our interest in studying the dog for its own sake provides terrific benefit to people as well
starting with understanding and characterizing how dogs age the project seeks to build upon what little information currently exists to describe normal aging in various sizes and breeds creevy said this not only will help veterinarians better treat aging canines but it will help researchers understand conditions such as diabetes and arthritis that affect both dogs and humans as they age
approximately 10 000 dogs of varying ages and breeds living throughout the united states will be enrolled in the project accounting for a sample size that is representative enough to describe aging in a typical dog the study will take a long-term look at the health of dogs in their natural environment over five to 10 years making middle-aged dogs particularly valuable candidates for the study
enrolled dogs will live out their days as they normally would seeing their regular veterinarians which will allow dogs across the country to conveniently participate
they will be divided into two subsets a more closely monitored group and a less closely monitored group each group will contribute unique data to the project
for the closely monitored group local veterinarians will collect regular blood and urine samples that will be sent to creevy and her team who will also assess the dogs medical records and remain in close contact with the veterinarians researchers also will regularly communicate with owners about their dogs routines
the less-closely monitored subset comprises dogs that will provide genetic samples which will help the research team understand the genetic origins of age-related diseases researchers also will monitor the dogs medical records
it is our goal to make the portion of the dogs who are closely monitored a larger and larger group by continuing to obtain additional funding creevy said
because activity levels are known to influence health the dog aging project also will use monitors to measure levels of activity heart rate and other vital parameters in some dogs using accelerometers will provide the researchers with important health information about the dogs activity levels which likely also will be of interest to owners creevy said
we will be interested in that data for research but the owners also will have access to that data she said for example if an owner wants to know how much her dog runs around the house when shes not home she can
physical health is not the only thing that the researchers are investigating; the dog aging project also aims to understand and characterize how dogs brains age through the project owners will have access to a website that allows dogs and owners to play various games to assess different aspects of cognition
its not about whether your dog is smarter or dumber; its about how your dog thinks and if certain breeds and ages of dogs tend to think the same way said creevy adding that the tests will allow owners to bond with and understand their dogs
creevys research is a first step in providing a foundation for future canine aging research the field is so cutting-edge many of its questions have yet to be discovered
we wont really know what some of the data means at the time that we collect it she said we wont know what it means until weve captured the information from a lot of dogs and have had time to see how their lives unfolded
(likewise) some of the information well be giving back to owners wont be of immediate use to them but as the research progresses and some of that information develops new meanings theyll be able to use the information to better understand their dogs creevy said
by providing this fundamental knowledge the dog aging project has the potential to help support a new field in veterinary medicine-geriatrics
one of the things thats true about veterinary medicine is we do not currently have a specialty in geriatrics the way they do in human health creevy said certainly as people age you see a gerontologist we do not currently have a specialty of veterinary gerontology defining what the typical or normal old dog looks like is our first challenge
creevy also anticipates people becoming more aware of the dog aging project and to have future collaborations with groups that want to further examine certain variables such as diet exercise and even certain medications these variables could impact canine aging and in turn affect human aging
in many ways dogs mirror their owners by sharing the same habits dogs can serve as a model for human conditions such as obesity cancer and arthritis but dogs are not only helping people; people are helping dogs as well
we have chosen to use models from human medicine to identify some of the diseases we think are going to be the most important to healthful aging because the diseases that dogs experience in aging are in many ways very similar to people creevy said obesity is a big problem for dogs just as it is for people in this country cancer is a big problem for dogs just as it is for people in this country they get low thyroid function or hypothyroidism we consider all of those to be very very important diseases of dogs
creevy said aging sometimes can be associated with dogs losing interest in daily life becoming difficult to interact with and losing normal control of food and bathroom times these things can be a challenge for aging people as well
trying to understand dogs who end up experiencing those conditions versus the dogs who dont may lead to some way we could interact with dogs younger in life to decrease the likelihood of these outcomes creevy said
ultimately its the love humans have for their dogs that helps push the research forward creevy said
were trying to be on the cutting edge and i think we are inspired by the fact that dogs are so important to people she said there is no limit to the things owners would do to try to promote healthy enjoyable lives for their dogs because thats true were capable of pushing the research envelope and asking questions that havent previously been asked because dog owners are willing and able to help us
what is music to dr sonya gordon‘s ears hearing the lub-dub lub-dub from a healthy canine heart through her research gordon tackles some of the important questions in veterinary cardiology all so she and other veterinarians can hear the beating of their patients hearts for a longer time
gordons work in the department of small animal clinical sciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is transforming discovery into innovative treatment by helping veterinarians everywhere more effectively treat canine cardiac disease gordon calls this top-down research which is the identification of treatments and diagnostic tests that help primary care veterinarians do a better job caring for their patients
recently gordon helped identify an effective treatment for mitral valve disease (mvd) in dogs now gordon is on to the next step applying and disseminating those research results as an educator she teaches students and fellow veterinarians about these new and effective treatment options and as a clinician she offers state-of-the-art treatment to her patients-all in the name of improving the hearts and lives of dogs and their owners
gordons research focuses on mvd in dogs which accounts for more than 75 percent of all canine heart disease the condition is characterized by the degeneration of the mitral valve which in turn hinders the hearts ability to adequately pump blood through the body ultimately leading to heart failure in many dogs
gordon was part of a research team that led the largest prospective study in veterinary cardiology to date the epic study and the results were revolutionary the findings demonstrated that the drug pimobendan effectively delays the onset of clinical signs of mvd and extends overall survival
in humans this condition is typically managed by surgical repair of the valve while surgery is an option for some dogs availability and cost currently limit its clinical utility however according to gordon many dogs will now benefit from earlier treatment with pimobendan
the results of the epic trial will change the way the most common cause of heart disease and heart failure in the dog is managed on a day-to-day basis by veterinarians around the world and will contribute to dogs with mvd living better and longer gordon said
in the epic trial pimobendan delayed the onset of congestive heart failure secondary to mvd for an average of 15 months or 60 percent; so while pimobendan is not a cure it is a way to manage the condition and allow dogs to live longer and more enjoyable lives gordon said this research means that more dogs will die with valve disease not from it
weve known for a long time how to treat dogs with congestive heart failure previous studies have proven which therapies work resulting in strong evidence-based recommendations and guidelines in addition its easy to identify which dogs have mvd even before they develop congestive heart failure gordon said
however until recently there was no proof that starting a medication before a dog with mvd developed congestive heart failure could change what was going to happen and therefore there were no evidence-based guidelines for the asymptomatic stage of mvd she said evidence-based medicine is the ultimate goal in veterinary cardiology and i think its nice to be able to contribute the kind of data that allows that to happen
gordons research is part of a growing trend toward using the results of well-designed clinical trials to make evidence-based recommendations in veterinary medicine something that has long been the standard in human medicine
the epic study represents the epitome of the type and extent of the impact that a well-designed clinical study can have; it is in the top 5 percent of all research outputs resulting in more than 12 000 downloads in the first three months following publication according to gordon
the impact of the epic study will continue in many ways over the coming years as it is incorporated into updated guidelines the curriculum at veterinary schools and continuing education lectures for veterinarians however the ultimate influence the study has on the practice habits of veterinarians with respect to how they treat the most common cause of heart disease in the dog will be its lasting legacy many dogs will experience a relevant extension in symptom-free and overall survival a benefit that will undoubtedly be enjoyed not only by the dogs but also by their families gordon said
i now get to talk to aspiring young veterinarians about the fact that the recommendation of when to start pimobendan in dogs with mvd is now based on evidence and not just opinion; thats pretty nice she said
as a native canadian gordon became aware of the supportive community within the cvm when she was welcomed as an integral part of the staff in 1998 since then she has been part of a team of cardiologists and technicians at the cvm and helped train 13 cardiologists she also works collaboratively with a wide network of local national and international veterinary cardiologists all of which contribute to her ability to tackle big challenges
the reason were successful here (at the cvm) is because we have three cardiologists three cardiology residents two dedicated technicians and a dean department head and hospital director who think what we do is important she said if none of that existed if you didnt have a supportive environment it would be really hard to take part in the kind of things weve had the luxury of taking part in its exceedingly rewarding to be part of a progressive cardiology service and a global community of cardiologists all working together to advance our understanding of cardiac disease
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the north american veterinary community (navc) welcomed game-changers innovators entrepreneurs and visionaries to the veterinary innovation summit (vis) in late spring 2017 at the event veterinary and non-veterinary entrepreneurs and health professionals shared fresh perspectives on the latest technologies debated controversial issues fostered new ideas and catapulted the profession into the future with fearlessness and innovation
it is clear that the world is changing not just at a linear rate but exponentially and these changes are having a profound effect on veterinary medicine at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) we are dedicated to sparking and fostering ingenuity the inaugural veterinary innovation summit (vis) on april 28–30 2017 brought together a diverse group of talented progressive individuals representing veterinary and non-veterinary health professionals regulators and entrepreneurs paired with a combination of unique programming and an immersive learning environment to explore how veterinary medicine will not just respond to these changes but will lead changes and prosper from them
for many veterinarians especially those who operate their own businesses entrepreneurship and business know-how are career staples but business is changing information is more readily available than ever before and information technology is rapidly expanding the human health care delivery systems are rapidly changing with veterinary health care delivery close behind veterinary medicine not only must adapt it must lead-thats the cvm and north american veterinary community (navc) philosophy as well as the philosophy of progressive members of the veterinary profession
with innovation paramount in their minds six teams of students representing the colleges of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) agriculture & life sciences and engineering participated in the first aggies invent event a 48-hour intensive design experience offered at the engineering innovation center (eic) the cvms students engaged in hands-on projects that pushed their innovation creativity and communication skills competing for more than $2 000 in cash prizes in an effort to develop solutions to problems many veterinarians face today during the event students in each group had 48 hours to create prototype solutions for issues they felt were pertinent to the veterinary community among the things the teams looked for during the activity were solutions to incorporate aspects of veterinary clinical skills training the creation of sensors to monitor the health of non-verbal patients and the implementation of new diagnostic tools

with those thoughts in mind the idea of a veterinary innovation summit at texas a&m came to life as a unique way to bring the thought-leaders to the table we wanted to create robust exchanges among practicing veterinarians academic veterinarians students organized veterinary medicine representatives regulators of the profession start-up innovators and entrepreneurs all of whom will shape our future planning and implementing the vis was no small task we had already created a new position in the college a director of innovation and entrepreneurship and had recruited dr adam little to the position with the charge to lead innovation and entrepreneurship dr little who says the vis was also a dream of his devoted himself fully to the vis and drew from his network of innovators to craft an outstanding program in concert we had been talking to the navc about partnering on some novel continuing education opportunities and the vis was our first pete scott chief operating officer of navc worked closely with dr little the cvm administration and faculty and the outstanding staff at both the cvm and navc to design the program soon the outline and format for the summit were in place
many veterinarians are concerned anxious or even fearful about the direction of the profession there are growing competitive threats to established business practices concerns around debt and high levels of burnout said little however we are lucky to have dr green leading this charge she strongly believes that the future is full of possibility and potential for veterinarians to contribute in unique ways to serving their staff clients and patients areas of personalized medicine on-demand care and others present new opportunities for the profession
the deans goal was to harness the incredible strengths of the veterinary community and create a positive conversation about how we can build an even better future for all of us in animal health the result was a collective and optimistic voice for the profession that we believe will get more powerful and meaningful in years to come said little
this innovative intersect of processes for people to have conversations was one of brilliance and discovery and i applaud dr little pete scott and the many staff faculty and administrators who worked to bring this summit to fruition the cvm faculty not only participated in the summit but they also hosted the sponsors and exhibitors the many breakout sessions the networking opportunities and the conversations in the hallways created a unique ambiance representatives of the tvma avma aavmc aavsb and others contributed it was described by some as the best conference they had ever attended and one described it as a disney wow
in addition the new veterinary & biomedical education complex provided an ideal setting for stimulating ideas establishing collaborations and fostering productive discussions networking opportunities at the summit initiated dialogue that encouraged innovative take-home ideas and solutions for future success
texas a&m president michael young welcomed the participants and told a story about his and his wife martis love for animals they came to texas with a horse and now have a ranch full of animals all of which have visited the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital president young underscored how texas a&m university values innovation across colleges as dean i spoke about our incredible faculty and the innovative technology and teaching methods they have brought to our college dr little discussed his first meeting with me and our sharing of the vision of this summit all introductions prepared everyone for the two-day journey ahead
veterinary professionals who successfully have started their own companies or created new software and programs for the industry spoke on a panel saturday encouraging other practitioners to awaken their own innovative and entrepreneurial spirits
wanting to offer veterinary students a curriculum in entrepreneurship and connect them to job and service opportunities last summer cvm director of innovation and entrepreneurship dr adam little began the veterinary student innovations program (vsip) through the vsip five second- and third-year students were matched with early-stage startup companies some of which had applications in veterinary medicine but did not have veterinarians on their teams to help guide the company vsip partner companies include innovators who provide students with the unique learning opportunity to shape how technology impacts the future of veterinary medicine the program represents a new paradigm in veterinary education combining aspects of traditional learning styles and new teaching techniques students gained hands-on experience with the companies while also being mentored by little and other cvm faculty they also received support and feedback from their peers

a few examples of the amazing keynotes follow ben jacobs co-founder and chief executive officer of whistle a gps and activity tracker for dogs spoke about finding and developing a product that would address a pain point in the customer market while looking for the quantified patient stephen chen the founder and chief executive officer of petnostics a company that provides at home urine test kits for pets talked about democratizing diagnostics and making diagnostics accessible to pet owners raymond mccauley chair of digital biology at singularity university discussed the digital biology engineering of healthy animals which allows for dna microarrays for any species that can be customized for around $60 and how whole genome sequencing is no longer a thing of the past benjamin lewis a fourth-year veterinary student at the university of pennsylvania and the chief executive officer and co-founder of the one health company shared how his company is crowdsourcing the everyday veterinarian to take part in biomedical research which can not only double the revenue for the veterinarians but also have them participate in groundbreaking research to help advance their field jon ayers chief executive officer at idexx spoke about the human-animal bond and innovation at idexx as it strives for innovation with intelligence; eighty-six percent of idexxs revenue is in companion animal health and the company is approaching $2 billion in worth all of which was organically grown from within the company
in parallel with the vis was a future design school led by sarah prevette the workshop introduced faculty to future thinking in a novel way
a striking point was that many of the innovators were not veterinarians but they recognized great potential in the veterinary space these visionaries said that they strongly preferred to work with veterinarians but they would not wait on them the opportunities in veterinary innovation are vast
in all the summit welcomed more than 380 participants 24 of them from nine different countries including 11 from the united kingdom nine from canada two from france one from germany and one from palestine
a special thanks go to the avma aavmc banfield petpartners idexx zoetis animal policy group hills vetrax merck merial royal canin petsmart charities and vitalx it is an exciting time for veterinary medicine linking our vast strengths and diverse ideas will transform the future of our profession
the veterinary innovation summit will be offered again by the cvm and navc in college station on april 6-8 2018 attendance will be limited in order to preserve the rich opportunities for dialogue for more information about the summit visit txag/vetsummit17
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been selected as one of 24 university colleges to receive a 2017 health professions higher education excellence in diversity (heed) award from insight into diversity magazine
the heed award is the only national recognition honoring us medical dental pharmacy osteopathic nursing and allied health schools that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion on their campuses
this award for the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is a true testament to the leadership commitment and accountability provided by administrators faculty staff and students to make the college a welcoming thriving and inclusive place to all said christine a stanley professor of higher education and former vice president and associate provost for diversity at texas a&m university awards such as these are not bestowed lightly so when change is occurring as well as evidenced it communicates the values of an organizations culture
the cvm is one of the only veterinary colleges in america to dedicate an associate dean to diversity for the college the college also offers inclusive climate trainings for mediation certification suicide prevention dealing with difficult people speaking out against injustice and to become an aggie ally
we are honored to receive this heed award from insight into diversity magazine said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university our faculty staff administrators and students spend many hours discussing and affirming the importance of working and learning in inclusive environments there is always work to be done we know that so everyday we are focused on our ambitious intentions to create welcoming environments for everyone we are moving forward to create a culture of encouragement and trust
recruitment and retention of outstanding undergraduate research minority (urm) students can be seen in the doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) program and in undergraduate and graduate programs through the development of memorandum of agreements (moas) with colleges and universities across the state these programs are designed to promote inclusion and core curricular content
the cvm also has strong student and college organizations dedicated to supporting a welcoming learning environment these include the council on diversity and professionalism (cdp) a committee that includes undergraduate and graduate students faculty and staff as well as a group of elected representatives from each veterinary class that works to promote an inclusive respectful and welcoming environment in the college; voice (veterinary students one in culture and ethnicity) a student-run organization that addresses socio-cultural awareness among veterinary students faculty and staff; and broad spectrum which works to connect support and empower lgbtq+ veterinary students and allies
as a recipient of the health professions heed award the cvm will be featured in the december 2017 issue of insight into diversity magazine
insight into diversity magazine is the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education
the health professions heed award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees-and best practices for both-continued leadership support for diversity and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion said lenore pearlstein publisher of insight into diversity magazine we take a holistic approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a heed award recipient our standards are high and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being accomplished every day across their campus
other 2017 health professions heed award recipients are:
for more information about the 2017 health professions heed award visit wwwinsightintodiversitycom
texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) alumnus dr glenn blodgett has joined 39 iconic industry leaders recognized for their notable accomplishments in ranching and livestock as the recipient of the 2017 national golden spur award
the national golden spur award is the most prestigious honor given by the ranching and livestock industries emphasizing the humanistic scientific and technological contributions of those industries to society
it is conferred upon leaders whose unparalleled devotion to land and livestock has earned them notable respect and admiration from their peers only one award has been presented each year since its inception in 1978
blodgett has served as resident veterinarian and manager of the horse division for the 6666 ranch the largest individually owned ranch property in texas for 35 years
during this time blodgett became known as an industry leader in equine embryo transfer and artificial insemination and the ranch has become the all-time leading breeder of both racing and performance american quarter horses
dr blodgett has devoted his life to the equine industry and veterinary profession said eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university as manager of the horse division of the historic 6666 ranch he has taken ‘the sixes to new heights in quarter horse racing western performance and ranch horses the wins awards and recognitions earned by horses he has bred or raised are too numerous to list in addition he has implemented state-of-the-art equine reproduction practices on the ranch
his impact is also found in the young people aspiring to be veterinarians and young veterinarians who have trained under his guidance green said the regard in which he is held and the impacts he has had are reflected in the numerous leadership roles he had held in the equine industry and the veterinarian profession
blodgett began representing texas as an american quarter horse association (aqha) director in 1991 a director-at-large in 2011 an aqha executive committee member in 2012 and aqha president in 2015 he was inducted into the texas horse racing hall of fame in 2015 and serves on the american horse council board of trustees the american association of equine practitioners presented him a distinguished life member award in 2016 for his leadership and exemplary service
blodgett was honored with the golden spur award by industry leaders on oct 14 at texas tech universitys mckenzie-merket alumni center during a dinner hosted by the national ranching heritage center
when you talk about dr blodgett you have to talk about credibility said johnny trotter aqha past president the horse business is more of a reputation-based business than it is just a horse-trading business he has a reputation and its not all about making a quick dollar on a horse
first and foremost hes a fine person with all the integrity and credibility that goes with it trotter said second of all he is a good businessman good horseman and a tremendously successful veterinarian
a native of spearman texas blodgett received his bachelors degree in animal science from oklahoma state university and his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the texas a&m cvm he has since been recognized as an outstanding alumnus of both universities
the national golden spur award is sponsored by the american quarter horse association national cattlemens foundation ranching heritage association texas and southwestern cattle raisers association texas cattle feeders association and texas farm bureau
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has announced that dr sarah hamer an associate professor the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) has been named the richard schubot endowed chair and director of the schubot exotic bird health center
in the role hamer will oversee the avian health research teaching and clinical practice conducted at the unique and world-famous aviary for exotic and native birds
its a great honor to be in a leadership position to direct research to improve avian and ecosystem health i am excited to maintain the existing strengths and identity of the center while also growing to be inclusive of a broader community of tamu researchers and our collaborators hamer said we have such amazing facilities and resources in an ideal geographic location to advance avian health research and i look forward to leveraging our assets to draw in passionate students and extramural support
dr hamer is an expert in the ecology and epidemiology of zoonotic disease including in avian health research to which she has devoted more than half of her recent publications said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm her current avian studies include a characterization of infectious health threats to the endangered whooping crane and a study of avian migration as a mechanism for expanding the geographic ranges of vectors and pathogens she also has collaborated with the schubot center in sequencing the genome and transcriptome of whooping and sandhill cranes in an effort to enhance the birds conservation efforts we are thrilled to have her lead the schubot center
hamers goals in directing the center include leading the current and new schubot scientists and students; creating an immersive teaching environment focused on hands-on learning; building bridges with diverse state national and international collaborators; and facilitating the establishment of the center as a national and international leader in avian health research teaching and clinical practice
she hopes to foster these goals through such possible future initiatives as a schubot scholar program through which to recruit stellar graduate students with merit- or diversity-based fellowship matching funds; an avian health seed-grant competition to encourage preliminary data collection for fueling external proposals; cultivating expanded collaborative relationships with the avian veterinary clinicians and residents at the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital to expand opportunities in the aviary; and a monthly seminar series to host external eminent avian-themed speakers as well as internal rising scholars
green said she believes hamers vision for the center will prioritize the wishes of the late mr richard schubot in improving the health of exotic birds while striving to maintain many of the strong elements of the existing schubot program that thrived under dr ian tizards leadership
i would like to thank dr ian tizard for his years of excellent service as richard schubot endowed chair and director of the schubot exotic bird health center green said under his leadership the schubot exotic bird health center has prospered and made notable impacts while gaining national and international recognition
hamer earned her doctor of veterinary medicine degree and a doctorate in fisheries & wildlife and ecology from michigan state university and her bachelors and masters degrees in natural resources and environmental sciences degrees from the university of illinois she is a diplomate of the american college of veterinary preventive medicine and has an associate wildlife biologist certification from the wildlife society
she has taught at texas a&m since 2012 during which time she has served as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants totaling more than $2 million from agencies such as the us fish and wildlife service department of homeland security and the centers for disease control among others
dr hamer has already made a significant impact on our college with her research on the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases said jane welsh vibs interim department head she has adopted a one health approach and worked extensively on wild bird parasitic diseases and also chagas disease in wildlife and domestic animals in her new role as richard schubot endowed chair and the center director she will continue to illuminate our understanding of the complexities of the interactions between the environment pathogens and birds
she was selected by a five-person advisory committee which submitted its final recommendation to the dean for her consideration
dr hamer has proven herself to be an excellent researcher mentor and team-builder i think she is ideally suited for the position ramesh vemulapalli professor and head of the department of veterinary pathobiology and chair of the schubot center director selection advisory committee i am confident dr hamer will bring new energy and enthusiasm to the schubot centers avian health research and educational activities we are excited about the leadership she will bring to the center
three texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) students have been recognized by merck animal health with an american association of bovine practitioners (aabp) bovine veterinary student recognition award
fourth-year veterinary students justin casares cade luckett and lauren thompson were among the 18 bovine veterinary students from across the country who received the award which was accompanied by a $5 000 scholarship
the awards were presented at the 50th annual conference of the aabp held sept 14-16 in omaha
casares from mission texas earned his bachelors degree in animal science from texas a&m and spent eight years working at mission veterinary hospital he also served as an extern at the houston livestock show and rodeo for three years
after he graduates casares intends to work at a rural mixed-animal or food-animal veterinary practice in texas
luckett from matador texas earned his bachelors degree in animal science from texas tech university where as an undergraduate he gained experience working in veterinary clinics and his familys operation
he also spent a summer working as an intern for the us house agriculture committee in washington dc
after he graduates he plans to work as a bovine practitioner and ultimately own his own practice
thompson from grandview texas earned her bachelors degree from texas a&m and gained experience working as a bovine embryo transfer technician as well as through externships at several veterinary hospitals
after she graduates she plans to work as a food-animal veterinarian in a rural area
justin cade and lauren are highly motivated individuals with a true passion for food-animal practice said dr karen cornell cvm associate dean for professional programs their enthusiasm is demonstrated by their choice to participate in our food animal track during the final year of the veterinary curriculum this track affords students additional learning opportunities focused in food-animal medicine
we believe that combining students with a passion for food-animal practice with these unique learning opportunities will provide exceptionally qualified practitioners to the bovine industry she said
second- and third-year veterinary students are eligible for the bovine veterinary student recognition awards sponsored by merck animal health since 2004 as part of the companys ongoing commitment to the practice of veterinary medicine
these recipients are capable of not only providing quality cattle care but also of serving as the driving force behind important advancements in the field of veterinary medicine in the years to come said dr rick sibbel executive director of food animal technical services for merck animal health we are pleased to support such outstanding students who will in time make a
lasting impact on our industry
recipients are selected based on academic achievement career goals work experience and interest in veterinary medicine
support of veterinary students who are interested in bovine practice is a critical part of the mission of aabp said dr fred gingrich aabp executive vice president this year as we celebrate our 50th annual conference we recognize the exceptional quality of bovine veterinary students which is reflected in these 18 award recipients
we thank merck animal health for its generous support of this scholarship program that honors these outstanding future colleagues
college station texas – the texas a&m veterinary emergency team (vet) is offering medical support to urban search-and-rescue task force canines and other injured or stranded animals at the request of multiple areas along the texas coastline that have been negatively impacted by the extreme flooding resulting from hurricane harvey


a team of four deployed on aug 25 to the rockport texas area to care for the search-and-rescue canines used in the texas task force 1s (ttf1) recovery efforts in the ravaged city
on aug 28 a second team of 21 including five fourth-year veterinary students on the vet rotation at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) deployed to join the four in aransas pass texas when the federal emergency management agency (fema) reassigned ttf and vet to fort bend county to assist with the extensive flooding in the houston metroplex
since reaching fort bend county the vet has overseen the treatment and care for large animals sheltered on site; has accepted more than three dozen companion animals for evaluation and treatment; continued to care for the ttf1 and ttf2 search-and-rescue canines; coordinated with emergency management officials on areas of concern; and continued instruction with the vet rotation students highlighting the specialty care required for search-and-rescue canines as well as in the areas of emergency care triage and inventory control


also since then smaller teams have branched out to other areas requesting medical support and assistance providing day support to search-and-rescue canines that are part of a in fema-supported incident support team in katy and deploying to chambers county as well as back to rockport
the damage and destruction from hurricane harvey has been a challenge for all response groups said dr wesley bissett founding director of the vet now that the water is receding more animals that were not evacuated are being located and brought to local sheltering operations the vet is supporting these animals by providing triage and assessing any injuries and health status providing treatment when necessary and ensuring these animals are sheltered locally in a safe place so they can be reunited with their owners
the flood waters are especially problematic for the search-and-rescue canines as well as resident animals in that these waters are very contaminated the vet developed a special decontamination unit to assist in removing the contaminants from the search-and-rescue dogs and other small animals brought to the vet base of operations
the teams care for the ttf1 and ttf2 search-and-rescue canines is critical as they venture into the dangerous debris left in the aftermath of natural disasters in search of trapped humans
one ttf2 member said that when on the scene handlers are often focused on the dogs reactions in guiding them to find the lost or missing but that handlers sometimes miss the nuances that can indicate their dog may be injured such as a slight limp or change in gait
the search and rescue dogs work in really challenging environments; they have to search in mud debris and even downed power lines they maneuver themselves into places where humans cant go and because of that there are some immediate risks said angela clendenin vet public information officer taking good care of their medical needs and making sure they are healthy before they leaver our base allows them to be more efficient in the field which means they can continue to work hard saving lives
vet members anticipate being deployed for at least a month in multiple locations as requested by county and community officials and response partners
its humbling to be invited into a community or to be invited to partner with another response team like texas task force 1 to do our part and to help the citizens of texas in their time of need clendenin said
the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has set up the veterinary emergency disaster fund with proceeds benefiting the vet visit https://vetmedtamuedu/vet/giving/ for details
those interested in the vets actions on deployment can follow the vet on facebook
college station texas – texas a&m superfund research center scientists from across campus will conduct four environmental research projects funded by a five-year $10 million grant from the national institute of environmental health sciences (niehs)
established in 1987 the neihs superfund research program is a highly competitive grant-based program that funds a network of 16 university-based multidisciplinary research teams that study human health and environmental issues related to hazardous chemicals with a goal of understanding the link between exposure and disease
texas a&m superfund center researchers led by dr ivan rusyn professor in department of veterinary integrative biosciences in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and dr anthony knap professor of oceanography and director of the geochemical and environmental research group in the college of geosciences will work to translate science into the practice of mitigating the health and environmental consequences of exposure to hazardous chemical mixtures
were a new center so its a major accomplishment to join niehs grantees who work on superfund and we should be proud of that rusyn said the reviewers said that our program was clearly one of those examples of when the entire program is even greater than the sum of its parts
four projects all part of the grant will stem from a case study of a major storm coming through galveston bay and the houston ship channel examining the chemicals found within the sediment to understand the complexities of hazardous chemical exposures and potential adverse health impacts
there are a hundred years of chemicals in the sediment in the galveston bay due to the shallow depth the proximity to a densely populated area and concentration of many industries a hurricane or major storm will dislodge and mobilize many of the legacy chemicals in that sediment and eventually deposit it on land that creates a completely new contamination and human exposure scenario knap said when that happened with hurricane ike almost 10 years ago the local and state authorities had to act on general standard procedures not the most relevant scientific evidence about this particular event
environmental emergencies create issues that need to be solved right now we cannot afford to just tell people to wait 50 years it cant be ‘well figure it out rusyn said decisions need to be made quickly and based on sound science a challenge that our center will address
the ultimate goal of the program is to create packages that will serve as how-tos for affected areas during any form of environmental emergency situation from weather-related disasters to chemical spills to industrial accidents
were developing tools that can quickly determine the type of hazard and which concentrations could cause a problem knap said this is where a ‘whole mixtures theme is important because traditional decision-making is done one chemical at a time but humans are exposed to mixtures of chemicals and especially in these emergency situations we dont know the identities of the individual chemicals or their potential toxicities
texas a&m superfund researchers represent the colleges of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences medicine geoscience engineering and science; the school of public health; and the texas a&m health science center partners also include north carolina state university the university of north carolinachapel hill baylor college of medicine and the federal pacific northwest national laboratory
texas a&m has a tradition of high-impact research said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m this niehs grant is a product of dr rusyn scientists from across texas a&ms campus and partners from across the country coming together to collaborate with excellence dr rusyn is one of our presidents senior hires supported by the chancellors research initiative an initiative that successfully attracts world-renowned scholars and researchers this grant not only demonstrates a commitment to one health but also takes an innovative and timely approach to offer solutions to potential environmental disasters such as hurricane harvey to mitigate the health and environmental consequences of exposure to people and to animals the cvm is proud of this incredible team of researchers led by our own dr rusyn
rusyn said the program wouldnt be possible without the support of texas a&m and the texas a&m office of the vice president for research which provided additional resources that enabled the center to fund pilot projects facilitate interactions within the center support diversity in training and offer boot camp exercises to demonstrate the use of new tools and approaches
the institutional support we have received from texas a&m is something that is just unparalleled in this current environment he said this universitys support has been spectacular in that regard and i am delighted to be part of the institution that encourages team science at the national level
###
more about this project will be available in the next edition of cvm today magazine which will be published later this month
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu ; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
dr heather wilson-robles an associate professor and the dr fred a and vola n palmer chair in comparative oncology in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) small animal clinical sciences department has been awarded a $94 255 research grant from the st baldricks foundation to support her studies of childhood bone cancer
dr wilson-robles is a quintessential clinician-scholar whose independent and collaborative discoveries are carving the path to a better understanding of cancer and ultimately to effective cancer treatments in canine patients that will eventually translate to human patients said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university
wilson-robles grant is one of 90 given to professors from across the country by st baldricks foundation the foundation is providing $235 million in its summer grant cycle to support the brightest minds in the pediatric cancer field
for nearly a decade dr wilson-robles has conducted leading-edge clinical trials that impact human and animal health said dr jonathan levine department head professor and helen mcwhorter chair in small animal clinical sciences this grant represents an exciting extension of her work on bone cancer this time exploring the lethal spread of tumor cells to other sites in the body
her project funded through june 2018 will examine a new drug that targets the cells that spread; this process has shown promise as a therapy
bone cancer is an aggressive disease in both children and pet dogs that can be painful and often leads to death of the patient even with aggressive surgery and chemotherapy wilson-robles said most often these patients die because the tumor has spread to other areas of the body not from the original bone tumor which is often removed with surgery therefore in order to better battle this disease new therapies that target the cells that spread are needed
our goal is to more thoroughly investigate this drug for its ability to prevent or delay spread of the tumor cells using both human and dog bone tumor cells she said
every two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer worldwide one in five kids diagnosed in the us will not survive and of those who do two-thirds will suffer from long-term effects from the very treatment that saved their life; each phase of the research process from the laboratory to translational research to clinical trials plays a crucial part in developing new therapies that will give kids with cancer the healthy childhoods they deserve
st baldricks leads the charge to take childhood back from cancer and is dedicated to funding the best research no matter where it takes place said kathleen ruddy ceo of the st baldricks foundation through our grants we are proud to support world-class experts of today as well as the next generation of researchers whose innovative approaches employ cutting-edge technology and emerging science to find cures and treatments to create a growing generation of childhood cancer survivors
the st baldricks foundation is a volunteer-powered charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research
to learn about other research st baldricks is funding visit the grants search page here
dr l garry adams a senior professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) was honored with the american veterinary medical associations avma award during the annual conference in indianapolis
adams was recognized on july 22 for his contributions to organized veterinary medicine via collaboration
it was an indescribable honor to receive the highest award presented by the avma and to be supported by my peers a pinnacle for my career although i am far from being finished with my contributions to veterinary medicine and science adams said as the immediate past president of the texas veterinary medical association i am forever in the debt of dr sam miller and the texas veterinary medical association for nominating me for the american veterinary medical association 2017 award
this is not adams first recognition by the avma; in 2012 he received the avma lifetime excellence in research award
dr garry adams is an extraordinary veterinary scholar who is most deserving of this prestigious avma award said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine he has been passionate about the veterinary profession and has been tireless in his work over his entire illustrious career his impacts span the research laboratory the classroom and organized veterinary medicine
although he is ‘retired his pace has not wavered at all green said i look forward to watching for all he will continue to contribute
growing up in a small town in the mountains in a remote part of texas adams always had livestock and companion animals and worked for two local practitioners who encouraged him to attend texas a&m to become a veterinarian
at texas a&m he earned his veterinary degree in 1964 and his doctorate in veterinary anatomic pathology in 1968 and then joined the faculty
working with the rockefeller foundation and us agency for international development adams went to colombia to develop diagnostics and vaccines for anaplasmosis babesiosis and trypanosomiasis along the way he became a diplomate of the american college of veterinary pathologists
he returned to texas a&m after five years to teach pathology and continue studying infectious diseases
adams research has focused on diseases such as brucellosis tuberculosis and salmonellosis in the past decade researchers have begun to understand the interaction on more of a molecular level
adams has been active in the avma and other veterinary organizations throughout his career he has served as a member of the avma council on research council on education and committee on international veterinary affairs; on the working group that developed the concept for the avma animal health studies database that launched last summer; and on the organizing committee for the avma global food security summit that was held earlier this year
he is engaged in the avma because of his commitment to the veterinary profession
adams has been a member of the texas veterinary medical associations (tvma) research committee for many years among other activities in organized veterinary medicine he served on the board of directors of the american association of veterinary immunologists
one of the most accomplished veterinary professionals in the world dr adams is also one of the nicest most unassuming individuals i have had the pleasure of meeting during my career in veterinary medicine wrote dr sam g miller jr in nominating adams for the avma award on behalf of the texas vma he is truly one of those people who leads by example and whose quiet confidence has helped build and strengthen the reputation of every organization that has had the privilege of his service
adams lives by a team of teams collaborative approach to complex issues saying that he relies on his personal faith academic and professional teams
to share some of his thoughts on collaboration in research he published putting together a scientific team: collaborative science in the september 2014 issue of trends in microbiology
adams encourages his students to stay engaged in the veterinary profession through local state and national associations
through organized veterinary medicine i have formed lifelong networks and continue to find inspiration from interacting with my colleagues adams said
for more than 16 years researchers and volunteers have been observing wildlife along the clay cliffs of southeastern perus tambopata river theyve gathered data every day logging more than 20 000 hours and building one of the most extensive datasets on tropical parrots in the world
in a new paper published in ibis elizabeth hobson a postdoctoral fellow with the arizona state university-santa fe institute center for biosocial complex systems and donald j brightsmith a professor in the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and director of the tambopata macaw project begin to analyze the data from this long-term study
in particular the two explore the potential drivers behind geophagy or intentional soil consumption theyve regularly observed in 14 different parrot species there
this region of the tambopata river in southeast peru is an ideal spot to study the nearly two-dozen parrot species that live nearby in the amazon rainforest in the thick foliage of the jungle the birds are difficult to see but when they emerge to gather up beakfuls of the sodium-rich clay soil its a crazy screaming kaleidoscope of color hobson said
theyre all quiet when they take flight but in a few seconds they all begin to scream and some drop bits of the clay from their mouths said brightsmith who has led the tambopata macaw project since 1999 its an incredible experience
but the parrots geophagy is a somewhat confounding behaviorclay soil is basically inert
it doesnt have proteins carbohydrates or really anything that youd need brightsmith said if we can understand why its so important to these parrots we can learn more about the ecosystem and how it affects the other insects birds and mammals who also eat this soil
geophagy occurs around the world and in many types of animals and scientists have proposed many explanations for the behavior in their paper hobson and brightsmith explore the two leading theories for these amazonian parrotsthat clay soils help protect the birds from food toxins when ideal food sources are scarce and that clay soils provide necessary minerals not available in the parrots regular diet
like previous studies their analysis suggests that toxin-protection is not a driver but parrot geophagy there is highly correlated with breeding season suggesting the increased nutritional demands are likely behind the soil consumption this study also joins a large body of research suggesting that hunger for sodium specifically is that driver
theres lots of evidence thats pointing in that direction hobson said sodium in the rainforest is really rare and the place on these clay licks most preferred by the birds also has the highest sodium content
understanding how nutritional needs areand are notbeing met during breeding season becomes even more important in light of climate change according to brightsmith some of the larger macaws are already breeding right before a seasonal crash in food supply requiring parents take their fledgling young on long flights to find food
if climate change starts messing with the macaws food supply it could disrupt their ability to breed he said
a team of scientists including texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) associate professor of immunology dr michael criscitiello have achieved a significant step forward in hiv research eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnabs) to the virus by immunizing calves
the national institutes of health (nih)-supported scientists reported the findings in a paper published online july 20 in the academic journal nature those findings offer insights for hiv vaccine design and support further study of modified bovine antibodies as hiv therapeutics or prevention tools in humans
researchers have observed that about 10-20 percent of people living with hiv naturally develop neutralizing antibodies to the virus but usually only after nearly two years of infection these neutralizing antibodies have been shown in the laboratory to stop most hiv strains from infecting human cells and to protect animal models from infection
however scientists have so far been unsuccessful in prompting the human immune system to produce these antibodies through immunization further while bnabs isolated from people with hiv infection have demonstrated promise in primate studies and have entered human studies for hiv prevention and treatment questions remain about whether effective antibodies could be produced rapidly and at a scale suitable for widespread distribution
the researchers have determined that cattle may offer some help in solving these problems
this work is exciting because a structural and genetic oddity in cattle antibodies appears to allow them to easily and quickly make effective antibodies to hiv that humans cannot criscitiello said the cattle antibodies may themselves be usefulwith a few tweaksin humans
while bovine neutralizing antibodies are not likely suitable for clinical use in humans in their current form exploring this rapid production may help answer important research questions
from the early days of the epidemic we have recognized that hiv is very good at evading immunity so exceptional immune systems that naturally produce broadly neutralizing antibodies to hiv are of great interestwhether they belong to humans or cattle said dr anthony s fauci niaid director
we never dealt with the entire hiv virus here (at texas a&m) but the cattle received immunizations containing a protein designed to mimic a surface protein on hiv said criscitiello who coordinated the a&m efforts with scripps managed the animal work and analyzed the antibody immunogenetics
while no one knows definitively why these powerful antibodies evolved in cattle one theory holds that the animals long hcdr3 loops are tied to their extensive gastrointestinal systems cattle and other ruminant animals have multi-chambered stomachs and a robust population of bacteria in their digestive tracts to help break down a diet of tough grasses however these bacteria can pose an infection risk if they escape the gut so cattle with a versatile mechanism for producing potent antibodies would greatly benefit from the increased protection
a minority of people living with hiv produce neutralizing antibodies but only after a significant period of infection at which point virus in their body has already evolved to resist these defenses said dennis r burton phd a lead author on the study director of the nihs center for hiv/aids vaccine immunology and immunogen discovery and scientific director of the iavi neutralizing antibody consortium at the scripps research institute unlike human antibodies cattle antibodies are more likely to bear unique features and gain an edge over complicated hiv immunogens
further study on how this mechanism contributed to the elicitation of bnabs to hiv in cattle may inspire novel approaches to hiv vaccine development
hiv is a human virus said devin sok a study leader and iavi collaborator at the scripps research institute but researchers can certainly learn from immune responses across the animal kingdom
researchers may also explore mimicking or modifying the potent isolated bnab or those like it to develop antibody-based hiv therapeutics and prevention tools as well as treatments for other pathogens that have evolved to avoid human antibody responses because the current research indicates that the bovine immune system may typically work quickly to produce effective antibodies against difficult pathogens such as hiv immunizing cattle and discovering such antibodies may become a useful approach to ensure these tools are readily accessible
to read the full report in nature visit http://wwwnaturecom/nature/journal/vaap/ncurrent/full/nature23301html and to see the full press release visit the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases website at https://wwwniaidnihgov/news-events/nih-supported-scientists-elicit-broadly-neutralizing-antibodies-hiv-calves
early june 2016 brought devastating floods and tornadoes to southeast texas in emergency situations such as these it is important to have safe and efficient evacuation plans prepared for our communities including our family pets and livestock just like people animals need care and shelter when a disaster strikes and the veterinary emergency team (vet) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is there to provide such care
we are aggies said dr wesley bissett the executive director of the vet aggies do special things in tough times they stand up and serve
the vet was a dream brought to life in response to hurricane ike in 2008 after hurricanes katrina and rita hit the gulf coast in 2005 bissett noticed that the care of animals in disasters was practically nonexistent many disaster victims were not willing to evacuate because they couldnt take their pets with them they often stayed in place to protect their pets putting their own lives at risk

in 2006 the pets evacuation and transportation standards (pets) act was passed at the federal level and required communities to have a plan for the evacuation of people with their animals during emergencies the passage of pets motivated bissett to begin forming a veterinary emergency response team in 2008 at the cvm
the vet was fully established in 2009 since proving their effectiveness in the 2011 wildfire disaster in bastrop the vet has expanded to over 30 dedicated veterinarians veterinary technicians volunteers and texas a&m faculty students and staff in addition the vet also allows veterinary students a unique opportunity for field experience and is a required rotation in veterinary school at texas a&m something unique to the cvm

the bulk of the team is primarily faculty and staff that volunteer their time to be there said angela clendenin public information officer for the vet however students participate in a two-week rotation called community connections which is taught by the faculty members on the vet when theres a disaster we are able to take students that happen to be on the community connections rotation if they are able to go some of them have obligations that preclude them from going and its not mandatory that they deploy with us but they are encouraged to go and share in that experience
the program is unique because students experience with disaster relief goes beyond theoretical knowledge instead they learn first-hand about animal issues in disasters when theres not a disaster the students work with faculty local governments and communities around the state of texas to develop evacuation sheltering and medical operations plans for animals impacted by disasters

working out of several trailers and tents when on duty the team has worked hard to secure equipment to serve their needs since its formation it can be hard to anticipate the condition of animals when a disaster strikes; therefore the team has developed special equipment including a decontamination unit to aid in the recovery of wounded or sick animals
in june 2016 special equipment like the decontamination unit played a key role in treating animals affected by the flooding in fort bend and brazoria counties in southeast texas the portable decontamination unit which helps vet members safely remove bacteria and debris from animals allowed animal victims to be placed in a shelter or back in the homes of their families the vet was deployed to the two counties and spent two weeks treating more than 100 animalsincluding livestock cats ducks horses and dogsin the flooded community along with decontaminating animals that may have come into contact with toxic chemicals in the flood water the team treated many other conditions such as dehydration and submersion injuries

students say they found the experience rewarding and eye-opening spending my time in brazoria county was such an unforgettable experience i gained so much knowledge in veterinary medicine from my time there said heather cook a fourth-year veterinary student at the cvm the first couple of days i was deployed i worked with small animals because i am focusing on small animal medicine i gained a lot of experience performing physical examinations on dogs and cats coming up with my own diagnoses and treatment plans i also talked with clients about spaying neutering and vaccinating their pets as well as putting them on heartworm and flea and tick prevention
when deployed by the state or county the vet works with the countys local veterinarians for extra supplies agrilife extension is also included in the relief efforts to care for livestock and shelters make sure the animals are kept safe and healthy until they can be returned to their owners
its a large group effort that we try to bring together linking with local veterinarians is crucial explained dr deb zoran medical operations officer for the vet in brazoria county the local veterinarians came out to our base of operations and would bring things that we needed such as supplies and equipment they were out there almost every day checking on us to make sure we were okay the relationship between our team and local veterinarians is vital to our success
the vets formation was a result of bissetts dream and a group of passionate caring aggies who wanted to make a difference for people and their pets during emergency situations the pets act of 2006 solidified the need for animals to be cared for in disasters and the vets proven effectiveness led to the teams expansion now as one of the most seasoned veterinary emergency response teams in the country the vet has demonstrated time and time again that it can be counted on to care for animals in crises
discovery and the unexpectedthese are recurring themes in the research career of dr stephen safe a distinguished professor at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) trained as a chemist safe eventually found himself studying toxicology and examining the biochemical mechanisms of cancer with the hopes of developing effective drug treatments


safe looks at receptors a molecular lock to which chemical signals are the keys when these chemical signals bind to the receptor or turn the metaphorical key it leads to a rube goldberg–like process where one action affects another and then another ultimately powering various biological processes
receptors are needed for life safe said they are sensing molecules they sense light for example you need sunlight to produce vitamin d what does vitamin d do it would do nothing if there wasnt a vitamin d receptor
and it all started with a single receptorthe aryl hydrocarbon or ah receptor known to play a role in a chemicals toxicity in the body the ah receptor was not known for its health benefits however research trends led safe and his colleagues to suspect that this receptors function was far from black and white there were in fact health benefits yet to be uncovered
i started off working on toxic compounds that bound to the ah receptor it was always thought to be a receptor that was important for driving toxicity of various chemicals that bound to it safe said many people have discovered in the last 20 years that this receptor plays a huge role in all sorts of things including the health of your gut the health of your skin and autoimmune diseases weve been looking at ligandsor compounds that bind this receptorthat arent toxic were using them for treating cancers and investigating the heath benefits of the receptors in gut microbiota
excited by the possible health benefits associated with the ah receptor safe began looking for practical solutions to ailments such as pancreatic cancer through partnerships with pharmaceutical companies safe is working toward developing effective drug treatments that would specifically focus on receptors like the ah and nr4a1 receptors to promote pathways that prevent cancer growth weve got a new group of drugs that look like theyre really going to knock your socks off safe said

safes interest in the ah receptor has stimulated an interest in other receptors such as nr4a1 which safe and his colleagues are investigating for the treatment of multiple cancers including rhabdomyosarcomaa devastating childrens cancer we think the ah and nr4a1 receptors are really important in cancer and weve been developing drugs that target them through different pathways he said
developing these drugs can be a balancing act looking for the appropriate dose to ensure effectiveness were trying to develop drugs that we can give at a much lower concentration to hopefully be below the toxic threshold we think that they have relatively low toxicity and expect that the side effects will be minimal in addition theyre also useful for combination therapies
safes fascination with the ah receptor has caused his research to take an unexpected turn in collaboration with other researchers at texas a&m he is focusing on the effects of microbial and food-derived ah-receptor compounds on gut health for example eating cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage could provide similar effects as the compounds acting on the ah receptor maybe plants that produce a lot of ah receptor compounds like cruciferous vegetables which are known to be health-protective could be combined with what the microbiota produces the two in combination could be dynamite he said
the twists and turns of safes research has led to continuous learning and a deep curiosity the good thing for me is i started off as a chemist and all we do in my lab is oncology and molecular biology so im learning all the time he said beyond the ah receptor discovery safe continues to search for much needed practical life-saving therapies
dr noah cohen professor and associate department head for research and graduate studies in the department of large animal clinical sciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is leading the search for an effective strategy to prevent diseases caused by rhodococcus equi (r equi) a bacterium that commonly causes diseases like pneumonia in foals and in humans and animals with suppressed immune systems
r equi may not always cause disease in an infected animal but when it does pneumonia is most often the disease that develops r equi frequently infects the lungs of foals causing severe symptoms such as fever and coughing which can potentially lead to death in addition to disease in the lungs r equi can affect bones kidneys the intestinal tract and other parts of the body
to combat this potentially deadly pathogen clinician-scientists like cohen are working to develop strategies other than antibiotics that stimulate the patients immune system to help protect them from infection
in 1988 cohen came to the cvm as an assistant professor in veterinary public health however his interest in applying epidemiology to large animal medicine soon led him to a residency in large animal internal medicine at the cvm i was honored and excited about my residency he said there were outstanding equine internists at texas a&m including drs kent carter joe joyce tom kasari bill mcmullen dub ruoff and allen roussel i knew that the excellent clinical training would enable me to identify critical questions for research the opportunities and clinical questions seemed endless
before he started his residency cohen had the opportunity to meet dr ronald j martens the department head of what is now the department of large animal clinical sciences several years before cohen came to the cvm martens founded the texas a&m equine infectious disease laboratory (eidl) to combat infectious diseases such as those caused by r equi martens work in infectious diseases as a clinician-scientist inspired cohen to complete his residency and join the faculty of the cvm
dr martens had the vision to recognize that a clinician-scientist with an interest in epidemiology would be of benefit to the department cohen explained he encouraged me to complete my residency training in internal medicine and then he recruited me to become a member of the large animal medicine faculty
after he completed his residency cohen began researching requi in the eidl under the direction of martens the main goal of martens research was to find an effective preventative measure against infections caused by r equi in foals because none previously existed
treating pneumonia caused by r equi can be difficult because treatment is lengthy expensive must be administered multiple times daily can cause serious side-effects and isnt always effective this is why martens began working on ways to decrease foals susceptibility to developing disease from the bacteria
on breeding farms pneumonia caused by r equi is the most common and severe form of pneumonia in foals that are between the ages of one and six months pneumonia is a leading cause of disease and death for foals which has motivated researchers like martens and cohen to seek an effective preventative strategy against pneumonia caused by r equi a vaccine to directly prevent the disease would be a major breakthrough for the health of foals on breeding farms according to cohen
martens recognized the prevalence of r equi in foals and knew the importance of preventing r equi–related diseases especially pneumonia martens biggest contribution to the prevention of r equi disease was the use of hyperimmune plasma which is harvested from the blood of horses that were vaccinated to produce high concentrations of antibodies againstr equi the plasma is then transfused to foals these transfusions partially protect foals against infection with requi
the collection and transfusion of plasma that is hyperimmune against r equi remains the only acceptable and commercially available approach for preventing r equi pneumonia cohen said unfortunately it is not completely effective and has some other limitations such as being expensive labor-intensive to administer and carrying some health risks for foals although the concept of preventing the disease by administering antibiotics has been demonstrated to be effective this approach isnt acceptable because it isnt uniformly effective and most importantly can contribute to antibiotic resistance from overuse
martens was also interested in identifying alternatives to traditional antibiotics to control r equi pneumonia because of emerging resistance to drugs commonly used to treat the disease when martens retired he passed on the directorship of the eidl to cohen
exploring alternative treatments of r equi pneumonia as opposed to traditional antimicrobial drugs remains an area of interest for the eidl we are working on two strategies for preventing r equi pneumonia based on having the patients immune system protect them from infection rather than antibiotics cohen said first we are working on developing a vaccine which is a traditional and effective approach for preventing infections second in collaboration with investigators from the texas a&m university systems institute for biosciences and technology (ibt) in houston we are investigating if a mist inhaled into the lungs can stimulate a foals immune system to protect it against r equi infection
the cvms collaboration with numerous researchers worldwide is a critical component of cohens goal to prevent r equi pneumonia in foals cohen has collaborators in brazil canada germany japan and other countries all of whom have contributed to the growing research in r equi pneumonia prevention
in addition cohen said his research project benefits significantly from many researchers in the united states and the cvm we collaborate with numerous investigators from many countries he explained we work especially close with dr steeve giguère from the university of georgia one of the worlds authorities on this disease we are also fortunate to benefit from many scientists at the cvm
to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance cohen and his team are investigating new drugs and potential methods of administering preventative and therapeutic agents after over five years of trying cohen and his team at the cvm have produced encouraging results with a vaccine for r equi pneumonia in foals
we are exploring new approaches that we hope will be effective and not promote antibiotic resistance in r equi cohen said examples include using inhaled substances that facilitate the foals own immune system by stimulating receptors of the immune system that eliminate r equi and drugs such as metal-based compounds and antibiotics that will reduce the risk of resistance
the strategies cohen and his team are exploring may have positive implications for other animals including humans since there are striking similarities between r equi and mycobacterium tuberculosis the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (tb) their research on r equi may give rise to potential therapies or preventives against tb in humans
our vaccine research on r equi might be an appropriate strategy for preventing tb which would be of global importance for human health cohen explained additionally the strategy developed by dr gerald pier and his colleagues at the harvard medical school with whom we collaborate is innovative and could lead to a ‘broad-spectrum vaccine that is effective against many infectious agents
the one health initiative which stresses the connection between animal health human health and the environment is an integral part of cohens research although our hearts and minds are committed to improving equine health we are very much engaged in the one health initiative with our activities he said developing new types of antibiotics and vaccines that can reduce the need for antibiotics is important for equine and human health because bacterial diseases remain important causes of disease for all species and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance is a global health crisis in veterinary and human medicine
as cohen continues his research on r equi he links his accomplishments and new findings to the support that martens provided him when he began his journey at the cvm martens was more than an administrator or a clinician-scientist for cohen to look up to; he was a mentor
i learned so much from him and we worked synergistically cohen said one of the most important things i learned from dr martens was that research is always better when done as a team martens was a role model for leadership and he helped create a work environment in which we could work passionately assiduously and enjoyably he offered advice and humor that made it fun to come to work each day in addition cohen expressed his gratitude for the cooperation and support from everyone at the cvm because it has positively impacted the success of his research
before retirement from the cvm cohen hopes to develop a vaccine to control r equi pneumonia because it is of global importance he would like to help shift the emphasis of treating infectious bacterial disease with antibiotics to methods that help the patients immune response protect them against infection this is of utmost importance because bacteria are rapidly developing resistance to antibiotic treatment
cohen also recognizes the significance of students believing they are the leaders of tomorrow he aspires to make a positive impact on students by encouraging their research efforts during my time at the cvm i would like to have trained scientists including veterinary clinician-scientists whose future contributions will far surpass mine he said
cohens interest in veterinary epidemiology and large animal internal medicine led him to the cvm where he began researching r equi in the late 1980s; however his passion for epidemiology developed during his childhood
i was born in pennsylvania but i spent my middle school and high school years in switzerland and israel because of my fathers work cohen said my father was a veterinarian who was interested in zoonotic diseases and this strongly influenced my career he worked for many years at the university of pennsylvanias school of veterinary medicine i spent a lot of time at the bolton center the universitys large animal hospital where i fell in love with the idea of being an equine veterinarian
cohen attended the university of pennsylvania where he earned his undergraduate degree in oriental studies with a minor in biology and his vmd (veterinariae medicinae doctoris) after he earned his vmd cohen spent over two years in private equine practice in and around toronto and ontario canada he then earned his mph and phd in epidemiology from the johns hopkins university school of hygiene and public health now known as the bloomberg school of public health
at penn i benefitted greatly from a liberal arts education and the challenge to think and work independently cohen explained in veterinary school i had teachers whose expertise and dedication to excellence inspired my career at johns hopkins i was exposed to clinical and research excellence and the principle that optimal clinical medicine and biomedical research are inextricably linked
cohen continued i was trained by superb clinicians and fellow residents in the art and science of clinical medicine at texas a&m i also learned about the extraordinary commitment that clinical faculty have for teaching veterinary students my mentors at texas a&m instilled in me the ‘students first attitude that is a cornerstone of aggie education i cherish each of these three institutions for enabling me to do what i love: to teach to learn and to help others reach their goals
dr dee griffin dvm and director of the west texas a&m university texas veterinary medical center (tvmc) was selected as this years honoree at the cattle feeders hall of fame and as the recipient of this years industry leadership award presented to a veterinarian for decades of passionate service to the beef industry
dr griffin is the consummate professional in this business he conducts himself with integrity compassion honor and a giving spirit said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university he is always giving his best to the livestock industries veterinary medicine and the state of texas we are honored to have him as a faculty member of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) leading the partnership between west texas a&m and the college
griffin is widely credited with helping found the beef quality assurance (bqa) program through which he passionately educates veterinarians and producers on animal husbandry antibiotic stewardship health management and other issues related to beef quality
the bqa program began primarily in response to drug residues which were a common problem in beef at the time a concerted industry effort with griffin leading the charge educated producers and veterinarians about antibiotic uses dosages extra-label use and withdrawal times griffin also assumed a leadership role in educating veterinarians and producers on proper injection sites methods dosages and other management decisions affecting beef quality griffins contribution to this and to the reduction in drug residues is applauded industry-wide
dr griffin has dedicated his lifetime of service and expertise to the cattle feeding industry and he truly is passionate about making a difference to the industry and the veterinary community that serves this vital component of agriculture and feeding the world said dr dean hawkins dean of agriculture and natural sciences at west texas a&m university (wtamu) he is a great ambassador for wtamu and the cvm his lifetime of dedication to the feedlot industry makes him more than deserving of this recognition we are proud of dr griffin and our partnership with the cvm and this is a prime example of serving every texan every day
even an old dog can catch a bone griffin said cattle and people have treated me and my family far better than i deserve when they presented me with this award they said ‘you have given so much the truth is i have given far less to agriculture and veterinary medicine than they have given me i am so thankful for this opportunity to serve texas
raised on a cow-calf operation in western oklahoma griffin took an early interest in beef production which led him to complete his doctor of veterinary medicine degree (dvm) at oklahoma state university in 1976 and his master of science degree in pathology and ruminant nutrition from purdue university
following graduation he practiced beef-cattle medicine mostly in feedyard settings until taking a faculty position at the university of nebraskas great plains veterinary education center (gpvec) after 25 years at the gpvec griffin retired in 2016 and assumed a new role as clinical professor and director of the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) located at west texas a&m university in canyon
having a leader like dr griffin at west texas a&m university ensures the success of our partnership due to his commitment to the cattle industry passion for veterinary medicine and dedication to the teaching and service missions of both wt and the cvm said dr kenita rogers executive associate dean at texas a&m he is a vital part of our initiative to serve the veterinary needs of the panhandle and be a great partner to the livestock industries in this region
griffin credits some of his early mentors with helping foster what became the bqa philosophy he worked for hitch enterprises in oklahoma for several years and often quotes that companys late-ceo ladd hitch saying if it is not right make it right he also cites long-time texas cattle feeders chairman richard mcdonald for developing the original six summary points for bqa which all fit on a single note card
all six points were aimed at following the rules griffin said a rule for feeding high-quality clean uncontaminated feed; a rule for following the labels for fda-approved medications; a rule for following usda-approved vaccines; a rule for following epa-approved pesticides; a rule for keeping records of product use; and a rule for treating cattle as precious creatures from god it doesnt take a complicated book just thoughtful responsible cattle management
since its inception in 2009 the cattle feeders hall of fame (cfhof) has celebrated the achievements of pioneering entrepreneurs who helped build the us cattle-feeding sector in addition to two cattle-feeder inductees the program also features an annual industry leadership award to honor individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and exemplary service and made significant contributions to the advancement of cattle feeding
founded in 2009 founding sponsors for the cattle feeders hall of fame include merck animal health osborn-barr and drovers a farm journal media publication learn more at cattlefeedersorg
college station texas – jayanth ramadoss phd assistant professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was named a 2017-18 montague-center for teaching excellence (cte) scholar
the award has been given annually since 1991 to one tenure-track faculty member from each college based on their ability and interest in teaching each awardee receives a $5 000 grant to further develop innovative teaching techniques that can be made available to other faculty members
dr ramadoss joins a distinguished group of our college faculty members who have been recognized with this honor said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are proud of dr ramadoss for his commitment and dedication to providing an excellent learning environment for students this award highlights his excellence in teaching as well as his engaging and dynamic teaching methods we are proud that he is part of our illustrious team
with the money received from the montague-cte scholar program ramadoss plans to positively impact undergraduate education by utilizing state-of-the-art teaching approaches and engaging students in the classroom using real-life scenarios that foster problem solving additionally he wants to provide personalized hands-on research training to undergraduate students and diversify the undergraduate talent pool in maternal fetal and infant health research
dr ramadoss has developed what i believe is a remarkable giftthe ability to inspire students to get involved in science by understanding and appreciating it said larry suva phd vtpp department head he is a ‘lead by example model for his students and is driven by his passion for education and science the cvm is fortunate to have such a gifted young academician on our faculty
ramadoss joined the cvm faculty in 2015 and teaches physiology for bioengineers his student evaluation average is an impressive 496 out of 5 and he has been selected for other teaching awards such as the 2016 juan carlos robles emanuelli teaching award
ramadoss passion for science and teaching inspires and motivates his students to show up to class learn something new and make an impact as a montague-cte scholar ramadoss will be able to further provide his students with educational enrichment
dr ramadoss is the ‘real deal an academic with an impressive educational commitment coupled with a dedication to serve and help everyone suva said these qualities are fundamental to why dr ramadoss continues to be a rising star in our department college and university
the montague-cte scholars awards are named in honor of kenneth montague 37 a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of the texas a&m foundation
leif andersson professor of animal genomics in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and professor in functional genomics at uppsala university in sweden is one of 32 to be elected a member of the american philosophical society this year
andersson will be officially welcomed as an international member in biological sciences during an inauguration ceremony in november the 2017 cohort also includes former president barack obama and kenyan paleoanthropologist meave leakey as well as professionals and professors from around the world
dr andersson is an outlier he is an outstanding faculty member with a superb record of discovery scholarly writings and impact said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine faculty members such as dr andersson continue to raise the bar of excellence in scientific discovery not only is his work highly relevant it is well-aligned with one health one of the grand challenges for texas a&m we congratulate him on earning this highly prestigious award and joining the ranks of the previous iconic award recipients
the american philosophical society has 1 019 living members and has elected only 5 605 since being founded by benjamin franklin in 1743 members represent all fields of science humanities and the arts and have also included george washington louis pasteur thomas edison albert einstein and stephen hawking
it is an immense honor to become one of the members of the oldest learned society in the usa which has contributed so much to promote knowledge and science for more than 250 years andersson said i was particularly amused to learn that one of my scientific heroes charles darwin was also an international member of this society
andersson is among the worlds most renowned scholars in the genomic and molecular study of domestic animals
as group leader and professor at uppsala university in sweden andersson has carved a scientific niche by approaching farm animals as model organisms including analyzing interbreeding among divergent populations such as between wild boars and domestic pigs to identify the genes and mutations that affect specific traits he also investigates how the mutations may alter the function and regulation of the genes
andersson and his research team compare genomes from many species of domestic animals to discover the molecular mechanisms and underlying traits that are important to human and veterinary medicine their discoveries provide insights in genetics animal breeding evolution and biomedical research
a professor in functional genomics in the uppsala university department of medical biochemistry and microbiology andersson also serves as a guest professor in molecular animal genetics at the swedish university of agricultural sciences in uppsala he earned his doctorate from the swedish university of agricultural sciences in 1984
in january 2014 the wolf foundation selected andersson for the wolf prize in agricultureconsidered equivalent to the nobel prizeto honor his use of cutting-edge genomic technologies in animal research
he also is a member of the us national academy of sciences and the royal swedish academy of sciences and has been recognized with myriad awards including the thureus prize in natural history and medicine from the royal society of sciences and the linneus prize in zoology from the royal physiographic society of lund
he has published more than 380 scientific articles received six patents and filed applications for two more patents
an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation the american philosophical society promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research professional meetings publications library resources and community outreach
the word ecosystem often evokes images of vast terrain and large expanses of wilderness often at the continental or planetary scale but ecosystems arent always so massive in fact people dogs cats and all other animals harbor tiny ecosystems within their guts and on their skin this tiny world made up of microbes and metabolites is known as the microbiome
the microscopic microcosm within the guts of our pet cats and dogs is the subject of dr jan suchodolskis research as the associate director of research and head of microbiome sciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) gastrointestinal (gi) laboratory suchodolski is much like a biologist trekking through unknown terrain to characterize and understand the life present and he is part of one of only two labs in the nation specializing in research on the companion animal microbiome
the microbiome is a relatively new field of study making suchodolskis research cutting edge he has spent much of his research career uncovering what makes up our pets digestive tract but suchodolskis work is more than just identification; he is also working on understanding how the microbiome affects the overall health of the digestive system and beyond
in the past we focused on understanding ‘who makes up the microbiome categorizing the bacterial groups present in the gi tract suchodolski said over the last 10 years we have acquired newer better tools to characterize the bacteria the next big step is understanding their function and thats what were doing now
understanding function means understanding how the microbiome influences disease processes and what a healthyor unhealthymicrobiome looks like this means being able to understand the root causes of and contributors to various illnesses including inflammatory bowel syndrome (ibd) obesity and diabetes we now have diagnostic tests that can help veterinarians pinpoint a disease process in the microbiome suchodolski said
instead of looking at a single group of bacteria suchodolski takes a holistic approach and examines the entire ecosystem looking at the positive and negative effects of the microbes working in concert its like a football team you have two competing teams the players are different yet theyre doing the same thing suchodolski said in the microbiome every player is unique in function theyre quite similar but like a football team not everyone is going to become super bowl champions and not every individual will have the same stable microbiome
suchodolski is particularly interested in bile acids including how they are metabolized and how they interact with bacteria to aid in digestion the reason thats important for our research is that bacteria actually transform the bile acids in a physiological way normally so-called primary bile acids are converted into secondary bile acids by bacteria this perfect ratio of secondary bile acids to primary bile is really crucial to maintaining health when you have a change in the microbiome for whatever reasondisease drugs or antibioticsyou dont have this right conversion anymore suddenly it becomes a real problem bile acid metabolism has been linked to obesity inflammation and diabetes
although the microbiome is a completely new world with much left to explore diagnostic tests that examine the relative abundances of certain microbial groups have already been developed the bile acids that were focusing on which are measured in fecal material are part of the next big test that were going to start offering thats going to be really useful for diagnosis and treatment it could also be a nice monitoring tool for the progression of disease
it can be difficult to characterize an entire ecosystem in a single lab test but suchodolski and his team have helped to make it possible what was previously a cumbersome test to interpret which included multiple values reflecting the microbes present suchodolski and his colleagues have reduced to a single value for the veterinarian to interpret before veterinarians ran tests to look at all those bacteria groups separately and they got this huge printout suchodolski said it was very difficult for you to say by looking at twenty variables is the patient normal or abnormal to put the bacterial groups mathematically into one single unit suddenly you have one number called a dysbiosis index and that one number can better classify if the patients microbiome is normal or abnormal
suchodolskis work is an example of one healththe intersection of human animal and environmental healthand how veterinary medicine can be translated into human medicine recently he and his colleagues published a study comparing the microbiome between humans and dogs with ibd showing striking similarities the test showed that the patterns we see in humans with ibd are quite similar to canine ibd that makes the dog a good model for human disease at least at the microbiome level suchodolski said
suchodolskis work is not just about one health its also about one being and the inseparability of animals from their microbes i think we really have to understand a more holistic point of view bacteria are a part of us bacteria are part of our evolution we are really one physiological organism
in studying a whole new microcosm the potential for discovery seems endless theres a lot of work to be done in the future suchodolski said there are so many other components that we never even thought about a few of those possibilities include leveraging the microbiome during treatment illnesses caused by microbial imbalance such as those using antibiotics could be treated by transplanting healthy microbiota into the gi tract of the patient to jump start the guts health
additionally who makes up the microbiome can vary widely between individuals as well just as a dogs dna is uniquely his so too is his microbiome this opens the doors for personalized medicine and precision treatments that are tailored to the individual for maximum effectiveness
there is still much to be learned before treatments can be developed and the full potential of this tiny world can be unveiled its not as straightforward suchodolski said i think we still have a long way to go to develop optimal therapeutics on one side were highly precise we have all of these high-tech instruments and theyre excellent on the other side a crucial component of our well being is based on ecological principles its like gardening if you like to garden you know that it takes a long time for a gardener to get experience and to answer questions like ‘what do i really do to take care of my garden and keep it weed free
dr katrin hinrichs professor and patsy link chair of mare reproductive studies at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) grew up riding horses as a hobby as an adult she is internationally recognized for her research in equine reproductive physiology and for overseeing one of the few labs in the world capable of performing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (icsi) a process that has now become the standard in assisted reproduction in horses
a more complex and precise form of in vitro fertilization (ivf) icsi is the only process that can efficiently produce a fertilized equine embryo outside of a mares body hinrichs research ultimately led to success and improved efficiency in icsi a goal that once seemed unreachable for equine reproduction researchers
in the last year hinrichs was named a texas a&m regents professor and awarded the third simmet prize in assisted reproduction by the international congress on animal reproduction her other achievements include producing the first cloned horse in north america named paris texas as well as other cloned foals to aid in her research on the application of cloning equids although she faced a number of challenges throughout her journey hinrichs work paved the way for the clinical and research application of many forms of assisted reproduction in horses
as a child hinrichs was infatuated with horses when she was nine years old her mother purchased the familys first horse soon after hinrichs got a horse of her own and recalls working with horses ever since she and her mother kept the horses in a nearby boarding stable until they moved from orange county to northern california where they were able to keep their horses in their backyard i owned a mixed-breed horse named tico when we moved up to northern california we were right next to el dorado national forest hinrichs recalled my mother and i used to go out and ride for miles in the forest it was a great way to grow up
it was this passion for horses that motivated hinrichs to become a veterinarian ive always been a horse fanatic i always wanted to be a veterinarian growing up she said
hinrichs began her journey to veterinary school as a biochemistry major at the university of california (uc) davis with an intention of attending veterinary school although biochemistry encompassed many of her interests it did not seem to align with hinrichs true passion
in my undergraduate studies i kept telling people ‘i want to know how muscles work hinrichs explained i started out in biology switched to zoology and still did not learn about how muscles work then i thought ‘what i need is biochemistry but thats not what i needed either
after taking her first physiology class at the uc davis school of veterinary medicine in 1974 hinrichs realized that physiology was what she had wanted to learn about all along what i wanted to learn was physiology but i didnt even know what the word ‘physiology meant at that time she said i kept trying to find it until i got into veterinary school
like many veterinary schools at the time the students in the school of veterinary medicine at uc davis were primarily male i specialized in equine medicine my last year and out of the 13 people on the equine track i was the only woman hinrichs said but being the only woman in her field of study at uc davis and one of few women in her graduating class did not deter her
hinrichs graduated from veterinary school in 1978 with the intention of becoming an equine practitioner; however she was not the kind of applicant that practitioners with open equine positions were looking for the fact that i was a woman really got in the way because nobody wanted to hire a woman as an equine practitioner back then so i got a job in a mixed-animal practice in northern california she said however i was disappointed in the work; it was using only a small amount of what i had learned in veterinary school i wanted to be a veterinarian all my life and when i became one i wasnt happy
things would soon change for hinrichs i had a friend who went to the university of pennsylvania as a visiting scholar in reproduction she said he wrote me and said ‘i think you would like it here so i applied for the large animal residency there as soon as i started in academia i knew that was exactly where i belonged because people were trying to be the best they could and learn the most they could
hinrichs pursued a phd in comparative medical sciences at the university of pennsylvania after she completed her residency studying the hormonal requirements for pregnancy in the horse and equine oocytesunfertilized egg cells after earning her phd she took a faculty position in reproduction at tufts university in massachusetts
my position at tufts was an interesting change because during my time at the university of pennsylvania i was in a strong and active section of equine reproduction the section was probably one of the strongest in the world at that time hinrichs explained then i went to tufts and i was the only equine reproduction faculty member that was a very different environment luckily i was able to get some money to do my researchand luckily there was tissue available
after moving to massachusetts hinrichs married and had two daughters at the urging of a colleague at texas a&m she applied for an open physiologist position at the cvm in 1998 she recalled her excitement over the seemingly endless possibilities in research texas a&m offered i came to texas to interview for the position and it was amazing hinrichs said texas a&m helped me see the light it was like being in a stall and then being released out into a pasture; there were so many more resources and opportunities here i was really fortunate to get the position
when hinrichs accepted the offer to teach physiology at the cvm she began researching cloning and reproduction she brought along dr young ho choi as a collaborator who began as a post-doctoral trainee and is currently a senior research scientist the two began exploring the possibility of producing a fertilized equine embryo in vitro a basic research and clinical tool in other species that was not yet feasible in the horse
in conventional ivf sperm are placed in a dish with a mature oocyte and one sperm penetrates the oocyte to fertilize it given ideal laboratory conditions the egg will develop into an early embryo which can be transferred to a recipient female for further development however traditional ivf had yet to be successfully achieved in horses unlike other livestock species such as cattle horse eggs and sperm do not seem to respond to traditional ivf methods therefore hinrichs and choi took a different approach by looking into a more complex assisted reproduction method: icsi
in icsi a single sperm is manually injected into the cytoplasm the fluid that fills the cell of the mature oocyte it is then placed in an incubator in hopes that fertilization occurs and an early embryo can develop the embryo can then be transferred into a recipient mares uterus for gestation because so few sperm are needed in theory a single straw of frozen semen from a valuable stallion can produce thousands of offspring this means that deceased stallions can continue to reproduce so long as they have provided frozen sperm mares who are no longer able to reproduce naturally but still produce healthy oocytes can also continue to produce offspring through icsi
to see if the icsi process could even be performed in their lab choi began working with a micromanipulator and a powerful microscope that allowed for manipulation of the horse oocyte using the micromanipulator choi was able to hold the oocyte in place and inject a single sperm into the egg through a pipette this marked the beginning of a journey toward successful assisted reproduction for horses in vitro; but the rest of the journey would not be easy
after hinrichs and choi discovered that the icsi process could be successfully performed to fertilize a horse oocyte in the lab the next challenge was to provide the ideal conditions for an early embryo to developa goal that would take over two years to reach we could put the sperm into the oocyte but we did not have the right environment for it to develop in vitro hinrichs explained ivf had never worked in horses so nobody had produced early equine embryos in the laboratory so no one had done any studies on how you culture an equine embryo to get it to develop
promising results led to research support in the form of grants which were instrumental in the success of hinrichs icsi program more funding led to more research and choi and hinrichs discovered that an equine embryo needed a complex medium to grow for seven to 10 days until it could be placed in a recipient mare after more successful attempts at producing early equine embryos in vitro hinrichs and choi were able to move on to perform the process clinically
it took a couple of years for us to develop a method where an embryo could develop in vitro to the point where we could transfer it to the uterus of a recipient mare to make a pregnancy hinrichs said it turns out the developing equine embryo needs a lot to survive; it needs a complete cell culture medium luckily you can buy a cell culture medium at the cell culture store its got everything in it a cell would ever need
the clinical icsi program quickly became successful in 2015 hinrichs and choi performed over 450 procedures on oocytes from valuable client-owned mares a large part of this demand is due to low semen supplies of stallions who are deceased or too old to reproduce any longer in comparison to other forms of assisted reproduction such as artificial insemination icsi is more efficient in these cases for example artificial insemination of a mare with frozen semen could potentially take several straws of sperm to produce a pregnancy while for icsi one straw of frozen sperm can be thawed and diluted so that it yields enough doses to perform hundreds of icsi procedures
in addition to external grants hinrichs credits the patsy link equine research endowment fund as playing a major role in the success of her and choi the patsy link endowment was what funded us to keep researching icsi so that we could get the process to work hinrichs said this helped fund dr chois salary and our supplies in the laboratory recently the clinical income has started to replace the link funding freeing up money to support other equine research programs at texas a&m
increasing the efficiency of icsi solved many challenges associated with assisted reproduction in horses the research and time hinrichs and choi devoted to successfully performing icsi also aided advancements in another aspect of assisted equine reproduction: cloning
cloning a process that has been successful in many species such as cats cattle and deer was also a goal of choi and hinrichs and the findings from performing icsi helped to advance their work on cloning in reproductive cloning researchers recover unfertilized eggs from mares and eliminate all dna from the eggs they then collect a tissue sample usually skin from the valuable donor horse and culture cells from the sample the dna from the donor cell is then transferred through a needle into an egg that had its own dna removed given the right laboratory conditions an early-stage embryo can develop and will be placed into a mares uterus for further development the resulting foal has the same genetics as the donor horsean identical twin born years later
hinrichs funded her research in cloning through research agreements with private individuals who wanted to support advancements in this area and have cells from their horses used in the work while reproductive cloning offered an opportunity for hinrichs to further study the biology of the horse oocyte and early embryo it also lead to her interests in endangered exotic equids
hinrichs hopes that her cloning research can eventually assist in saving endangered equids such as grevys zebra by producing fertilized cloned embryos in the laboratory and then allowing the cloned animal to develop in a recipient mare the cloning process would aid populations with extremely low numbers and low genetic diversity by cloning deceased or old individuals that had not reproduced in that population
a lot of people wonder why you would clone a horse hinrichs said ive always been enthusiastic about cloning as a way to save endangered species or even endangered rare breeds in fact i have been in contact with people who work with rare breeds of horses who want to work with me on cloning and icsi because there are only a few specimens left of certain breeds for me a major application of cloning is for saving endangered equids
in addition to hoping to save endangered equids hinrichs recently became involved with a project initiated by the san diego zoo that aims to replenish the populations of african northern and southern white rhinoceros only three northern white rhinos which live in kenya remain in the world while about 20 000 southern white rhinos remain in africa in the united states there are approximately 100 southern white rhinos kept in captivity
i got involved with this project through my membership in the international embryo technology society hinrichs said at our annual meeting there was a day on which the society had a course on exotic animal reproduction one of the people that was at the course dr barbara durrant director of reproductive physiology and henshaw chair at the san diego zoo asked me if i wanted to meet with her to talk about assisted reproduction in the rhinoceros when we spoke she invited me to a meeting they were planning at the zoos institute for conservation research in which scientists and conservationists from around the world were going to brainstorm on approaches to saving the rhino
it was no coincidence that hinrichs was approached about assisted reproduction in rhinos although most people would not consider a domestic horse similar to a rhino horses and rhinos are actually in the same family despite differences in physical appearance the horse is accepted as being the best animal model for assisted reproduction in rhinos due to the threat of extinction in both the northern and southern white rhino the san diego zoo has started an initiative to use assisted reproduction to save the two species and hinrichs work in the horse may pave the way for possible methods to accomplish this goal
since the 1970s the san diego zoo has been collecting and freezing cells from the zoos deceased animals this frozen zoo includes northern white rhino sperm and skin cells and many other cells from animals that have died in zoos across the united states by collaborating with hinrichs the san diego zoo hopes to produce rhino embryos through icsi and cloning however there are many challenges in the way of this goal
scientists in this project are trying to develop a way to get the eggs from rhinos that are still alive hinrichs explained the rhino is so big that traditional methods of collecting oocytes as used in other species including horses cant be performed in addition shipment of exotic animals and their sperm and cells is getting more difficult because of government regulations so we cannot receive eggs from rhinos that die say in south africa this results in scientists trying to manage the population of southern white rhinos in the united states to maximize their numbers and genetic diversity as a fallback if every single rhino in africa is poached
hinrichs and her research team are exploring the idea of how icsi and cloning could play a key role in saving the northern and southern white rhino because of the genetic similarities between the rhinos hinrichs said it is highly likely that a northern white rhinos dna could develop normally inside a southern white rhinos oocyte if we develop a way to get oocytes from the live southern white rhinos in the united states then we could use the eggs for two purposes: first we could increase the genetic diversity in the united states southern white rhino population by using southern white rhino sperm in the frozen zoo to produce southern embryos through icsi second we could use the southern white rhino eggs as host eggs to clone northern white rhinos for embryos produced by both icsi and cloning the southern white rhino would serve as a recipient; but there is an additional challenge of finding a way to transfer the embryo without surgery to the female the size of the rhino makes both obtaining oocytes from female rhinos and placing them into a recipient a problem one to which the rhino conservation group is now trying to find solutions
obtaining oocytes is a big problem and so is putting the embryo back into the rhino hinrichs explained nobody knows how to do either procedure because the methods that we use in domestic species wont work not only are rhinos too big for these methods their cervix the pathway between the vagina and the uterus that you have to get through to put the embryo into the uterus is spiral you also cant perform surgery on rhinos easily because their skin doesnt heal well so we would rather not place embryos in surgically
the san diego zoos initiative to save the northern and southern white rhino is a challenge but hinrichs and her research team are motivated and believe the methods of icsi and cloning they have developed in the horse have the potential to save both species from extinction every rhino is precious and irreplaceable hinrichs said
in recognition for her efforts in assisted reproduction hinrichs will be awarded the third simmet prize in assisted reproduction at the international congress in animal reproduction in 2016 in tours france the award recognizes researchers for outstanding basic and applied research in the field of assisted reproductive technologies for animal production the simmet prize is the most generous award of its type in the world and is presented every four years
i never thought i would actually be awarded the simmet prize especially for work in horses because there are some amazing researchers out there hinrichs said however my research is more applied and perhaps that was my strength i have been able to do the research and then translate it to a successful clinical program in assisted reproduction in the horse maybe that is what interested the award committee
in addition to the simmet prize hinrichs has been recognized as a texas a&m regents professor for her teaching research and service as the highest honor in the texas a&m university system for faculty members the award recognizes faculty that have had a positive impact on their institution their community the state of texas and the nation
as a newly recognized regents professor and simmet prize winner hinrichs looks forward to making even stronger connections with her students in the classroom where she teaches reproductive physiology to first-year veterinary students in addition she hopes to continue advancing the study of equine assisted reproduction and cloning while contributing to her institution community and world through her research efforts
commonly referred to as ivf in vitro fertilization refers to having the process of fertilizationthat is the combining of a sperm and a mature oocyte or unfertilized eggoccur outside of the body in the laboratory in standard ivf an egg is placed with sperm together in a dish and one sperm must penetrate the egg under the right conditions an early embryo can develop if the process is successful the embryo is then transferred into the uterus for further development although this process has been successful in many species it has not had repeatable success in equine species because the sperm do not penetrate into the egg
what is icsi
intracytoplasmic sperm injection (icsi) involves manually inserting a single sperm into a mature oocyte via a pipette this produces a fertilized egg and if the laboratory provides the right conditions an early embryo can develop in theory only one sperm is needed for each egg so icsi provides a method by which numerous offspring can be produced from a small store of frozen sperm this process has proved successful for assisted reproduction in horses and texas a&m is home to one of the worlds few laboratories that can successfully perform this procedure
what is cloning
in reproductive cloning researchers remove all the dna from a mature oocyte scientists collect a single somatic cell any cell except sperm and eggs from the donor animal the dna from the somatic cell is then transferred through a needle into the egg that has had its own dna removed given the right laboratory conditions an early-stage embryo can develop and will be placed into a mares uterus for further development
its not immediately apparent from his calm demeanor but dr dickson varner is fearless not only is he is an avid horseman but he regularly participates in mountain man challenges as a certified american mountain man varner heads to the rocky mountains each year to live in remote areas for about a month outfitted in buckskins and moccasins with only the resources available to the mountain men of the early 1800s varner rides horseback with a couple of friends covering several hundred miles across the wild rocky mountains with a pack mule compass knife tomahawk and flintlock firearms
when not conquering rugged terrain and embracing the outdoors varner serves as professor and pin oak stud chair of stallion reproductive studies in the department of large animal clinical sciences he is largely responsible for shaping the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science (cvm) equine theriogenology or reproduction program and developing its reputation as an international leader in stallion fertility research and patient care
i wonder nearly every day how i reached this lot in lifethat of an academic theriogenologist varner said certainly the path to my current position was unpredicted by me and nothing short of incomprehensible to the loved ones that offered guidance during my formative years it may seem somewhat unexpected that someone can be both a serious researcher and a bit of a daredevil but varners wild streak is no surprise when you hear about his roots
born the son of a bona fide cowboy and cowgirl dr dickson varner was destined for the life of the wild west his parents victor tex and hope carol varner were rodeo producers in the ozarks of missouri there they started a wild west show named the ozark stampede filled with a multitude of trick acts musical entertainment and animal acts involving such animals as horses ostriches llamas buffalo and even high-diving mules the facility also offered trail rides daily with up to 30 horses per ride and hay rides with an eight-horse hitch
varner described the show as a sight to behold it included typical rodeo eventsbareback broncs and bull riding but there were more unusual events as well including jumping horses mules trick horses trick dogs and chariot races his parents even produced some of the first all-girl rodeos in the mid 1950s
i reckon it was this very upbringing that inspired my fascination for animals i was exposed on a daily basis to an assortment of animals that most youth could only read about in books or visit at the zoo varner said
before varner even said his first words or took his first steps he spent time with animals particularly horses from the time i was an infant my parents immersed me and my two sisters in animal-related activities he recalled as an infant i spent much time in an indian cradle board that was hung in a tree over the watering tank where the horses would water off after the trail rides
harry the educated mulenamed after harry s truman who was the president at the timewas the first in a long line of equine pals for varner when i became old enough to ride on my own i was mounted on harry the educated mule riding with a bareback rigging while assisting with trail rides that were offered daily varner said
alongside his two sisters victoria star and gay linell varner began at a young age performing trick roping as the ropin rodeo rascals around age 10 he began riding bulls at the insistence of his father at the time varner thought he would prefer roping calves but he quickly realized his passion after riding his first few bulls i eventually became hooked on bull riding he said i rode these critters until the weekend before i entered veterinary medical school
it was a thrilling childhood looking back i think my youth was quite incredible even though i didnt fully appreciate it until i became older varner said i am so thankful to my parents for providing me with such a unique and adrenaline-charged childhood
but the wild ride didnt end with his childhood it had only begun
despite his extensive experience with animals during his childhood dr dickson varner didnt grow up wanting to be a veterinarian looking back it seemed like he stumbled upon the career why i wound up in veterinary school i cant rightly recollect he said
most of the veterinary care varner witnessed growing up was done at home by his father who even had a stomach tube in the barn that he passed into the horses stomach for administration of mineral oil and castor oil when one showed signs of colic
but an early experience with a veterinarian stands out in varners mind one day he and his father took a trip to the university of missouri to seek care for his fathers trick horse named nugget who was suffering from a foul-smelling nasal discharge
being the showman he was my dad could not pass up the opportunity to perform some tricks with nugget so he had the horse sit down and drink coke out of a bottle for some of the faculty and students varner said the visit led to a lasting friendship between varners father and the veterinarian dr joe mcginity
as an undergraduate studying agriculture at the university of missouri varner continued to compete in rodeos but one day in the student union an informational booth on veterinary medicine caught his eye
my heart was set on making the national finals of the rodeo cowboy association in those days he said but somehow i picked up an application form for veterinary school that was due the following monday
with some help from his mother varner managed to both compete in the rodeo in western kansas and finish his veterinary school application in addition to helping him put together his application letter varners mother also insisted that he include informational brochures on the ozark stampede he said i reckon i owe my acceptance into veterinary school solely to my adoring mother!
varner was accepted to veterinary school at the university of missouri i entered the professional curriculum with little idea of what to expect nonetheless i enjoyed all facets of this educational experience he said
veterinary school was where varner discovered his passion for theriogenology he quickly became enamored with the clinical rotations that focused on theriogenology and learned firsthand from experts in the field it was this experience that prompted me to focus on animal reproduction following graduation
in addition to finding his passion in veterinary school varner also found the love of his life fellow student tricia anne wilcox we married during her senior year of veterinary school and she has stuck by the side of this renegade for the last 38 years! he said varner credits a number of his accomplishments to her support and guidance the couple would eventually have two sons victor and zack and four grandchildren
after graduating from the university of missouri varner sought more experience in theriogenology so he interned at castleton farms a large broodmare farm in lexington kentucky there he practiced under the tutelage of dr h steve conboy the man varner credits with molding [him] into a worthwhile veterinarian
after three and a half years of honing his clinical skills at castleton farms varner moved to a residency program in animal reproduction at the university of pennsylvanias new bolton center where he worked as a resident and a lecturer my oh my these were such enriching years he reminisced not only because of the direction and support i received from my mentors but also because i was surrounded by such bright energetic and kindly residents
these other residents included a number of the researchers that varner works with today at the cvm including drs katrin hinrichs charles c charley love and terry l blanchard we have a wonderful group of folks here that are as much family as colleagues he said i think that allows us to be very productive as a unit
following his training at the university of pennsylvania varner accepted a position at texas a&m where he has remained for the past 30 years at the time the cvm did not have a strong equine reproduction programbut that changed after varner showed up
today when it comes to equine theriogenology the cvm is a top institution varner and his research team travel across the globe to assess and improve stallion fertility this work includes determining the optimal methods for freezing and preserving semen diagnosing the quality of semen and evaluating stallions breeding capabilities
we probably have the strongest team worldwide in the area of stallion reproduction varner said
during his time at the cvm varner has devoted his research to better understanding the sperm function and preservation in horses for example he identified a defect in the sperms acrosome the cap on the sperms head that secretes enzymes to penetrate the egg which severely interfered with fertility of some stallions this later led to demonstration of a genetic basis for the defect in a project led by dr terje raudsepp a colleague at the cvm he also helped develop the use of computer-assisted sperm analysis (casa) for semen evaluation and a variety of ways to improve storage and transport of semen these techniques ultimately help increase reproductive success in horses
to his colleagues varner is an invaluable asset to the team the procedures and approaches he pioneered have helped guide the team and the industry he guided the section of theriogenology at texas a&m to become one of the top research and clinical facilities for stallions in the world hinrichs said
on the other hand varner credits his success to his team noting that collaboration with colleagues leads to better progress in research multiple minds are always far brighter than any single mind he said
beyond research varners team and others appreciate his dedication to equine theriogenology hinrichs recalled a breeder once saying it may seem like i am a bit over the top about dickson but in saving my stallions fertility he didnt just allow me to get more foals he saved my entire ranch and livelihood
the respect between industry and varner is mutual in fact he believes one of the keys to success in the field of theriogenology is connecting with industry we have a lot of contacts with people in the industry and thats one area that you have to really focus on to be successful he said you have to know the industry you have to immerse yourself in the industry
for this cowboy-turned-veterinarian-turned-researcher success is not only about how hard you work; it is also a matter of the connections you make and the fun you have along the way
it was a dare from a professor that propelled dr james womack into the field of genetics research a field of study in which he excelled beyond what he ever imagined
this distinguished professor and winner of the prestigious wolf prize in agriculture in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)often considered the equivalent of the nobel prizestarted out as a basketball player his dad was the basketball coach at hawley high school just north of abilene there womack who was the familys oldest son played and became a basketball star after his high school graduation in 1959 womack went to abilene christian college (acc) now a university (acu) on a basketball scholarship while there he was the team captain for two years and has since earned a place in the acu sports hall of fame
knowing that the nba was out of reach womack studied math education and planned to follow in his fathers footsteps to teach math and coach basketball however his plans would change
somehow i decided instead of math i wanted to go to dental school he said i checked dental school requirements and i needed a couple of biology courses since basketball practice took up his afternoons he searched for a biology course that didnt have a lab componentthe course that fit into his schedule was a course in genetics
noting that acc was a small school where everybody knew everybody he approached the genetics professor asking him whether he could take his course without any prerequisites the professor said youre an athlete arent you when womack responded with a yes the professor replied an athlete couldnt pass my course even if they had the prerequisites i think it would be foolish for you to take it womack asked him if he would let him try and the response was yeah you can tryits your grade young man
womack immediately ran to the bookstore where he purchased the courses textbook genetics by ira herskowitzfor a mere $8something he still jokes with his students about before my first genetics class i read the entire book all 466 pages the supplement following the text is what excited me said womack it was a compilation of papers beginning with a letter by mendel followed by six nobel prize winners lectures whose work brought genetics to the forefront of science all of this occurred around 10 years after watson and cricks discovery of the dna double helix something womack found exciting i decided man i dont want to go to dental school i want to study genetics said womack and this was the beginning of his illustrious career
of course womack passed that genetics course at abilene christian in fact he became friends with the professor who had unknowingly inspired his career path what everyone soon learned about james womack was that if you challenge him at just about anything you can be sure he will overcome all obstacles to come out on top
in 1963 womack married raby beakley who was teaching elementary school in abilene texas raby was a superstar in her own right and the community and students did not want to let her go but womack was offered an opportunity he couldnt turn down so they moved to oregon where he attended oregon state university on a full scholarship and earned a phd in genetics in 1968
a few years after graduating from oregon state womack returned to acu and taught in the biology department for five years before deciding he wanted to do more research than he was able to do in abilene he was offered a position at the jackson laboratory in bar harbor maine where he once again excelled at his work although he enjoyed his work in maine the position did not involve teaching students something womack missed after a few years he began to look for something new
in 1977 an associate professor position opened at texas a&m university and womack jumped at the opportunity the position was part of a comparative medicine program between the cvm and baylor college of medicine after applying for the position womack was interviewed by dr charles bridges head of the department of veterinary pathology who recently passed away
they didnt hire many non-veterinarians in the veterinary college then womack remembered there are a lot of us now but especially in pathology it was pretty unusual to have a non-dvm in the position but they hired me and i loved it working here has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life
womack has been part of the texas a&m family for 39 years the distinguished professor a designation he has held since 2001 has a joint appointment in the department of molecular and cellular medicine at texas a&ms college of medicine and the cvms department of veterinary pathobiology he was promoted to professor in 1983 and two years later received the wp luse endowed professorship from 1989 to 1996 he was director of the center for animal genetics at the institute of biosciences and technology and he was named interim associate department head for the department of veterinary pathobiology from 1990 to 1993
dr james womack distinguished professor at the cvm researches inherited resistance to disease in certain animalsboth individual animals and breeds for example certain cattle have evolved a stronger defense against bacterial and viral pathogens womack wants to understand the genetics behind this because it could allow breeders to develop a healthier herd this is the topic of his most recent usda-funded research project
bovine respiratory disease is the most common and costly disease affecting the north american cattle industry not all cattle respond to bovine respiratory pathogens the same and were trying to develop a dna chip where a little bit of dna can determine the relative susceptibility or resistance of a particular animal to respiratory disease womack said
womack and his team of researchers have identified some genes and clusters of genes that convey resistance and although they are still being validated with additional studies they have begun to publish the data their goal is to give dairy and beef cattle breeders a tool the dna chip to help determine if an animal is resistant to bovine respiratory pathogens we want to be able to look at the dna chip and say we want to breed this individual and this one will have offspring that are more resistant he said
womacks research isnt restricted to cattle; he has worked extensively with mice as well as chickens he has spent time in korea studying chickens with the same goalfinding genes that confer disease resistance recently he studied a gene in rats that allows the rats to be resistant to rift valley fever a disease that has taken a toll in africa and affects cattle sheep and goats we found a rat model for it and identified that gene womack said we occasionally work with dogs cats pigs and horses too
most of womacks research has taken place right here in college station he said he got a good start in research at the jackson laboratory but he was able to continue his work in his current position i was very interested in the evolution of animal genomes how the mouse genome compared to the human genome and what the differences are between them when i got here i expanded my research into the cattle genome my work is kind of comparative genomics i guess and how these little subtle differences seemed to make a difference and why cattle have more genes related to immune function than other mammals he said
james womack noted that his students have been a large part of the success hes enjoyed in research his 50th doctoral student recently defended her dissertation and he has had a myriad of masters students as well
we have a genetics graduate program here and we have 10 or 12 students every year admitted to that program he said they apply from all over the country we also have international students here who know about our program maybe from professors in china or korea who also contact us
in fact it was one of his former students now a professor at washington state university who contacted him regarding the usda bovine respiratory program
then another fellow whom i had worked with before at the university of missouri and a group at the university of california daviswe all just got together and said ‘lets put one of these big grants together they nominated womack as their project leader
womack continues to love and be inspired by teaching undergraduate students these are juniors and seniors and theyre usually applying to medical schools veterinary colleges and graduate schools i write a lot of letters and then they stay in touch with me i enjoy that my students kind of become like my children
although his list of honors is lengthy there is one award of which james womack is most proud its the wolf prize in agriculture which he received in 2001 for his use of recombinant dna technology to revolutionize plant and animal sciences paving the way for applications to neighboring fields according to the wolf foundation which awards the prize
the wolf prize in agriculture is awarded annually in israel one of six such prizes established by the wolf foundation the wolf prize in agriculture is considered by many to be the nobel prize within the field of agriculture
prior to that honor in 1999 he was named to the national academy of sciences (nas) this organization recognizes and promotes outstanding science through election to its membership publication in its prestigious journal and its awards programs and activities election to the nas is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can receive today there are approximately 2 250 members and nearly 440 foreign associates of whom approximately 200 have received nobel prizes
womacks other honors include the bush excellence award for faculty in international research texas a&m university 2008; deans impact award college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science texas a&m 2007; outstanding alumnus of the year abilene christian university 2006; distinguished service award texas genetics society 2006; fellow american association for the advancement of science 1999; outstanding texas geneticist texas genetics society 1996; ciba prize for research in animal health 1993; mcmaster fellow csiro australia 1990; carrington award for research in cell biology 1990; faculty distinguished achievement award for research texas a&m university 1987; and the alumni citation award abilene christian university 1983
he serves or has served on editorial boards for these publications: genomics journal of heredity biochemical genetics animal genetics mammalian genome genome research and animal biotechnology
womack said many coffee pot discussions take place outside his office i usually leave my door open and the coffee pots right out there i have a lot of people coming by a lot of those people coming by are fellow researchers he said its valuable and interesting to learn about the research of others and that some things that would seem to be unrelated actually can shed light on other topics
spending time with other faculty members and researchers is important to womack he often sits down to learn from and brainstorm with drs james derr scott dindot loren skow terje raudsepp chris seabury mike criscitiello and others weve come to realize that this fast-paced world requires strong partnerships to leverage creativity experience and resources with unique thinkers we can help one another generate ideasand possibly arrive at viable solutions in less time said womack
womacks wife raby has been a shining light in his life for many years setting aside her own career at times to move and provide tranquility to a busy family tragically the womacks son james michael womack was killed in a car accident in 2013 their daughter wendy hill is a nurse who lives in austin and has two children one grandson quaid faltys is following in his grandfathers almost footsteps as he just graduated from dental school the other his daughters youngest son a third-grader shares a love of hunting and fishing with his grandfather
we have a lot of fun together womack said we have a little ranch out near wheelock hes my big farm hand and hunting and fishing partner my son and i did a lot of outdoor stuff together my nine-year-old grandson has decided hes going to replace my son as my buddy his thoughtful young grandson is named james hamlin hill after his two grandfathers: james womack and hamlin hill a mark twain scholar who led the english department at texas a&m prior to his death in 2002
by his side through this journey has been womacks wife whom he calls a great teacher and who now retired had a 30-year teaching career right here in college station she has second-graders who are now 50 or 60 years old who still contact her for friendly chats or to ask her advice shes a whole lot smarter than me he said i have been blessed
dr joe arosh and dr sakhila banu share many things they work in the same departmentthe department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) their offices are in the same hall they share a marriage and a love for their twin daughters jerusha and elsha arosh and although they both conduct research on female reproduction their research interests are unique from each other and within their respective fields
arosh is one of the leading researchers on endometriosis a condition characterized by pelvic pain and infertility in women of childbearing age banu is the only researcher in the united states focused on the effects of hexavalent chromium a heavy metal toxicant in the environment on ovarian development
arosh and banus story began well before they came to the cvm the couple met in india their home country and worked on a short-term collaborative project in large animal endocrinology between the university of madras and madras veterinary college in chennai (madras) india they both studied at the centre de recherché en biologie de la reproduction at laval university in quebec canada they continued their research in the same lab and married in 2002 this journey ultimately led them to texas a&m university
in 2004 and 2005 arosh and banu accepted jobs as faculty at the cvm respectively this became a turning point and opened the door for each of them to become leaders and innovators in their respective research areas
arosh began his career as a veterinarian and earned his bvscthe equivalent of a dvmfrom madras veterinary college in india for five years he practiced as a mixed-practice veterinarian seeing mostly dogs and ruminants however aroshs interest in reproduction inspired him to pursue research starting with a masters in obstetrics and gynecology (india) and a phd in reproductive endocrinology (canada)
today arosh researches prostaglandins and the uterus using ruminants as a model
prostaglandins are critical hormones required for estrous cycle and establishment of pregnancy in cows and sheep and other ruminants prostaglandins are central inflammatory mediators arosh said they play a major role in inflammation of several diseases they can have a beneficial role in reproductive biology but they can also have very adverse effects prostaglandin pathways have been targeted by drugs like nsaidsaspirin ibuprofen tylenolfor more than 100 years to decrease pain and inflammation in human and animal health and diseases
pregnancy in ruminants is an essential part of the food and fiber industries such as the dairy and beef industries and issues with pregnancies in ruminants can cause economic losses therefore arosh is looking to understand the mechanisms behind prostaglandins and the uterus and improving reproductive efficiency in ruminants by developing new therapies
aroshs research goes beyond veterinary medicine he has developed an interest in endometriosis a disorder caused by growth of the uterine lining in places other than the uterussuch as the abdomenand the body painfully attempting to shed that lining the condition is estimated to affect between five and 10 percent of women who are of reproductive age and is the most common cause of hysterectomies in the united states when i learned that endometriosis is an inflammatory disease and affects only menstruating women i knew that prostaglandins should play a major role in this disease arosh said
currently therapies for endometriosis are limited steroids may help ease the pain in the short term but do not provide lasting benefits for pain or fertility people worked with steroids for the last 100 years arosh said unfortunately targeting estrogen is undesirable because estrogen is an important hormone women need for their healthy reproductive life its time for researchers to think differently on non-estrogen targets to preserve fertility and reduce pain in endometriosis women
surgery is also an option the therapies we have now include removing the uterus or the ovaries but we will not be able to preserve the fertility arosh said the affected women can get some relief from the pain for about seven years after that the pain does come back
seeing the need for something better arosh began exploring alternative treatment options mainly nonsteroidal therapy he started looking for something more effective with less adverse effects on fertility by understanding the biochemical mechanism of prostaglandins in endometriosis he believes that targeting prostaglandin pathways or signaling may emerge as novel non-steroidal therapy for endometriosis in women arosh is in the process of developing a drug therapy that targets ep2 and ep4 receptors of prostaglandin e2 (pge2)involved in the development of endometriosis he noticed that women with endometriosis have higher concentrations of pge2 and previous research indicates that pge2 play a role in the growth and development of endometrial lesions
the therapy arosh is working on inhibits the pge2 receptors thus making pge2 ineffective the lesions are less likely to grow and survive formation of the blood vessels needed to nourish and supply blood to the lesions is suppressed neurons that cause pelvic pain are decreased inflammation is reduced and fertility is restored
in the future this could mean a personalized approach to treating endometriosis i hope in the future we will create this potential targeted therapy for women with endometriosis so that they can preserve their fertility and get some relief from the pain arosh said
further arosh noted that the benefits go beyond endometriosis when this medication is available it will not only treat endometriosis he said it would be useful for most of the inflammatory diseasesrheumatoid arthritis inflammatory bowel syndrome and inflammatory cancers such as colon cancer and breast cancer also we could use this treatment across species at present no drugs are available to target these ep2 and ep4 receptors in human or veterinary medicine
arosh knew from the beginning that research in female reproduction was his passion since 1995 i have been working in the same area my research interests have not changed arosh said this area of research was really developing when i entered it in 1995 but we didnt have all the new tools like we have now with these tools we can discover new things and revisit old knowledge
however the path was not as clear cut for banu she began her research career in developmental biology and endocrinology and earned a bachelors and masters in zoology as well as a masters and phd in endocrinology for her doctoral research she studied the role of sex steroids on the development of thyroid later she and arosh worked in the same lab at laval university in canada for postdoctoral training the couple studied prostaglandins a hormone-like compound found in various tissues in the body and their effects on the uterus
after working in canada arosh and banus interests began to diverge banu began to realize a new passion honestly i was not interested in continuing my research career in the uterus or prostaglandins banu said i thought ‘you cannot do something in life you dont have a passion for therefore i dropped my research on the uterus and prostaglandins and started looking to the horizon for a new dawn
when banu moved away from research on prostaglandins the transition wasnt easy i felt i was lost in an unknown world i did not have my own lab start up or any equipmentonly a computer
despite the rough transition banu rose to the challenge and pushed forward
the toxic effects of hexavalent chromium are well documented and were popularized in the film erin brockovich the widespread use of hexavalent chromium makes it an ideal heavy metal to study the number one problem with chromium is increased usage because its used in more than 50 industriesthe catalytic converters in automobiles welding tanneries and leather industries painting banu said there are 20 000 metric tons of chromium released into the air every year in the united states alone the second problem is improper disposal of chromium waste into the environment
but hexavalent chromiums effects have only been studied in some organs such as the liver and kidneys therefore she developed her novel research to understand the effects of chromium in the unknown areas of the field namely in female reproduction and fetal development
the goal for banu and her lab is two-fold first she is working to understand the mechanism behind how heavy metals including hexavalent chromium affect female reproduction secondly she is searching for interventions to help mitigate the toxic effects of heavy metals
specifically banu is interested in understanding how hexavalent chromium affects a female offsprings ovaries in utero my main goal is to see what happens to the children if pregnant women are exposed to hexavalent chromium since it readily crosses the placenta and directly targets the fetal organs mainly the ovary she said
using a rat model banu discovered that hexavalent chromium leads to premature ovarian failure and ultimately infertility she looked at several genes and proteins that regulate the ovarys development and the onset of apoptosis or programmed cell death in ovarian cells although it is normal for cell death to occur in some cells during the development of the ovary accelerating apoptosis during early ovarian development can have consequences later in a womans lifeparticularly infertility
many chemicals can cause cell death banu said if liver cells or intestinal cells are targeted they rejuvenate to a certain extent but every woman is born with a specific number of immature eggs called oocytes in the ovary if during early development the oocytes are exposed to chromium which particularly targets those cells and if chromium accelerates those molecular pathways that program cell death then it is possible that you could end up with premature ovarian failure
although these results may seem alarming banus research also provides hope she is looking into a number of therapies for mitigating the negative effects of hexavalent chromium particularly through healthy eating or consuming enough antioxidants through her research she has identified antioxidants including vitamin c edaravone (a medication) and resveratrol (a compound found in grapes and wine) as potential therapies
oxidative stress is caused by the free radicals generated in our bodies banu said hexavalent chromium increases the free radical generation and it increases oxidative stress a natural antidote to reduce suppress subside or mitigate the oxidative stress is consuming antioxidants antioxidants quench these free radicals in our body
both arosh and banu plan to continue pursuing their research deepening the understanding within their fields and evaluating new treatment options that would help humans and animals alike
arosh and banus research not only paves the way for advances in female reproductive health but it also promotes the one health mission of the cvmthe connection between the health of humans animals and the environment we are highlighting one health this research helps the environment human beings and animals the goal is to protect the environment and to protect human health and animal healththats one health
texas a&m university and university of texas at austin researchers have discovered that in dogs with naturally occurring spinal cord injury a drug that blocks matrix metalloproteinases (mmps) allows the bladder to stretch more easily as it fills such a change will likely reduce the discomfort that is commonly associated with the inability to void urine after spinal cord injury and may improve bladder function
this clinical trial evaluated 93 dogs that sustained naturally occurring spinal cord injuries resulting from disc herniation these injuries are most common in dachshunds a breed that has a 20 percent lifetime risk of developing disc herniation which can often cause sudden spinal cord injuries according to dr jonathan levine a professor of neurology and neurosurgery and department head of small animal clinical sciences in texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
this breed has degeneration of their discs including changes like dehydration and mineralization starting early in life levine said because they have this early onset degeneration dachshunds are set up to have disc herniation at a higher rate than other breeds
for a dachshund these disc herniations consist of rapid displacement of the disc and bruising plus compression of the spinal cord he said
this clinical trial funded by the us department of defense and published in the 2017 may issue of the journal of neurotrauma was based upon earlier studies led by linda noble-hauesslein at the university of texas at austin in collaboration with colleagues at the university of california at san francisco those early study were the first to demonstrate that mmps present in the injured spinal cord contributed to the long-term loss of function after spinal cord injury these encouraging findings led to the two-cohort clinical trial in spinal cord injured dogs in which levine and his team administered the mmp inhibitor gm6001 to one set of dogs and provided a placebo to another set
it is often difficult to empty the bladder after spinal cord injury and this can result in an increase in pressure within the organ using a technique called cystometry the researchers measured the pressure in the bladder and found that dogs treated with gm6001 showed a greater capacity to stretch in response to filling (called compliance)
we were trying to figure out how they recover from a urinary standpoint nobody knew we knew a little bit just observing the dogs whether they urinated again or not after their injuries levine said what we found was that dogs that got the drug had bladders that were a little more forgiving or a little more stretchy compared to dogs that didnt
the results according to levine have significant implications for humans with spinal cord injuries as well
these injuries are actually very similar to traumatic spinal cord injuries in people where there is compression and bruising of the cord he said people with injuries often have bladders that dont stretch very well so they might fill just a small amount of urine and then they have to empty they have bladder urgency; its very uncomfortable
if you talk to people with spinal cord injury or you look at the literature what you learn is that recovery of urinary function is as important or more important to those individuals than walking he said
as many as 12 000 people in the united states are affected by acute spinal cord injuries similar to those found in dachshunds and while there is a movement within the drug industry to use therapies already approved by the fda levine said there are classes of fda-approved drugs that are very similar to gm6001 that are currently being used for different treatments but with further study might be applicable to human spinal cord injuries as well
the results of this study are really encouraging in terms of a way forward levine said theres a lot of additional information that needs to get uncovered but this is a first and very intriguing step at looking at how we can help people and dogs that have these injuries
the study can be found at https://wwwncbinlmnihgov/pubmed/28520505
what started off as a plain t-shirt with a simple logo on the front and the words stand up for diversity on the back soon became a work of art students at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) gathered at the annual show your colors event to tie-dye shirts but the exercise was more than a social event instead it highlighted how different peopleand their colorscan come together and create something greater
the various colors come together and make something beautiful even though were all unique we share many similarities said angela harrington a fourth-year veterinary student
the show your colors event is hosted by broad spectrum and reflects the mission of the student-led organization the aptly named student group has positioned itself as an umbrella organization open to those of all sexual orientations and gender identities including allies who may not consider themselves members of the gay lesbian bisexual transgender (glbt) community
in addition to celebrating diversity the group raises awareness about glbt issues in the veterinary community it not only provides a safe space but also educates others about the important role of the glbt community in veterinary medicine
we are here for everyone who has been different or has been bullied or doesnt feel like they fit in said harrington who is also the former president and 4vm representative of broad spectrum if you just want to come support and be our friend thats what were here for too
formerly the lesbian and gay veterinary medical association or glbt vets broad spectrum rebranded themselves in 2015 to better reflect their mission of inclusiveness and diversity the group was particularly interested in expanding their reach to the ally population most of our membership is from allies so we do really count on that support said harrington we also wanted to include faculty that wanted to be supportive of broad spectrum
as hoped this rebranding attracted a number of new members weve always had difficulty getting people involved especially from the ally population but we were very encouraged by the result of the show your colors event said broad spectrum president austin hardegree
harrington who has been involved in the group since her first year of veterinary school has seen this transformation first hand in my first year there wasnt a lot of involvement she said there has been more interest over the past two years we have a lot of people saying ‘hey i want to get involved how do i do this
that supportive spirit is what has motivated many of the groups members to become involved harrington initially joined the group in the hopes of finding friendship and then became a representative of the group as a first year veterinary student similarly former treasurer sarah white joined the group to show her support i really joined the group to find solidarity she said ive talked to a lot of people that say ‘oh thats just for gay people well no its not just for gay people its for anybody that wants to take a stand and show solidarity with a minority on this campus
in many ways broad spectrum is like other student groups its members attend field trips socials and educational events in particular the group is actively involved with chimp haven the national chimpanzee sanctuary they take field trips to chimp haven and support regular donation drives
one goal at the forefront of broad spectrum is to raise awareness about the importance of glbt issues in veterinary medicine although these subjects seem unrelated hardegree points out that 785 percent of members of the glbt community are pet owners additionally they are likely to spend more money on their pets than their straight counterpartsas much as $300 to $432 on pet products per year
hardegree who is also the president of the national broad spectrum veterinary student association board has been actively involved in getting this message out in 2015 he began working to refocus the mission of broad spectrum on raising awareness within the veterinary community at that years american association of veterinary medical colleges conference
broad spectrums other officers agree that there are certainly financial reasons for being more inclusive i cant imagine that any person would make a decision to exclude gay bi or lesbian people from their practice because its a poor financial decision as well as not a very kind decision either white said
members of broad spectrum suggest that small gestures go far when it comes to making a veterinary practice glbt friendly white said just doing small things like putting a small rainbow flag in your doorway help most people wont realize that its even there and the people who it does matter to will notice
there are numbers of other ways that veterinarians can be more inclusive harrington noted the importance of diverse veterinary staff diversity is beyond just clients and veterinarians; diversity includes technicians receptionists and others i think thats an area that we all need to focus on
additionally harrington suggested diversifying whom veterinarians mentor if veterinarians have opportunities to mentor people who are minorities or part of the lgbt community it would be great to reach out to those students because it can be difficult to be that student
students faculty and staff can take the lessons learned from broad spectrum beyond the cvm diversity can be implemented everywhere in particular broad spectrum stresses the importance of emphasizing diversity at all levels of the veterinary practicesomething students can take with them after graduation
for veterinarians who plan on going into private practice i think these things we learn about diversity are important because the more experiences you have with different people the more you learn about the world and to me that is the most important thing hardegree said
putting diversity into practice after veterinary school is not just something the officers in broad spectrum say its something they plan to do many of the members of broad spectrum plan on continuing their work on glbt issues in veterinary medicine after they graduate
white imagined how she will implement diversity in her future career maybe i can make the staff that are already there aware of how important it is and provide a safe place because the glbt employee population is so important to foster she said the last thing i want is to have someone who wants to go to veterinary school be turned away because they dont fit in or discourage themselves from pursuing veterinary medicine because they think that the field is too closed minded
hardegree said he hopes for a career in veterinary education and sees himself being involved in organizations similar to broad spectrum in the future likewise harrington also said she plans on continuing her work in glbt issues and diversity
in reflecting on how far the field has come harrington looks to the future with hope diversity is not something that people were talking about 20 or 30 years ago she said when my mother went to veterinary school it was predominately male theres been a huge shift
by working toward increased inclusiveness members of broad spectrum hope to continue the shift toward a more diverse community at the cvm and beyond
jessica israel a graduate student pursuing a non-thesis masters in biomedical sciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is trekking her own path to a veterinary medicine degree by first immersing herself in research an unconventional path for most non-thesis graduate students through her research experience she hopes to contribute a different perspective to veterinary medicine as a member of the deaf community she will add to the diversity of the veterinary community
although some may consider her deafness a challenge israel has not let it get in the way of her research in april 2016 israel was selected to present her research at the experimental biology conference in san diegoa conference that presents novel research discoveries in the fields of anatomy biochemistry and molecular biology investigative pathology nutrition pharmacology and physiology israels selection to present at the conference was in recognition for her research and her position as a non-thesis major involved in research
at the conference israel worked alongside interpreters to present her work to fellow scientists i had the chance to present my poster to scientists who listened with interest and wanted to compare and discuss data from their research she said scientists with years of experience in their field gave me feedback on how i could improve my experiments i found this experience stimulating and it boosted my confidence the chance to interact with others network and listen to what others had to say was an amazing experience
there was much preparation for the poster presentation israel explained the conference provided me with two interpreters who would act as my voice during the duration of the presentation and i was hesitant to put my trust in those interpreters because i didnt know if they had a scientific background until i met them so i prepared a script with exact wording i would say during the presentation and tried to help them understand what the research project was about prior to giving the presentation in the morning i spent four hours practicing my presentation with them and it took a while for them to learn in the end the presentation turned out great
the conference also introduced israel to several scientists who were interested in collaborating with her this was an opportunity israel was grateful for i would encourage everyone to have a similar experience because it helps develop better interpersonal skills and increase networking she said i met several people who i would like to stay in touch with and could help me grow professionally
israels interests in biomedical sciences and veterinary medicine include small animal surgery and research that could help build an even stronger bridge between human and animal health under the direction of dr cristine l heaps an assistant professor in the department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology at the cvm israel conducts research on the circulatory system something she may continue to focus on after acquiring her masters degree
i havent decided specifically which area of focus i want to study in veterinary school but knowledge of the circulatory system would be beneficial israel said i do know i want to focus on the surgical aspect of veterinary medicine and do more extensive surgery
using pigs as models israels research focuses on endothelial nitric oxide synthaseor enosdistribution along the blood vessels that supply the heart and how this can affect blood pressure regulation these enos receptorswhich are released by the heart in reaction to stressaid in the dilation of blood vessels and help regulate blood pressure the potential to help better understand the role of blood pressure regulation in heart disease attracted israel to study the cardiovascular system
i used to work in a different lab last year under dr thomas ficht whose research focus is on brucellosisan infection spread from animals to people through unpasteurized dairy products israel said after working for him for a year my interest of working in a different lab was piqued by my advisor dr heaps who enthusiastically discussed her lab with me i became curious and thought working in her lab would be fun especially after being asked the question ‘have you ever seen a pig run on a treadmill it was something i have never envisioned and i was hooked i asked her if i could work in her lab this year and she agreed i managed to see several pigs running on a treadmill; it was a funny and awesome sight
before israel was inspired to pursue her education at the cvm she earned her undergraduate degree in biology and a minor in chemistry at gallaudet university in washington dc a university for the deaf growing up in a deaf community she attended a deaf school from elementary through high school the shift to a university full of hearing people for her masters degree was a challenge however israel quickly adapted to the change
it was a huge change for me using interpreters and other modes of communication besides sign language israel said in itself it was and still is a challenge and great experience
her transition from being immersed within a deaf community to attending texas a&m university helped prepare israel for the beginning of her journey toward applying for veterinary school at texas a&m since then israel has made texas a&m her home and is not afraid to push past her obstacles her mentors have helped israel explore her interests and fulfill her goals as a future veterinary student israel said she feels the opportunities at texas a&m are limitless
texas a&m has accommodated my needs and the professors here do a lot to give me the best access to information she said several professors were willing to learn sign language in order to communicate with me better they went beyond my expectations and i am grateful for this
israels independent and confident attitude has helped her succeed at the cvm her devotion to her research has opened many doors to future collaborations with other scientists as well as future opportunities to strengthen the connection between human and animal health israel is admired by other students and cvm staff and faculty alike
i am thoroughly impressed with jessicas tenacity as she navigates her way through the curriculum for the non-thesis masters degree heaps said she has performed superbly despite the obstacles to learning that she has had to overcome in addition to her persistence in the classroom jessica has gone beyond that required in the non-thesis masters program and has spent considerable time in the laboratory and preparing her scientific poster for presentation in san diego jess maintains an incredibly positive attitude while negotiating every hurdle she is a role model for all students regardless of whether they are members of the deaf or hearing communities
i am here to educate about deaf culture and show that anyone can do anything israel said members of the deaf community can do as much as anyone else and i am an example of that
deep in the peruvian rainforest 20 kilometers from the nearest road stands the headquarters of the tambopata macaw project a combination ecotourism lodge and scientific research station waking up well before sunrise teams of dedicated parrot researchers make daily trips into the jungle braving intense humidity thick forests and unpredictable rivers to observe macaws in their native habitat they climb up 150-foot trees; spend hours counting birds at clay licks; and carefully gather measure and return chicks to nestswhile keeping a close eye on the birds movements through the rainforest canopy
these adventures are all in a days work at the tambopata macaw project where an ever-changing crew of scientists graduate students foreign volunteers and peruvian employees work under the leadership of dr donald brightsmith assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
since brightsmith took over as director in 1999 the group has collected years of data on macaws ive had researchers recording data every single day since november 2000 he said its a treasure trove of research that brightsmith hopes will fill in the knowledge gaps about macaw conservation and ecology
brightsmith grew up on long island new york just outside new york city despite his urban roots he has been a lifelong naturalist and bird watcher much to the joy of my classmates who would pick on me for it all the way through graduate school he observed humorously that early love of birds propelled him through academia from his bachelors degree in natural resources at cornell university to his masters degree in wildlife ecology at the university of arizona to his doctorate in zoology at duke university
during these years brightsmiths passion for birds focused on a growing interest in parrots a trip to costa rica in graduate school sparked his fascination with tropical birds and his first wife introduced him to the world of crazy parrot owners he said but brightsmith credits a single bookbeissinger and snyders new world parrots in crisis (1992)for opening his eyes to the plight of tropical parrots it pointed out that we dont know much about parrots in the wild he said theyre having serious problems theyre highly valuable both as a tourism resource and a captive resource yet especially in the early 90s we knew almost nothing about where parrots breed what they eat or what habitats they use in the wild it was an incredible disconnect
around the time he was finishing up his doctoral research in zoology at duke brightsmith was introduced to the tambopata macaw project established in 1989 the project had briefly earned international recognition for its work on parrot clay licks and macaw nesting but since the early 1990s had been languishing brightsmith said he saw a golden opportunity to revitalize the project and make a difference by looking at this group of birds that are hard to work with in 1998 he flew to peru and met with the project leaders i convinced them that if they gave me a small amount of money i wouldnt be a full-time employee but i would start to run this research as a scientific endeavor again brightsmith said his pitch was successful and the tambopata macaw project was reborn under his enthusiastic leadership
the project began in 1989 when peruvian researchers and entrepreneurs eduardo nycander and kurt holle founded both rainforest expeditions a for-profit ecotourism company and the tambopata macaw project from the beginning rainforest expeditions owned and operated the remote lodge that served as both a research base and a tourist destination from the beginning it was always a mixture of tourism and research brightsmith explained they wanted the two to feed off of each other
so far the venture has been uniquely successful and financially sustainable rainforest expeditions provides lodging food and utilities charging the macaw researchers a reduced fee foreign volunteers pay higher daily fees and the difference goes toward paying wages and lodging for peruvian workers in exchange every group of tourists at the ecolodge receives a scientific presentation from the researchers about current research and threats to macaws
the marriage of ecotourism and conservation research is not only a boost to the peruvian economy but also one of the main reasons the tambopata macaw project has been able to carry on so successfully for decades brightsmith estimated that rainforest expeditions provides over $30 000 in project funding every year its not a completely sustainable system right now but all it requires is a few thousand dollars of extra financing which is much cheaper than a full research lab brightsmith said this is one of the reasons why the project is still going after 20 years
of course the data they collect still requires a laboratory and experts to analyze it thats where texas a&ms schubot exotic bird health center comes into play brightsmith was recruited to texas a&m by schubot center director and distinguished professor dr ian tizard in 2005 after some initial research collaborations with brightsmith tizard visited the tambopata center and offered brightsmith a job as a lecturer at the cvm
for brightsmith the schubot center was an irresistible draw and the relationship has paid off the schubot center provides the platform for my work he said over the years they have provided financial assistance and a community of scholars because the center exists and its endowed it will always attract a group of people interested in bird research even those who dont know that theyre interested in bird research
brightsmith credits tizard with making the schubot center a vibrant hub for avian research always bringing new scientists from different disciplines into the fold if he needs a microbiologist he finds a microbiologist who knows what a bird is brightsmith said right now were working with a geneticist who works on conifer trees but all of these people are now working on bird-related issues because the schubot exotic bird health center exists i am within that milieu and it provides a community of people interested in exotic bird issues
groundbreaking studies about macaws using clay licks to gather essential minerals put tambopata on the map in the 1990s and that research continues today brightsmiths team has also published papers explaining their success using artificial nest boxes to increase breeding success however over time the tambopata projects main focuses have shifted to new questions
right now brightsmiths main interest is the macaws movements and how they change in relation to seasonal events researchers use lightweight collars to track the movements of individual birds brightsmith said he is concerned about the macaws most recent breeding season which was off to a late and slow start he speculates that the el niño weather patterns and the resulting low food supply might have something to do with it to sort out the irregularities and what they might mean for the future of the species he hopes to compare data from the past several years
at this point well be able to reflect back and see what happens when you have this odd change in plant resources and how that impacts [macaw movements and breeding] explained brightsmith understanding what happens in an el niño year may give us a better view into the future of what happens as larger-scale climate change alters the plants and their fruiting and flowering
similarly a shift in movement from one clay lick to another has piqued brightsmiths curiosity about the future we dont understand how climate change and clay lick use are rippling through the environment and changing things we need to look more carefully at these climate-related issuesthe annual variations and how they correlate with the environmentwhich will give us a better ability to predict global change ideas
brightsmiths wife gabriela vigo trauco peruvian ecologist tambopata project coordinator and current phd student in wildlife and fisheries sciences at texas a&m is studying scarlet macaw breeding systems using a combination of ecology animal behavior and genetic analysis the tambopata location is perfect for her research because that species is not yet endangered in the peruvian amazon there we can study things that you cannot study in areas in which the species is endangered vigo trauco explained so thats the way i want to lead my research
cvm students are also using tambopata as a site for fieldwork and graduate research every year brightsmith and dr sharman hoppes clinical associate professor at the cvm take two to four veterinary students on a study abroad experience at the station students from around texas a&ms campus spend time in tambopata as both volunteers and doctoral researchers
these days brightsmith and vigo trauco make it to tambopata only twice a year its not as much as theyd like but their life in college station keeps them busy brightsmith is a full-time assistant professor and admits that he spends most of his time behind a computer analyzing and writing up data collected from years of research right now if you told me i could never take another data point on a macaw i probably could finish out my career publishing on the amount of information we have he joked were currently publishing some of the important relationships between breeding and clay lick use and food and movement its building a jigsaw puzzle where the first thing you have to do is build each piece were building the pieces and fitting them together as we go
vigo trauco is immersed in reviewing video data from macaw nests we have collected over 30 000 hours of video in the past six years she said additionally she is restarting her genetic research; a 10-year ban on exporting genetic materials out of peru was lifted this year allowing her to move forward with her projects
most of all the couple is devoted to raising their daughter four-year-old amanda lucille or mandy lu for the brightsmith family the tambopata macaw project is now a family affair brightsmith and vigo trauco met on the project and now they bring their daughter to share in their love of the rainforest and its vibrant inhabitants mandy luour little rainforest monster as brightsmith affectionately calls herseems to share her parents enthusiasm for the amazon maybe its because we like it and she sees that were super happy in the rainforest vigo trauco speculated maybe she is connecting happiness with being in the jungle
either way sharing her beloved rainforest with mandy lu has shifted vigo traucos long-term goals for the tambopata macaw project she envisions the tambopata project as an opportunity to get peruvian students interested and involved in conserving their countrys unique natural resources i think it would be nice to involve young peopleyoung adults in high school or their first years of collegeand try to put that seed in their brains that conservation can actually help and actually can happen and be fun she said
brightsmith is also enthusiastic about the opportunities to teach conservation values to people in peru and around the world weve had thousands of tourists who have gone through our talks and seen the site and the birds and really gotten a feel for what the real rainforest is like he said hes also seen changes in local attitudes the project has played into this shift in mindset he explained while some locals use the money they make from ecotourism to buy bigger chainsaws there is the development of a mindset that has led this community to be much more deliberate in their planning as to how theyre going to use their natural resources both brightsmith and vigo trauco look to the younger generation of peruvians and conservationistshopefully some from the cvmto build a brighter future for macaws and the rainforest
if you want to visit the site as a tourist or guest check outrainforest expeditions at wwwperunaturecom
since teaming up with brightsmith in 2008 sharman hoppes dvm abvp and clinical associate professor at the cvm has been flying south for the winter straight to the tambopata macaw project
for two to three weeks hoppes trades in her exotic animal clinical duties at the small animal hospital for a small rustic amazonian research facility with minimal electricity and no air conditioning there she runs the veterinary side of the operation training students and making sure everybodys projects stay on track
hoppes main concern is animal welfare working with wild birds unused to human handling adds a layer of complexity to her research im always very aware that we dont want to over-stress a bird that we are handling making it weak or tired and making it a greater risk from predators she explained
most of the work they do is with the chicks taking them out of the nest for measurements and sampling hoppes states that they become more used to the handling over time but even with the chicks you have to be prepared and monitor how long you have them out
when they are trapping adult birds hoppes trains her team to work with assembly-line efficiency her goal is to minimize contact with the birds aiming for 10–11 minutes from capture to release her team practices their roles in advance using bundled-up towels the most important thing is that were really prepared and make sure that we have everything within hands reach everything ready to go hoppes said everybody knows their part and we all know that when we get to this time period even if were not done we let the bird go
veterinary work in a hot humid jungle can be challenging but this self-professed city girl revels in it this project changed my life she said i love it there!
at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) education goes beyond just teaching students how to be veterinarians through the partnership for environmental education and rural health (peer) program veterinary students undergraduate biomedical science students faculty and staff work together to educate and inspire a love of science in k–12 students


peer uses demonstrations and lessons from the field of veterinary medicine to introduce children mainly middle school-aged to a variety of scientific concepts kids love animals so we use the information about animals to stimulate their interest for example we have a presentation on a physical exam said dr larry johnson professor at the cvm who runs peer they can learn the vital signs such as heart rate and respiratory rate of their favorite animal you know theyre going to memorize those and theyre going to discover theyve got vital signs too
tori whitaker a content specialist with peer echoed this and said its not easy to talk about obesity with middle school students which is why we try to relate issues such as diabetes and obesity to pets our work really fits nicely into the one health initiative the link between human and animal health and the environment and thats a lot of fun
many of the presentations videos and lesson plans are generated by students veterinarians faculty and staff at texas a&m we have brilliant students who want to come up with something to share johnson said we try to make the presentations about whatever they likefor example if they like cows we try to get them to do a lesson on cowsbecause the students are more passionate about what they like some students have said that they get a chance to refresh their memory about the things theyve learned and see it in a different context
in the summer veterinary students travel to various schools and other sites to present lessons to middle school children not only do the children learn about science but the veterinary students also learn how to teach and interact with children our veterinary students have a vast scope of knowledge but not all of them have had the opportunity to be in a classroom or interact with the community in this way so i may go out with the first couple of students and give them hints and pointers whitaker said
clarissa root a third-year veterinary student involved in peer said i have really enjoyed teaching and getting to help mentor students when i saw that peer had opportunities available for veterinary students to do that sort of work i was excited about it
in addition to veterinary students undergraduates throughout texas a&m work and create learning materials at peer students from a variety of majors each contribute their unique knowledge and perspectives that develop into a wealth of lesson plans and presentations the undergraduates work with the middle school students and interact with the other groups that want to be involved in developing presentations johnson said again we give them an opportunity to do something they enjoy and they do something that advances our program too


each lesson plan is carefully aligned with the states educational standards and the students who develop these presentations are guided through the peer program our students develop curriculum for teachers whitaker said teachers can write in to our website and request a lesson on pretty much anything then the students can develop the lesson i help the students make sure that the lesson theyre creating is applicable to the texas state standards the education standards which are the teks the texas essential knowledge and skills we make sure that we dont give a teacher a lesson that isnt usable
presentations can take a variety of forms and one example is panel presentations peer has hosted a panel of veterinary students who discussed their journey to veterinary school the panel went through different personal histories of how they were admitted into veterinary school johnson said for example one veterinary student said that her dog had an infection and the veterinarian was using one antibiotic the dog wasnt getting better and so she read there was another antibiotic that might work in that case she asked the veterinarian about it and they started using it and cured the infection it was then that the student realized that she really enjoyed the problem solving involved in veterinary medicine
peer also develops a number of videos available to students veterinarians and educators year round the nice thing about having videos and a website is that anyone can have access to them throughout the year even when veterinary students arent available to give presentations in person root said
the impact of peers work is mutual between the audience they serve and those who work for peer i love the outreach whitaker said i love getting out with the students either in a classroom or at the museums or libraries and just seeing how excited they get about the application of science
i definitely enjoy getting to work with the students and seeing them grasp new concepts and have those ‘light bulb moments of understanding concepts i also like seeing them feel empowered to become veterinarians and to hear their questions root said its always gratifying if i run into one of them again after our initial contact and theyre still on the pathway to veterinary school they might remember a presentation i gave or remember asking me questions i enjoy making a difference in helping them pursue their dreams
looking ahead peer is developing a program that partners teachers and scientists and will allow teachers to shadow and train with scientists from the cvm for several weeks the teachers can then take that knowledge back to their students we are going to put in a proposal that pairs scientists and veterinarians with teachers to come up with an experiment that they would use whenever they describe the scientific method to their kids johnson said
peer is also investigating other cutting-edge learning methods including flipped classrooms that focus on student-centered learning and making their content accessible on mobile devices but no matter where the future takes peer the group plans to continue to enrich the lives of students teachers and many others
the texas a&m association of former students (afs) honored three members of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty with university-level distinguished achievement awards which are among the highest honors presented by the afs


this years honorees from the cvm are dr audrey k cook associate professor in the department of veterinary small animal clinical sciences; larry johnson phd professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences; and elizabeth crouch 91 phd assistant dean for undergraduate education in the biomedical sciences program
the three faculty members were recognized for their commitment performance and positive impact on aggie students texas citizens and the world around them specifically cook and johnson were recognized for their teaching skills while crouch was recognized for excellent student relations
cook was selected for her reputation as an outstanding educator within texas a&m university her flipped classroom approach to teaching has earned her approval ratings from her students in fact cooks teaching excellence previously was recognized with an afs teaching award in 2015
dr cook is truly an innovative educator who excels at teaching professional students post-graduate trainees and veterinarians in clinical practice said dr jonathan levine department head professor and helen mcwhorter chair in small animal clinical sciences


johnson also is recognized for his teaching skills by both students and the public according to evelyn tiffany-castiglioni associate dean for undergraduate education professor and department head of veterinary integrative biomedical sciences johnson is a unique tireless and inspiring teacher but his teaching is not limited to the classroom johnson also teaches science outreach programs for middle school students teachers and the public
johnson was nominated by his students for his ability to truly make a positive impact in education
the students nominated him for this award which underscores how much they value and appreciate his commitment to high quality teaching and student success castiglioni said i believe dr johnsons excellence and effectiveness as a teacher spring from his abiding commitment to awakening and nurturing a love of science in young people
nominated for her unflagging selfless support of undergraduate students crouch makes each student feel important by ensuring every interaction she has with students is impactful crouch also was selected for her commitment to each students wellbeing and the personalized guidance she offers in meeting students goals


castiglioni said crouchs extensive store of knowledge empathy and interpersonal skills make her a great mentor for students
dr crouch gives students sustained individualized compassionate help-whether the student is seeking academic guidance or facing personal challenges castiglioni said she is the best and we are lucky to have her for our students
dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine said it is an honor to work with such impactful cvm faculty
these honorees are not only making a positive difference for our students they are impacting texas communities and the world dean green said the cvm is proud to house such distinguished faculty who work hard every day to improve education and student relations within the field of veterinary medicine
each honoree will receive a cash gift an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque for their achievements the awards were presented on monday april 24 during ceremonies in rudder theatre on the a&m campus
college station tx-the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) hosted a workshop on april 9-11 to address the future of veterinary biobanking the participants convened at the new texas a&m veterinary & biomedical education complex (vbec) to discuss lessons learned from building human and veterinary biobanks
when dr patty olson called to inquire about our interest in hosting a biobanking workshop at the cvm we were elated and our response was a resounding yes said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicinebiobanking has evolved from a novel idea to an essential resource in medical and veterinary research and offers seemingly unlimited potential in personalized medicine biobanks of varying size and complexity are being created widely across the globe and early criteria for accredited biobanks have been established; nonetheless maximizing the benefits of biobanks relies on common standards and consistency in everything from sample collection to sample access
selected leaders in veterinary and human biobanking were brought together to share expertise and experiences with the ultimate goal of creating consistency green said the contributions of each and every workshop participant were superb this group will certainly remain active and connected as ideas are shared freely within the scientific community
we are especially grateful to the sponsors-the akc canine health foundation mars veterinary morris animal foundation sidney e frank foundation and westie foundation green said i would also like to thank dr bob burghardt the cvm associate dean for research and graduate studies and his team for organizing the workshop
the biobanking team also discussed the challenges that are unique to veterinary biobanking in relation to the best practices for repositories as developed by the international society for biological and environmental repositories the procurement of high-quality biospecimens will be critical for future academic research through which animal and human health might be further advanced such samples also will be important to the many industries developing new therapies or diets to treat and/or prevent disease
the participants included:
dr holly borghese the ohio state universitydr marta castelhano cornell universitydr kate creevy texas a&m universitydr urs giger university of pennsylvaniadr sue lana colorado state universitydr jonathan levine texas a&m universityms christina mazcko national institutes of healthms piper mullin pan-smithsonian cryo-initiativedr bill murphy texas a&m universitydr stephen obrien st petersburg state universitydr patricia olsondr kristy richards weill cornell medicinedr jan suchodolski texas a&m universitydr doris taylor texas heart institutedr canaan whitfield-cargile texas a&m universitydr heather wilson-robles texas a&m universitydr vilma yuzbasiyan-gurkan michigan state university
the results and impacts of this workshop will be shared within the veterinary profession academic community research community and constituent groups in a variety of ways
if you would like to receive periodic updates on the outcomes from this workshop please subscribe to the veterinary biobanking listserv to subscribe please send an email to listserv@listservtamuedu with the following information in the body of the message (replacing firstname with your first name and lastname with your last name): subscribe veterinarybiobankinginformation firstname lastname
college station texas-–the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) at texas a&m university will soon be using the syndaver surgical canine as a component of its surgical training program
students from the doctor of veterinary medicine program in the cvm will begin using the surgical canine during the 2017-18 school year the syndaver surgical canine was developed by syndaver labs in tampa and offers students a realistic model for surgical training
innovation is at the forefront of all we do in the cvm and providing our faculty and students with this futuristic surgical model is just another way we are teaching with the latest technologies in surgery said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm we are pleased to participate in the advancement of state-of-the-art surgical procedures in patient care as we continue to train our veterinary students to go into the world and make a positive impact on veterinary medicine
we are excited to bring this dynamic and innovative educational opportunity to the students at texas a&m university said dr kenita rogers executive associate dean at the cvm this is just another example of our outstanding faculty being open to new teaching methods and tools ensuring that every veterinary student gets to build and hone their skills in a realistic but safe environment
the syndaver surgical canine is made of water fiber and salt just like a real animal the syndaver can breathe and bleed just like a real dog and has individual muscles bones and organs additionally the synthetic canine can be operated on repeatedly without any risk to live animals the usda mandates every attempt is made to reduce refine or replace live animal use
we are excited to expand the types of surgical procedures in which our students can gain hands-on experience through the use of these models said dr karen cornell associate dean for professional programs at the cvm syndaver affords veterinary students the opportunity to refine their surgical skills and achieve competence in a variety of surgical procedures performed by practicing veterinarians in a low-risk and yet very realistic environment
with the syndaver there is no limit to the number of procedures that can be performed; all students will be able to practice skills as often as necessary without violating usda regulations that apply to the use of live animals
the incorporation of syndaver models into our curriculum will allow students multiple opportunities to strengthen their surgical skills prior to performing surgery on a living patient said dr elizabeth scallan assistant clinical professor at the cvm additionally syndaver models provide opportunities to practice surgeries that are not currently incorporated in the curriculum
students also will be able to practice invasive procedures that would not be as practical to perform on a live animal this broad scope of practice will help to prepare cvm veterinary students to become leaders in the veterinary medical profession
media availability:
on saturday apr 29 2017 from 10 am to 5 pm the founder of syndaver labs dr christopher sakezles is scheduled to be available for interviews at the cvm and navcs veterinary innovation summit at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences in college station texas members of the media interested in scheduling an interview or receiving a product demo are encouraged to contact megan palsa at 979-862-4216
for syndaver-related interview requests or inquiries please contact their pr firm at news@judgeprcom by telephone at 3057420783 or at wwwjudgeprcom
about syndaver labs
headquartered in tampa florida syndaver labs is the worlds leading manufacturer of hyper-realistic synthetic human and animal surgical trainers syndavers synthetic bodies simulate fully-functioning live organisms and are primarily used for training in schools hospitals and military installations syndaver has the worlds largest database of live-tissue properties and all syndaver tissues are made from water salts and fibers the company currently has 10 patents on these materials processes and related products currently syndaver labs employs more than 100 people at their tampa facility and is planning additional facilities in the us china europe and latin america
syndaver labs products have been lauded by industry experts and earned a cult following after appearances on abcs shark tank mythbusters greys anatomy and the series finale of csi the companys models are also expected to feature prominently in multiple episodes of the upcoming mythbusters 20
college station tx -the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and the north american veterinary community (navc) welcome game-changers innovators entrepreneurs and visionaries to the veterinary innovation summit this weekend in college station at this event veterinary and non-veterinary entrepreneurs and health professionals will share fresh perspectives on the latest technologies debate controversial issues foster new ideas and catapult the profession into the future with fearlessness and innovation
dedicated to sparking and fostering ingenuity the veterinary innovation summit features a combination of unique programming a diverse attendee pool and an immersive learning environment for veterinary professionals at texas a&m
it is clear that the world is changing not just at a linear rate but exponentially and these changes are having a profound effect on veterinary medicine as they are on the rest of the world said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm this summit brings together a diverse group of forward-thinking innovative veterinarians and non-veterinarians such as health professionals engineers entrepreneurs regulators and more together they will explore how veterinary medicine will not just respond to these changes but will lead them prosper from them and ultimately make our word healthier
we are entering an incredibly exciting time for our profession said dr adam little director of veterinary innovation and entrepreneurship at texas a&m university the acceleration of technologies–such as artificial intelligence the internet of things biotechnology genomics big data and ubiquitous computing–present veterinarians with the opportunity to deliver more personalized accessible and ultimately impactful care to all species and stakeholders
however this pace of change is accelerating and traditional approaches to education research and service are proving no longer sufficient from kodak to instagram blockbuster to netflix hotels to airbnb industries are being upended by this pace of change our care model is outdated student debt is overburdening career diversity is limited and veterinary fulfillment and satisfaction remains too low
a new model of learning is required one which harnesses the disruptors working at the fringes of our profession including startup founders academics and thought leaders said little this new model focuses on the potential impact of these leaders works in collaboration with the industry and provides training for both current students and the existing generation of practitioners in these emerging fields
instead of traditional learning tracks the veterinary innovation summit programming will feature interactive speaker conversations focusing on the futures of veterinary practice research and education; founders fireside chats about experiences failures and lessons learned from veterinary business owners; and collision panels debating controversial issues
presentation and demonstrations will include fresh perspectives from todays veterinary entrepreneurs as well as non-animal health companies that have an opportunity to translate their technologies to the veterinary space finalists from the idea veterinary innovation competition for students and texas a&ms aggies invent a 48-hour engineering design experience also will be spotlighted during the event to encourage positive creative and constructive conversations about driving the future forward
those unable to attend can still participate by watching live streaming from the event at veterinaryinnovationsummitcom starting friday april 28 at 8 pm edt
visit veterinaryinnovationsummitcom for more details
about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biological sciences
one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the united states and canada the cvm was established in 1916 and since that time has graduated nearly 8 000 veterinarians texas aggie veterinarians proudly serve texas the nation and indeed the world in countless ways from highly sophisticated veterinary practices serving the 19 million residents of texas and their animals to military industrial government and university roles aggie veterinarians hold positions of prestige and responsibility the faculty and staff of the college are committed to exceptional teaching research and patient care the research addresses significant problems in both animal and human health which impacts both texas and the world
about the navc
founded in 1982 and headquartered in gainesville florida with offices in orlando florida the north american veterinary community (navc) is a non-profit organization providing world-class professional development to the global veterinary healthcare community its largest initiative the annual vmx: veterinary meeting & expo formerly the navc conference hosts more than 17 000 attendees each year other offerings include vetfolio an online ce platform in conjunction with aaha; its official journals todays veterinary business todays veterinary practice and todays veterinary technician and veterinary advantage; and educational event offerings: the navc institute navc live and navc discover visit navccom for more details
for many animals and pet owners the latest specialty service at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is considered the site for sore eyes after five years of absence the ophthalmology service has returned to the texas a&m cvm and has brought along with it dr erin scott and dr lucien vallone both clinical assistant professors in the department of small animal clinical sciences
the texas a&m ophthalmology service officially began seeing patients on january 11 2016 and is expected to see approximately 1 300 cases in its first year of operation scott and vallone two new york natives began working at texas a&m university in the summer of 2015 extending their best efforts to get the service up and running today they are prepared for anything that walks through the door-from penguins to dogs to horses and cattle
generally the texas a&m ophthalmology service works on referrals from primary care veterinarians but the service is also an important resource to rural communities in the bryan/college station area that may not otherwise have access to an ophthalmologist
the family veterinarian is a wonderful front line for detecting eye diseases if they see any abnormalities then they can send a referral to us scott said we are here to chat with clients one on one educate them about their pets eye disease and develop the type of relationship that i think they appreciate
both scott and vallone are diplomates of the american college of veterinary ophthalmologists (acvo) meaning they are the best of the best only about 400 veterinarians have completed the additional four or more years of schooling after veterinary school required to specialize in veterinary ophthalmology this training gives them expertise in a wide range of procedures and the ability to treat an assortment of species from livestock to pets to wildlife
were trained to know about the differences in many species ranging from fish to non-human primates scott said for the most part the eye works the same in most species and has very similar structures but there are intricate differences between each species that we need to be aware of
notably the service has recently collaborated with moody gardens in galveston texas to provide care to penguins with age-related cataracts that was a really fun experience set up by our zoological medicine service to respond to a request from moody gardens which is an aquarium and interactive park open to the public they happened to have about 30 penguins affected by some level of lens disease said vallone moody gardens is interested in making their animals as comfortable in their environment as possible by getting ophthalmologists to screen them for cataracts and potentially treat them so far weve successfully treated three penguins with blinding cataracts
unlike most humans many animals rely on senses other than vision and can adjust well to loss of sight vision for dogs is not their most important sense scott said even if they are permanently blind they still have a wonderful quality of life we can give their owners different options and the options that may not be standard for humans can be very good for our patients we focus on educating owners about how to protect their blind pets from certain dangers
we often transition the conversation to comfort rather than vision because most dogs will adapt perfectly even without their vision vallone echoed some owners dont even know that they have a blind dog because the dog has memorized the layout of the household when the owners take them to an unfamiliar environment they may notice that their dog has bumped into a few things
although many animals can adjust to vision loss it is no less important to maintain good eye health some eye conditions can cause pain or discomfort and should be treated the most common condition would be glaucoma where theres a high painful pressure inside the eye thats damaging the tissues and causing blindness scott said if we cant control the pressures there are salvage procedures that we can offer that can provide comfort even if vision cannot be saved
in addition to their clinical duties scott and vallone serve as professors and impart their knowledge to veterinary students like their colleagues at the cvm scott and vallone use the latest and most effective teaching methods to keep students engaged and help them retain what they learn
we are currently teaching the third-year veterinary class scott said they have a medicine mega-course in which they complete 10 hours of ophthalmology weve completely revamped our lectures with the help of the center for educational technologies and we use moodle an online resource that allows us to ask questions and allows the students to answer on their laptops in the classroom we can get real-time answers and be able to discuss any gaps in their knowledge weve been getting positive feedback so far regarding our lectures
renovations to the cvms facilities also pave the way for positive changes in the classroom the sky is the limit for how interactive you can make the program vallone said the new veterinary & biomedical education complex will be much more accommodating to interactive learning there we can break up the classroom structure and create seating arrangements that accommodate smaller groups versus just a block of a hundred students which makes it difficult to walk around and answer individual questions
for some students the rotation with the texas a&m ophthalmology service inspires them to pursue a specialty even if the students dont specialize in ophthalmology their training with the ophthalmology service allows them to understand what is normal and abnormal and when they should refer a patient to a specialist ive seen where students come in through a sense of obligation because they feel like its a requirement to be able to understand how to do an eye exam but then they leave with a new found interest for the actual subject vallone said
similarly scott said i know the students really felt a need for more in their training in ophthalmology so it was so easy to get them to come to our rotation and theyre really eager to learn and really appreciative of everything that we offer ive had just wonderful interactions with the students
although the service has just opened scott and vallone already have plans to expand something theyve been doing since day one we had to renovate the space that was definitely not suited to seeing more than one case at a time and now weve converted it to two exam rooms and a small work area so that we can accommodate students and try and expand our case load vallone said
with the addition of a newly renovated small animal hospital scott and vallone foresee their workspace potentially doubling in size to better accommodate patients and students alike we joke that we make use of every single inch of our space scott said certainly in the future it will be great to have more space
the texas a&m ophthalmology services plans also include expanding research we have a study that will be starting soon scott said were looking at pain management in dogs that have their eyes removed for ocular disease and well be collaborating with the anesthesiology service for that study i know dr vallone is working on identifying a new structure in the horse third eyelid that has never been described before we have many different projects in the mix right now theyre all in their infancy but in the next year or so theyll really start to take root and build i would say for the most part our research is clinical so we are bridging what we do in the clinics to different avenues of research
interdepartmental collaboration is also a priority for the ophthalmology service scott said another collaboration that we have is with the zoological medicine service its interesting-they see so many different exotic species that really havent had their eyes described particularly well be looking at quail and studying their ocular parameters
but what makes the ophthalmology service strong is teamwork scott and vallone rely on each other for support and guidance its great that texas a&m considered hiring two people at the same time vallone said starting a service that hadnt been here for five years can be challenging i wouldnt have been able to do it alone
dr erin scott
clinical assistant professor dr erin scott of the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) found her way to texas a&m university in 2015 as she pursued a career as an academic scott graduated from the veterinary college at the university of pennsylvania completed an internship at louisiana state university and a fellowship and residency at the university of wisconsin-madison
dr lucien vallone
veterinary medicine wasnt the first career choice for vallone now a clinical assistant professor with vscs vallone started out as an engineering major at binghamton university in new york and he eventually applied to veterinary school and was accepted to mississippi state university and later completed an internship and residency at cornell university
as veterinary care evolves and pet owners look for more personalized convenient and affordable resources to ensure their companions are happy and healthy students focused on veterinary care are stepping up
six teams of students representing veterinary medicine agriculture and engineering met over a weekend in early april to participate in aggies invent – an intensive design experience that provides an environment to inspire and support entrepreneurship and innovate thoughts at texas a&m universitys engineering innovation center (eic)
aggies invent is an enormously valuable program that changes the lives of participating students they all broaden their view of the world and their role in contributing said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine thanks to rodney boehm and the dwight look college of engineering i hope we can continue to hold aggies invent experiences with a veterinary focus
the aggies invent experience tasks participants with creating and developing solutions to problems many veterinarians face today
among the things the teams looked for during the activity were solutions to incorporate aspects of veterinary clinical skills training the creation of sensors to monitor the health of non-verbal patients and the implementation of new diagnostic tools all agreed that there has never been a better time to transform veterinary care
each team had four to five students the majority of whom were future veterinarians from aggieland including a graduate student in the masters program an undergraduate pre-veterinary student from animal science and a veterinary student from the university of missouri
during the event students in each group had 48 hours to create prototype solutions for issues they felt were pertinent to the veterinary community each presentation had a completely different theme keeping the presenters and the judges on the edge of their seats as they waited for the next presentation
aggies invent provided a unique opportunity for our veterinary students to harness their formal education and experience toward solving real tangible problems in animal health said dr adam little director of veterinary innovation and entrepreneurship todays graduates need to be able to work across disciplines unpack problems and utilize their training to create creative solutions for their patients clients and practices it was incredibly rewarding to see the students go from an idea in their head to something tangible in such a short period of time many students were saying ‘i cant believe we were able to do that we need to continue to unlock student potential at every opportunity
banfield pet hospital maxim integrated and the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) sponsored the weekend event
first place went to the project pawty pals created by team members miranda george iran ramirez sarah jacobson and sam mcdonald
pawty pals was designed to address the underlying issue that owners might be unaware of the signs of emerging disease that their cats may be showing these signs can be hard to see and because of that there has been a decrease in the number of veterinary visits from cat owners despite the growth of cats as pets in the us over the last five years
with this developing problem the team decided to evaluate how to more effectively recognize the clinical signs of disease that cat owners might be unaware of the idea was to create a sensor that would collect data on a cat as it uses its litter box including the frequency duration and possibly volume of these visits
second place went to justin campbell steven michael kouam kenmognie emily fauver kyle novak mccalley cunningham and rachel jorgensen for pet steps
pet steps is a fun and interactive way to understand the important aspects of a pets health the project encompassed a pet steps microchip tag and software app providing a pet owner with everything they need for their pet to be happy and healthy the product and technology provides innovative and effective ways to positively impact a pets health giving the pet owner peace of mind and the veterinarian important data relating to the pets overall well being
third place was awarded to 3d organizers a project that involved implementing different 3-d printing techniques and materials to simulate critical surgical operations for veterinary students to practice before performing in the real world the team comprised joseph kishpaugh elise luo gabriela de lima jessica jiaie xu and lee-jae jack guo
the top three winning teams were awarded $1 000 $750 and $500 respectively the eic as well as aggies invent offers support for students to continue working on their project in addition to the prize
cole lyle a 26-year-old veteran of the afghanistan war is working to combat the tragic effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) a mental health condition triggered by experiencing a terrifying event such as war with his service dog kaya at his side lyle is working to pass legislation that would provide veterans with ptsd easier access to service dogs
despite lyles busy schedule collaborating with members of congress kayas care is still of utmost importance in support of lyles efforts to provide veterans with ptsd easier access to service dogs the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is providing kayas care free of cost although kaya has changed lyles life for the better service dogs are not provided by the us department of veterans affairs (va) for veterans with ptsd but lyle is hopeful for a change
the va does not provide service dogs for veterans to specifically combat symptoms of post-traumatic stress lyle said i am trying to change that via hr 4764 which is the puppies assisting wounded servicemembers (paws) act
motivated by his own experience with ptsd and the tragic deaths of peers suffering from the condition cole lyle has been pursuing the paws act for over two years lyle like some veterans did not find relief from traditional treatments such as medication and counseling sessions
when i got out of the military i was 22 years old and i tried to utilize the va system lyle explained i took pills and even went to counseling but my symptoms seemed to stagnate or get worse concurrent with getting out of the military i had a couple friends commit suicide as a result of post-traumatic stress and i was also experiencing a divorce i didnt have the support system of my military family i didnt have a job wasnt in school and i felt like i didnt have a sense of purpose anymore i was tired of feeling this way so i took the proactive step of quitting pills and exploring other options
after bonding with kaya the relationship with his service dog positively changed lyles life
there were days when i just didnt want to get out of bed he said when kaya came into my life i felt responsible for her care the responsibility of taking care of kaya helped me regain a sense of purpose which is something pills could not do for me
in addition kayas special training-which includes waking lyle up from nightmares and responding to anxiety attacks if needed-gave him hope that service dogs could be the solution for veterans who do not respond to traditional treatments for ptsd
but after researching service dogs lyle found that the va does not readily provide them for veterans suffering from ptsd citing a lack of evidence that service dogs help relieve ptsd symptoms the va claimed there was a lack of empirical evidence to support that dogs specifically trained to combat ptsd symptoms were viable lyle said i thought that was a lackluster response because anybody that has ever owned a dog could tell you that they are therapeutic
determined to find relief from his condition lyle bought kaya from a breeder and paid for her training kayas total cost including initial shots and training was roughly $10 000 the expense was paid out-of-pocket by lyle
service dogs are specifically trained to do certain things such as wake somebody up from a nightmare and assist with anxiety attacks lyle said the temperament the specific training and the cost to pay the people who train the dog are all factors to consider when pricing a service dog the average cost is probably closer to $20 000
after kaya was fully trained she became a part of lyles everyday life she attends class with lyle at texas a&m visits the grocery store and loves accompanying lyle on his trips in fact an innocent stroll with kaya in washington dc was the beginning of cole lyles journey in creating the paws act i was in washington dc walking with kaya when a united states senator approached me and asked me about her he explained i started talking about kaya and told him that the va doesnt provide service dogs to veterans suffering from ptsd the senator asked ‘what do you think we should do about it and i said ‘youre the policymaker you tell me'
the senator invited lyle to his office where they discussed possible solutions to the lack of service dogs available for veterans with ptsd although that particular policymaker didnt initiate legislation the encounter gave lyle the idea to lobby congress and find someone who would cole lyle has been working with congressman ron desantis of florida to craft the paws act and lobby other members of congress to support it since may 2015
in march of 2016 the bill was introduced to the house of representatives where it was referred to the va committee only time will tell if lyles paws act will become a law this is not something that is partisan he said republicans and democrats both understand the need to reduce the number of veteran suicides we have a lot of support in different areas and in many different demographics and are optimistic about our chances for success
kaya has played such a positive and inspirational role in lyles life her continuing health is of utmost importance to the cvm for both kaya and lyles well-being the cvm looks forward to the success of lyle and kaya in their efforts to make the world a better place for veterans with ptsd
puppies assisting wounded servicemembers (paws) act mission statement: to inform members of congress using subject-matter experts and veterans with first-hand experience of the benefits of service dogs who assist veterans with symptoms of post-traumatic stress; and to influence members of congress to enact sound policy to expand veteran access to service dogs as medically necessary instruments for rehabilitation through the veterans affairs department
college station tx- a study published in pnas led by leif andersson professor at uppsala university the swedish university of agricultural sciences and texas a&m university has significant implications for how climate change may affect the reproduction of herring and other marine fishes
scientists in sweden and canada have studied the genetic basis of reproduction in 25 populations of herring from both sides of the north atlantic they revealed that a number of genes associated with the timing of reproduction and the genetic variants associated with spring or autumn spawning were found to be largely shared between geographically distant populations
we now have a long list of genes associated with timing of reproduction in the herring and there are some that appear particularly important said andersson animals need to breed at the time of year when their progeny have the best chance of survival
the atlantic herring is one of the most abundant fish in the world and has been a crucial food resource in northern europe the fish spawn in the spring summer or autumn; which strategy is the most successful varies from year to year and over time periods due to climate conditions that affect plankton production it has already been observed in some birds that there is a mismatch between their reproduction and the peak of insect abundance due to a warmer climate (earlier spring)
this new study has given several interesting results firstly we have revealed that herring populations across the entire atlantic ocean are remarkably similar genetically suggesting that there is gene flow between herring populations despite this we identified clear genetic differences between spring and autumn spawning populations furthermore the genetic factors associated with spawning time were to a large extent shared between geographically distant populations explained sangeet lamichhaney former phd student at uppsala university and shared first author on the paper
one of the most interesting genes is tshr (thyroid- stimulating hormone receptor) because previous studies in birds and mammals have indicated that this gene has a key role in how animals time their reproduction in response to changes in day length andersson said the fact that tshr was the gene that showed the most consistent association with spawning time in the herring suggests that it has a similar role in fish
an important topic for future research is to reveal the molecular mechanism of how increasing day length leads to the initiation of spawning in spring spawners whereas this response is delayed until august or september for autumn spawners he said
we think that the atlantic herring has a capacity to respond well to at least moderate changes in the climate said angela fuentes-pardo a dalhousie university canada phd student and shared first author on the paper firstly spawning time is not strictly genetically determined herring show some plasticity and adjust spawning time according to the water temperature
secondly our data suggest that there is a considerable amount of genetic variation affecting spawning time so the herring should be able to adapt genetically to moderate climate changes said fuentes-pardo
the study also has important implications for fishery management of the atlantic herring
by providing genetic markers that distinguish spring and autumn spawning herring outside the breeding season a more sustainable fishery can be developed by optimising fishing among stocks according to their abundance said dalhousie university professor daniel ruzzante who is one of the senior authors of the study
college station tx-in a new study published in plos genetics an international team of researchers report that two independent mutations are required to explain the development of the sex-linked barring pattern in chickens both mutations affect the function of cdkn2a a tumor suppressor gene associated with melanoma in humans
leif andersson uppsala university swedish university of agricultural sciences and texas a&m university led the study that illustrates how useful domestic animals are as models for evolutionary processes in nature andersson argues that a similar evolution of gene variants comprising multiple genetic changes affecting the function of a single gene is the rule rather than the exception in natural populations
research in pigmentation biology has made major advances the last 20 years in identifying genes controlling variation in pigmentation in mammals and birds; however the most challenging question is still how color patterns are genetically controlled birds are outstanding as regards the diversity and complexity in color patterning according to andersson
the study published april 7 has revealed the genetic basis for the striped feather characteristic of sex-linked barring sex-linked barring refers to the alternating of pigmented (usually red or black) and apigmented (white) stripes that occur on certain breeds of chickens
one example is the french breed coucou de rennes the name of which refers to the fact that its plumage color resembles the barring patterns present in the common cuckoo (cuculuscanorus) the sex-linked barring locus is on the z chromosome in chickens as well as in other birds the male has chromosomes zz while females have zw
our data show that sex-linked barring is caused by two independent mutations that act together one is a regulatory mutation that increases the expression of cdkn2a the other changes the protein sequence and makes the protein less functionally active andersson said we are sure that both mutations contribute to the sex-linked barring pattern because we have also studied chicken that only carry the regulatory mutation and they show a very pale plumage with only weak dark stripes thus this represents an evolutionary process in which the regulatory mutation occurred first followed by the mutation affecting the protein structure the combined effect of the two mutations causes an even more appealing phenotype for the human eye
anderson also believes the most important reason for the extensive color variation among the domestic animals is that we appreciate its diversity as long as the mutations underlying the variation are not causing health issues for the animals
cdkn2a is a well-studied tumor suppressor gene that takes part in the regulation of cell division and cell survival mutations that inactivate cdkn2a are the most common explanation for familiar forms of melanomas in humans however the great majority of melanoma cases are not associated with a strong genetic risk factor
the gene variant underlying sex-linked barring has an opposite effect compared with the mutations causing melanoma in humans sex-linked barring is associated with a gene variant that makes cdkn2a more active leading to a cyclic deficit of pigment cells and causing the white stripes during the development of an individual feather it appears that pigment cells are particularly susceptible to changes in the function of cdkn2a as inactivating mutations in humans are associated with melanoma but rarely other cancer forms and activating mutations cause sex-linked barring in chickens but no other side effects are known said doreen schwochow thalmann phd student and first author of the paper
it is fascinating that a large proportion of chickens used for egg and meat production around the world carry these mutations in a tumor suppressor gene an example of such a breed is white leghorn which is one of the most prominent breeds used for egg production but sex-linked barring is not apparent in these breeds because they also carry the dominant white color that eliminates all pigment production and masks the effect of sex-linked barring andersson said
upon entering the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) each visitor is greeted with a howdy and the smiling face of one of the cvms student ambassadors responsible for assisting visitors and guiding tours of the cvm the ambassadors are the face of the cvm to many visitors some ambassadors are veterinary students and others are undergraduate students studying biomedical sciences (bims) through the ambassador program bims students gain valuable leadership experience and contribute to the cvm in a unique and meaningful way
student ambassadors jacquie macias and alex casas are pre-professional students who were looking for a way to become involved at the cvm and gain professional and leadership skills although macias is pursuing veterinary school and casas is interested in a career in public health both consider the ambassador program invaluable to their future
i think being a student ambassador is a great opportunity casas said i have met a lot of different administrators and being around different professors and clinicians has given me a unique perspective of professionalism
for macias the ambassador program has helped in preparation for applying to veterinary school since i talk to people all the time about the requirements and prerequisites for veterinary school i have all of that information memorized she said if i get lucky enough to go to veterinary school here ill already know where everything is
additionally both students have experienced meeting new people and learning more about the cvm while giving tours every day is a chance to learn something new when alumni come in its really interesting to hear them talk about what the cvm was like in the past the resources that helped them graduate and the academics they focused on casas said they always give me tidbits about the tours that i didnt know about its always refreshing to get their perspectives
ive had veterinarians that have graduated from the cvm come and talk to me about their experiences and they have actually helped me with my tours before macias said ive met really great people at the cvm
both ambassadors have also had the opportunity to lead vip tours for people who most students would not be able to meet casas has toured with texas representative ken king of brownsville texas and senator bill flores of bryan texas similarly jacquie toured the parents of country singer miranda lambert
when i gave a tour to state representative ken king it was great to see how impressed he was with the facilities casas said
being an ambassador has also complemented the students coursework in some unexpected ways macias who is pursuing the spanish certificate program at texas a&m has given tours in spanish it feels great to be able to help people like that she said
although the two students have given countless tours during their time as student ambassadors giving tours never seems to get old with new faces people animals and questions macias and casas love representing the cvm and helping prospective students former students and other visitors
i really enjoy talking to high school students who are on the fence of which school to choose and being that deciding factor and pushing them to come here casas said
i like telling visitors about all the cool classes you get to take as a veterinary student macias added
in addition to belonging to the student ambassador program both macias and casas are involved in other organizations on and off campus and stay busy studying for their bims classes it may not be easy balancing it all but both are dedicated students i have a planner and honestly thats the best way to stay organized casas said i never thought i would use a planner but in college time management is important
with the addition of the veterinary & biomedical education complex (vbec) building in summer 2016 student ambassadors will be changing up their tours to include the new facilities ambassadors like casas and macias are looking forward to the cvms expansion and to even more interesting tours
the alumni know this is a great university and we are only going up casas said we are building new facilities and only getting better and i think thats a trend we are going to be on for quite some time
dr bill murphy professor in the department of veterinary integrative biomedical sciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been recognized as one of the universitys rising stars as a member of the first faculty class of presidential impact fellows award recipients
the inaugural award was announced this year by texas a&m university president michael k young and executive vice president for academic affairs and provost karan l watson as one of the most prestigious awards given to texas a&m faculty
the 2017 award was presented at a ceremony held on march 21 to 24 faculty members from the universitys 16 college and schools two branch campuses and comprehensive university libraries
as a mid-career scientist dr murphy is contributing in an extraordinary capacity to mammalian comparative and biomedical genomics phylogenetics and evolution said dr evelyn castiglioni cvm associate dean for undergraduate education and head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences he is highly deserving of recognition by the university as a rising star presidential impact fellow
he is in addition a kind and generous colleague and a fine teacher and mentor for students postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members she said
each recipient identified by their dean and confirmed by academic leadership is considered a candidate for continued or new national and international acclaim
i am grateful for this award and the college and university administrations acknowledgement of my research impact murphy said
murphy will utilize the award to advance his scholarship and seek new research partnerships his research focuses on structural and functional aspects of mammalian genome evolution mammalian phylogenetics and evolutionary genomics using cats as genetic models in both biomedical and evolutionary contexts
the award will certainly offer flexibility to expand my research and speaking opportunities both nationally and internationally he said
in addition to his outstanding research murphy also has made an impact on his students he noted that the new veterinary & biomedical education complex has given his students better opportunities for interaction education and collegiality
as i pass through the new building it is clear the students are enjoying their new academic home and the excellent learning environment that it offers murphy said
as part of the inaugural class of presidential impact fellows murphy will receive a stipend of $25 000 for the next three fiscal years to accelerate his teaching research and service efforts he will also be given the title of presidential impact fellow for life
in addition each presidential impact fellows award recipient will receive a glass art memento reflecting the synergy of transformational learning discovery and impact achieved through texas a&ms commitment to creating a better world
veterinary students face numerous challenges every day long hours high-pressure exams and large volumes of content to absorb are just a few of the stresses veterinary students are faced with; these challenges dont end after graduation either demanding situations and long workdays can also take a toll on a veterinarians mental health

mental health issues affect the veterinary community disproportionately compared to the general population according to a paper published in social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology approximately 21 percent of veterinarians in the united kingdom reported suicidal ideations in contrast to 39 percent of the general population similarly a survey of student american veterinary medical association (savma) members found that approximately 47 percent of respondents report a personal history of depression anxiety or substance abuse
such statistics are unfortunate and troubling and though mental health is a difficult subject to tackle its one that the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) refuses to ignore through a number of efforts the college is working to promote the mental well-being of veterinary students by decreasing the stigma associated with mental illness fostering mental and physical wellness programs and providing easily accessible counseling services
achieving balance
at the heart of the cvms mental health efforts is the notion of achieving balance many of the pressures associated with being a veterinarian cannot be removed but how an individual responds to these pressures can be managed
in particular the cvm is considering the importance of resilience or how an individual can bounce back from challenges and difficulties dr laura peycke clinical associate professor at the cvm noted how the veterinary community can benefit from resilience and suggested reframing thinking moderating stress and managing emotions as a few ways to be resilient
how can we promote resilience as instructors we must focus on helping students learn to recenter or ‘bounce back in response to the rigors of veterinary life said dr laura peycke more importantly however we can be realistic about what level of commitment is sustainable in their careers in veterinary medicine as it relates to their professional and personal lives
here at the cvm the push for better wellness begins on day one the cvm hosts a day dedicated to wellness at orientation for first-year veterinary students school-life balance and stress management are some of the main topics discussed speakers share strategies for prioritizing and improving wellness as well as where to find additional resources if needed
the cvm also hosts monthly lunch & learns centered around stress management creating balance and other wellness topics
student efforts
many of the efforts to support mental wellness begin with the students chris dolan a fourth-year veterinary student and president of the student chapter of the american veterinary medical association (scavma) saw the need to schedule breaks for veterinary students studying for finals dolan started find the joy week which offers veterinary students a chance to take a break the week before finals through events such as yoga classes and ice skating

getting students to take time for themselves during finals is vital to keep them from burning out dolan said my hope is that these events help students have fun and relieve the stress of finals while spending time with their classmates
student efforts go beyond the cvm fourth-year veterinary student mike mcentire serves on the savma wellness task force and helped create the its ok campaign which aims to reduce the stigma associated with mental health in the veterinary community the campaign includes a video reaching out to veterinary students who may be suffering from a mental illness to say that they are not alone and its okay to seek help
as we began talking about wellness i had students in every year approach me telling me their own stories of struggling with wellness mcentire said none of them had wanted to talk about it because nobody was talking about it so we created our ‘its ok campaign to let everybody know that its okay to talk about these issues
additionally mcentire and the savma wellness taskforce conducted a wellness survey to better understand the struggles faced by veterinary students we asked the 14 000 savma members to take this survey and nearly 4 000 of them responded showing just how much students care about this issue mcentire said we found that 67 percent of veterinary students have experienced a period of depression and that 37 percent of students said those periods lasted longer than two weeks which is the clinical definition of depression five percent of veterinary students reported having seriously contemplated suicide
counseling at the cvm
a minutes walk from the cvms main entrance is an in-house counselor lanice chappell who is available for individual counseling sessions chappell is a counselor with texas a&ms student counseling service (scs) whose office serves as a satellite of the scs within the cvm
the deans and many others recognized it was difficult for veterinary students to access the main counseling office because of the students very full schedules chappell said the partnership between the scs and cvm was created to reduce accessibility barriers for veterinary students
a number of the services available to students on main campus are available nearby for students in the vet school such as personal career and even couples counseling
being embedded in the cvm school directly has allowed me to interact with students outside of the counseling office at orientation outreaches and in the hallways so that stigma is reduced chappell said
while chappell mainly focuses on individual counseling she also offers workshops some of which are presented in collaboration with the texas a&m professional programs office weve presented topics on stress management habit formation communication nutrition and many others
in particular one program that chappell leads and recommends is qpr-which stands for question persuade and refer-training which focuses on suicide prevention qpr training is open to faculty students and staff throughout texas a&m and is held throughout the semester
changing the culture
change does not come easy but when it comes to the health and well-being of the veterinary community change may be necessary numerous faculty members in the cvm have called for a cultural change to combat mental illness
the cvm recognizes the importance of mental health through efforts to increase and emphasize diversity a sense of belonging and inclusion is closely linked to an individuals happiness we want each student to feel as if they are part of the woven fabric that constitutes the dvm family chappell said
peycke offered several recommendations for how professors can facilitate a cultural change she suggests breaking down the illusion of perfection by being open and admitting that we all have bad days additionally she suggests professors inviting students to participate in hobbies outside of the classroom
i try to let the students know that it is unrealistic to think that we are going to be perfect every day peycke said rather it is more about showing up with the willingness to try to help and maintain the attitude that we are going to do our very best it is that simple
part of changing the culture also means recognizing when someone is struggling and helping them get the help they need we are a community and as such its more likely someone else will notice if a person is struggling before that individual reaches out to me chappell said; however she cautioned that forcing someone to come see me is usually a recipe for a poor treatment outcome because the student may feel the referral is punitive we encourage faculty staff and peers to connect with the person and let them know people care and would like to help help can be as simple as a listening ear free from judgment or advice
changing the culture and successfully combating mental health issues wont happen overnight instead the cvms faculty students and staff are chipping away at the stigma and adversity associated with mental illness and moving toward a healthier happier and more well-rounded veterinary community
need help
to learn more about the services offered at the student counseling service visit scstamuedu or call 9798454427 from 4 pm to 8 am during weekdays and all weekend students can reach the student counseling help line at 9798452700
if you are cvm staff or faculty and are worried about a student please contact the professional programs office at 9798453878 additionally students faculty and staff can visit tellsomebodytamuedu to report concerning behavior
college station tx-the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) honored five of its alumni at a reception and dinner held on friday march 31 2017 at the miramont country club the recipients of the 2017 outstanding alumni awards and the rising star award are all leaders in the veterinary medical and biomedical sciences fields and the awards recognize their contributions and service to their communities
these alumni are ambassadors for the cvm and we are proud of their commitment to service education and leadership said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are honored and privileged to recognize our former students and the impact of their work on our college our state our nation and the world
dr chase a crawford 14
although dr chase a crawford graduated from texas a&m university with his dvm in 2014 his career had already become one devoted to advancing one health concepts and improving animal human and environmental health he received his ms in biomedical science in 2010 and a bachelor of science in zoology with a minor in chemistry in 2007 from texas a&m university
prior to graduating crawford completed an alternative curriculum track which included internships with the food and agriculture organization (fao) of the united nations (un) in rome italy in 2013 and with the world health organization (who) in geneva switzerland in 2014 during these opportunities he gained valuable experience in monitoring and helping to containing global zoonotic disease threats such as avian influenza
after receiving his dvm dr crawford served as a congressional fellow for the american association for the advancement of sciences (aaas) and worked in the office of united states senator al franken (d-mn) helping to advance the senators global health agriculture and energy initiatives while working in the senators office dr crawford advocated for the essential roles of veterinarians and wildlife biologists in controlling and preventing zoonotic diseases in particular the ebola virus outbreak in western africa he went on to draft legislation for senator franken to establish a federal interagency one health program and to promote a framework at the international level among intergovernmental organizations such as who and the un which became s 2634 the one health act of 2016
in 2015 dr crawford was named as the director of the antimicrobial resistance initiative a joint program of the association of public & land-grant universities (aplu) and the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) he oversaw the development and implementation of all aspects of this initiative that elevated the role of academic institutions in national efforts to address antibiotic resistance in agriculture settings including cultivating relationships with key stakeholders in agriculture healthcare industry and advocacy as well as un agencies
dr crawford joined the national institutes of health (nih) office of legislative policy and analysis (opla) as a program analyst in august 2016 overseeing a new zika virus research initiative and providing information and guidance on congressional actions affecting the nih the opla is a liaison with members of congress and their staff and performs legislative analysis and policy development
currently dr crawford serves as a program health analyst at the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases dr crawford continues to champion the importance of one health and the roles of veterinarians to the community thereby fostering understanding and bringing global visibility to the one health concept
click here to see crawfords video
dr william r fenner 73
william (bill) r fenner dvm diplomate american college of veterinary internal medicine (acvim) (neurology) has the perspective of both an academic and private practice veterinary career
he was raised in his fathers private general practice where he gained an early understanding of the importance of listening to each client thirty years in teaching and research development has showed him the importance of always looking to the future
dr fenner earned his dvm from texas a&m university in 1973 following his graduation from veterinary school he completed a yearlong internship in small animal medicine and surgery as well as a two-year residency in small animal medicine and neurology at the animal medical center in new york he was a member of the faculty and administration at the ohio state university college of veterinary medicine and was a guest faculty member at michigan state university and purdue university colleges of veterinary medicine he was awarded the norden distinguished teaching award as well as the animal medical center distinguished alumnus award
a leader in the field of veterinary neurology dr fenner is currently the neurology specialty leader at medvet columbus where he has been part of the medical team since 2004 he is also the professional liaison for the acvim and serves as its representative on the american board of veterinary specialties
with research published in peer-reviewed journals including the journal of veterinary internal medicine dr fenner maintains an interest in all aspects of small animal neurology with particular interest in the management of canine seizures he has been the principal investigator of several clinical studies focused on the treatment of epilepsy and the response of the nervous system to inflammation (encephalitis) in addition he is the principle editor and a contributor for all three editions of quick reference to veterinary practice an active advocate of continued education for veterinary professionals dr fenner has lectured on small animal neurology topics both nationally and internationally
outside of veterinary medicine dr fenners interests include history travel food and music his season tickets to both the lyric opera in chicago and the metropolitan opera in new york give him the opportunity enjoy both music and food he regularly visits friends in great britain where he has explored ancient roman ruins-in particular hadrians wall
click here to see fenners video
mr joshua a floren 97
joshua floren fache has developed a reputation for his commitment to advance-care delivery and working collaboratively with physicians and other caregivers that reputation has allowed floren to rise quickly through the ranks at texas health presbyterian hospital in plano where he directs the acute care hospital in its continued leadership of the north texas market in improving the health of the communities the hospital serves
floren earned his bachelor of science degree from texas a&m in biomedical sciences in 1997 and went on to earn his masters in health administration from washington university in st louis
after a 2 year fellowship and 6 years in various administrative positions at charleston area medical center he moved back to texas to work at parkland hospital in dallas he spent 7 years there ultimately becoming their chief of hospital operations
he was named president of texas health plano in 2015 a promotion that came less than two years after joining the hospital as vice president of professional and support services for which he oversaw ancillary and support services including radiology rehabilitation pharmacy orthopedic joint program and nutrition services
at texas health plano floren has been instrumental in the opening of the texas health ben hogan concussion center and the texas health ben hogan sports medicine center at toyota stadium in frisco under his leadership texas health plano became the first hospital in north texas to offer eos a low-dose 3-d imaging technology that provides another advanced diagnostic option for patients his hospital has been recognized as a top performer in quality and patient satisfaction for many years and has continued to be recognized by the community as the best place to have a baby
floren is a fellow of the american college of healthcare executives (ache) and served for several years on their north texas board of trustees ultimately becoming the president of the board the college went on to recognize him in 2016 with the ache north texas reagents award
he also is an active proponent in the community serving as a member of leadership plano class 32 a program of the plano chamber of commerce dedicated to educating developing and empowering current and future leaders he is currently on the childrens advocacy board in collin county the texas hospital association policy council and is a member of the biomedical sciences advisory council here at texas a&m in addition floren was on the advisory board for the american diabetes association and the american cancer society
he and his wife of 12 years valerie have three children: jackson brooks and charlotte his hobbies include hunting skiing cooking and traveling though most of his spare time is spent coaching kids baseball and attending his childrens sporting events
click here to see florens video
dr stephen d lewis 79
dr steve lewis has found success in a number of arenas a leader in feed yard/stocker cattle medicine dr lewis also has become known for both his dedication to the profession via research as well as his business ventures
dr lewis graduated magna cum laude with a bs degree in veterinary science in 1977 he earned his dvm degree cum laude in 1979 both from texas a&m university following graduation he began his career at a mixed animal practice in muleshoe texas there he came to recognize the need for a large animal practice in the panhandle and established his hereford veterinary clinic in hereford texas in 1982
today dr lewis serves as manager and senior partner at the clinic which contributes to the practice of general medicine and surgery with specializations in beef cattle consultation equine and food animal research embryo transfer equine surgery and orthopedic surgery the clinics annual client cattle population is more than 175 million head
in addition to being a prominent practicing-consultant veterinarian dr lewis is a successful businessman as director of hereford state bank
he combined his passion for veterinary medicine with his business acumen through two corporations hereford vet supply inc of which dr lewis is a majority stockholder and the chief executive officer provides an assortment of products and feed for livestock and pets through its stockholder consultants the company represents more than 3 million head of cattle annually
because of his extensive research and clinical trials experience dr lewis co-founded the veterinary research associates pllc (vra) a group of beef cattle veterinarians who provide feedlot clients cost-efficient methods to decrease disease increase productivity for their cattle and foster a centralized cooperative to conduct field trial research the vra partners have consulted for more than 75 feed yards which represent more than 6 million head of cattle annually
throughout all of his achievements dr lewis has maintained a servants heart giving his time to a number of professional organizations including serving as president and director of the academy of veterinary consultants (avc) which recognized him as the avc consultant of the year and as a member and past board member of the american association of bovine practitioners which recognized him for preventative medicine practitioner and the aabp practitioner of the year most recently he was named the food animal practitioner of the year by the tvma
he also offers workshops on areas related to his expertise serves on the endowment committee and for fundraisers at west texas a&m university and is a member of first united methodist church in canyon
currently steve is still very busy in his consulting practice however more thought is being given into slowing down and dedicating more time to his wife grandkids and hobbies steve and his wife sally have three children dustin kody and augusta and five grandkids he enjoys flying his airplane fishing and traveling with sally pasturing calves and cattle feeding are also included in his hobbies which qualifies as they are fun cost money to do and recently do not make much money
click here to see lewis video
col timothy h stevenson 88
as an officer in the us army veterinary corps col timothy h stevenson has devoted his career to ensuring the safety of his fellow soldiers and the animals that support them
after earning his bachelor of science degree and dvm from texas a&m in 1986 and 1988 respectively col stevenson worked as a private practitioner before joining the army veterinary corps in 1990 he returned to texas a&m to earn his doctor of philosophy degree in food microbiology in 1999
col stevensons career took him across the united states and europe serving as deputy director for the department of defenses (dod) food analysis and diagnostic laboratory at fort sam houston and as the commander of the veterinary laboratory europe during which time both labs achieved accreditation for the first time
today he serves as chief of the defense health agency veterinary service where he leads the veterinary service branch at the office of the assistant secretary of defense (health affairs) in falls church virginia a position for which he was hand-picked
throughout his career col stevenson has contributed significantly to the betterment of military veterinary medicine both within the us army veterinary corps and the north atlantic treaty organization (nato) military community via leadership of working groups and nine publications on water and food safety and beef production and safety
he was the driving force behind the creation of the us army medical departments food defense program; arranged a food defense summit; and coordinating the development of laboratory capacities to test and identify chemical biological and radiological agents that could be used by terrorists to contaminate subsistence items
he helped draft a memorandum of agreement with the centers for disease control and prevention to train and authorize veterinary service personnel to use the direct rapid immunohistochemistry test for rabies which was used by deployed veterinary units in iraq and afghanistan to protect soldiers
during this time col stevenson also was dedicated to the development of future army veterinary leaders through teaching and mentoring including organizing and teaching a course on auditing commercial laboratories for dairies bottled water and other food production facilities that has become the standard for all us army veterinary officers in europe
he has been recognized as a diplomate of the american college of veterinary microbiology and the american college of preventative medicine epidemiology specialty along with many other awards and recognitions
col stevenson has been married to harriet for 30 years she is a biomedical science graduate (class of 84) they are blessed to have two adult sons his hobbies include home renovation projects skiing running and serving in his church and community
click here to see stevensons video
the texas a&m association of former students (afs) honored three members of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty with university-level distinguished achievement awards which are among the highest honors presented by the afs
this years honorees from the cvm are dr audrey k cook associate professor in the department of veterinary small animal clinical sciences; larry johnson phd professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences; and elizabeth crouch 91 phd assistant dean for undergraduate education in the biomedical sciences program
the three faculty members were recognized for their commitment performance and positive impact on aggie students texas citizens and the world around them specifically cook and johnson were recognized for their teaching skills while crouch was recognized for excellent student relations
cook was selected for her reputation as an outstanding educator within texas a&m university her flipped classroom approach to teaching has earned her approval ratings from her students in fact cooks teaching excellence previously was recognized with an afs teaching award in 2015
dr cook is truly an innovative educator who excels at teaching professional students post-graduate trainees and veterinarians in clinical practice said dr jonathan levine department head professor and helen mcwhorter chair in small animal clinical sciences
johnson also is recognized for his teaching skills by both students and the public according to evelyn tiffany-castiglioni associate dean for undergraduate education professor and department head of veterinary integrative biomedical sciences johnson is a unique tireless and inspiring teacher but his teaching is not limited to the classroom johnson also teaches science outreach programs for middle school students teachers and the public
johnson was nominated by his students for his ability to truly make a positive impact in education
the students nominated him for this award which underscores how much they value and appreciate his commitment to high quality teaching and student success castiglioni said i believe dr johnsons excellence and effectiveness as a teacher spring from his abiding commitment to awakening and nurturing a love of science in young people
nominated for her unflagging selfless support of undergraduate students crouch makes each student feel important by ensuring every interaction she has with students is impactful crouch also was selected for her commitment to each students wellbeing and the personalized guidance she offers in meeting students goals
castiglioni said crouchs extensive store of knowledge empathy and interpersonal skills make her a great mentor for students
dr crouch gives students sustained individualized compassionate helpwhether the student is seeking academic guidance or facing personal challenges castiglioni said she is the best and we are lucky to have her for our students
dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine said it is an honor to work with such impactful cvm faculty
these honorees are not only making a positive difference for our students they are impacting texas communities and the world dean green said the cvm is proud to house such distinguished faculty who work hard every day to improve education and student relations within the field of veterinary medicine
each honoree will receive a cash gift an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque for their achievements the distinguished achievement awards were presented on monday april 24 during ceremonies in rudder theatre on the texas a&m campus
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website atvetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu ; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
dr ivan rusyn a professor at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences was born in kiev ukraine the son of two engineers from the beginning the importance of education played a large role in his family; his parents were each first-generation college graduates who impressed their appreciation for science and learning on their children so it came as no surprise to the elder rusyns when their son went on to get his md then phd in toxicology and their daughter a phd in biochemistry were trying to one-up our parents rusyn joked
it was his parents education that brought the rusyn family from a coal-mining community in southeastern ukraine and a farming village in western ukraine to the capital city kiev his parents were sent there in the 1960s after getting their college degrees to repay the free education the government provided as a result rusyn grew up in kiev during a unique period in ukraines history
in may of rusyns eighth-grade year the infamous chernobyl nuclear power plant accident occurred-only 30 miles from kiev despite the lack of official information in the immediate aftermath news of the danger spread fast the biggest immediate threat was from radioactive iodine rusyn explained
although it wasnt potentially hazardous for kiev adults children were at risk because the iodine could affect thyroid development all of that wasnt common knowledge but it became common knowledge fast enough rusyn recalled it took about two weeks for the [government] propaganda machine to actually admit what happened but the rumor mill worked very fast a lot of kids started disappearing from school
rusyn soon joined the flight of children from the affected area to safer places his parents stayed behind sending him to his maternal grandmothers home in southeastern ukraine for the summer when school started he went to his fathers hometown in western ukraine for the semester it was nearly a year before he returned to his parents home in kiev
educational path to science
after high school ivan rusyn went on to medical school at the bogomolets national medical university in kiev where he spent the next six years training to become a physician however as he progressed through his studies his interests began to veer away from clinical medicine i was really enjoying training to be a physician rusyn said but i dabbled into research in the last two years [of medical school] and really really liked it once again the chernobyl blast altered the course of rusyns education albeit a bit more subtly this time [in our research] we were working with [chernobyl] first responders and their blood samples and looking into reactive oxygen species and dna damage this work was both important and immediately applicable to prevention of the deleterious effects of radiation
although rusyn started his residency in ear nose and throat surgery he couldnt resist the research career during a trip to a conference in germany he met helmut sies one of the leading researchers into oxidative stress at the time sies made rusyn an offer he couldnt refuse: an invitation to work in his lab for a year on a german government fellowship (daad) rusyn leapt at the opportunity he left his residency in kiev for germany and never looked back
after spending a year in germany rusyn was thoroughly hooked on research-with a particular interest in toxicology on the advice of colleagues he applied to graduate school in the united states in 1996 he began his doctoral studies in toxicology at the university of north carolina (unc) at chapel hill followed by two years of post-doctoral work at unc and the massachusetts institute of technology (mit) he then returned to unc in 2012 to launch his career in academia as an assistant professor he made full professor in just eight years-quite the feat
texas a&m university snatches rusyn
in 2014 ivan rusyn moved to college station to join the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) team as with many of his career changes it wasnt an expected move he was happy at unc but was ultimately swayed by texas a&ms commitment to the one health initiative which fit his research in environmental health the concept of one health was a very big attraction because i knew this wasnt just an attempt by university administrators to bring in one person he explained it was a concerted effort with all these outstanding researchers coming together in the college having this drive it was very important for me to feel that the administration had a commitment to the broader [one health] picture rather than just a commitment to me and my lab
since moving to the cvm rusyn has devoted himself to filling in the gaps in knowledge about the chemicals in our environment that affect human health the biggest problem in the field of environmental health and toxicology is lack of comprehensive safety information on most chemicals in the environment and commerce there is this paradigm: no data no hazard; no hazard no risk most of the chemicals in the environment have not been tested for safety so we just assume that theyre safe rusyn explained here at the cvm rusyn is working to develop experimental models that explore the connections between chemicals and human health and quantify inter-individual differences in chemical effects
using his background in medicine and toxicology rusyn seeks to understand the root causes of environmental disease and to assist both the government and industry with making science-informed regulatory decisions as a former physician in training i would much rather prevent diseases than treat them but you also need to make sure we are using solid science to protect human and environmental health while allowing safe use of chemicals in our lives he said dealing with people that are sick is a expensive and b not very effective trying to prevent diseases has a potentially larger impact
to that end rusyn works with both regulators and the industry to develop models that determine the safest levels and combinations of the chemicals in our environment he works with industry toxicologists to identify gaps in knowledge about their products then designs and conducts experiments to produce safety information on the other side of the aisle rusyn addresses the big-picture concerns of regulators at state federal and international levels listening to their questions using his research to produce answers and understanding how best complex scientific information can be communicated were trying to serve as an impartial broker between the regulators and the regulated and listen to both sides and try to come up with solutions rusyn said a strong institutional commitment to multi-disciplinary research and applied solutions creates an incentive for our work with the industry and governmental partners to figure out what challenges they have we can design and do experiments and connect all the dots and thats extremely rewarding to me
much of rusyns research focuses on analyzing the combined effects of multiple chemicals on human health by focusing on complex substances such as petroleum refining products which may contain a myriad of individual chemicals he seeks to develop experimental models that will radically change the way we look at chemical toxicology shifting the focus from testing and regulating individual chemicals to complex mixtures a much more realistic exposure scenario human exposures are not one chemical at a time but we try to regulate and protect human health one chemical at a time rusyn explained
petroleum substances are an excellent example of complexity of chemical exposures and were trying to stay on the cutting edge of the field
rusyn and his lab and collaborators are developing models that look at mixtures both forward and backward hes not just looking at known chemical combinations but also creating methods to analyze the effects of an unknown mixture to predict the chemical components and how they will affect human and environmental health as a whole
in addition he led a team of researchers at a&m and beyond to propose a large research program to the national institutes of health (nih) to analyze the impact of chemical disasters and develop first-response tools to protect human health from tropical storms and flooding events to oil and chemical spills we live in a world of constant environmental threats the consortiums goal is to develop faster cheaper better tools for decision-makers to decide quickly whether there is a danger or hazard and how those dangers may affect different individuals or populations were trying to develop tools that can be used to actually get a [high-level] answer within days rather than months or years because within months or years its too late most decisions right now are ‘lets just move people out because we really have no idea ' he said
rusyn is a pragmatist at heart his ultimate goal is to provide the research tools and data that will allow for responsible decision-making on both sides to identify acceptable exposures rather than ignore problems or raise false alarms the challenges are many and daunting but theyre not completely intractable he said what makes me excited is that were trying to bridge between the industry and the regulators and while being protective of human health at the same time bring facts and data for them to make decisions
collaborative efforts
since joining the cvm ivan rusyn has been impressed by the interdisciplinary cooperation that makes his research possible the beauty of this campus is that there are lots of very smart people and you can collaborate with many of them the overall intellectual and physical capacity of this campus is just staggering
he embraces the cvms spirit of innovation and gets just as much satisfaction from teaching the next generation of toxicologists as from his research just as his parents encouraged him to exceed their accomplishments he enjoys training his students to succeed in their own rights rusyn measures his own success not by recognition or awards but by the accomplishments of his mentees and colleagues success of trainees is easier to measure he said i see how many of them have successful careers in academia industry or government how many of them i see being successful and sought after and become stars i think that would be a better measure of my contributions to the field
rusyns emphasis on sensible data-driven solutions and collaborating for a better future falls in line with his pragmatic world view im just a simple person im trying to communicate at the right level he said whether hes working with industry or government teaching students or speaking in the international media rusyns goal is clear: get the facts communicate the message to the right people and make this world a safer place for all
college station mar 23 2017 – texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is ranked no 10 in the world no 4 in the united states and no 1 in the southeastern conference (sec) by quacquarelli symonds (qs) an educational services firm that has rated the top 50 veterinary medicine schools globally
the rankings by qs are based on several factors including academic reputation employer reputation and academic citations in research papers qs combines multiple well-respected university data sources in this their third-year of including veterinary medicine as a subject matter in their survey qs founded in 1990 has offices in 50 countries
established in 1916 the cvm is one of the countrys largest veterinary colleges with a current enrollment of 531 doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) students
we are pleased to see the new rankings by qs said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm the contributions our faculty staff and students are making in creating and nurturing healthier communities are incredible our college is committed to innovation collaboration and excellence in education research and service and i am grateful to be involved in this exceptional college
texas a&m cornell the university of california-davis and the university of pennsylvania are the only united states veterinary colleges to rank in the top 10 worldwide with four other american veterinary programs listed in the top 20 the university of california-davis is ranked as the top veterinary school in the world followed by cornell university the university of pennsylvania is ranked seventh veterinary colleges in great britain canada and the netherlands round out the top ten texas a&m is the only veterinary college in the sec in the top 10
to date the cvm has awarded 7 829 dvm degrees its graduates include outstanding leaders within the profession such as those who have served as presidents of the american veterinary medical association veterinary specialty organizations the texas veterinary medical association the world veterinary association the world equine veterinary association and other national veterinary organizations the college recently moved into its new $120 million veterinary & biomedical education complex and celebrated its centennial year in partnership with texas a&m agrilife the cvm operates the thomas g hildebrand dvm 56 equine complex a $33 million education and outreach facility which represents phase one of building for the $80 million equine initiative
to read more about the qs rankings please go to https://wwwtopuniversitiescom/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2017/veterinary-science
from people to animals clients to patients and colleagues to students dr stacy eckman touches the lives of many through her work at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) to many she is a doctor a teacher and a mentor she currently works as a clinical assistant professor in both small animal primary care and emergency services at the small animal hospital there eckman splits her time between routine care and emergency medicine depending on where she is needed
in primary care we try to make it as close to a regular general practice as would be found outside of the university we do a lot of routine wellness and healthcare as well as acute injury and illness she said in the er its whatever comes in the door
in addition to balancing her attention between the distinctive worlds of primary care and the er eckman also teaches veterinary students and interns in clinical and classroom settings this level of multitasking can be a challenge but it is something in which eckman excels in fact she flourishes at this level of multitasking her versatility makes her an asset as both a veterinarian and a professor
life before the cvm
before stacy eckman plunged into the world of veterinary academia she was no different than many aspiring veterinarians she loved animals and dreamt of one day being able to help them by becoming a veterinarian i have a similar story to everybody else she said when i was a little kid i loved cats and dogs in particular i loved cows
growing up eckman wanted to be a large animal veterinarian specializing in cattle sadly she was discouraged from pursuing her dream she said i thought i always wanted to be a veterinarian and i went to career day in high school and the veterinarian there said ‘its terrible its all this work and its math and science its a terrible profession ' she said i thought ‘wow maybe i should do something else'
eckman took that conversation to heart dissuaded from her dream of becoming a veterinarian she eventually attended texas a&m university as a civil engineering major however her dreams would not die so easily
during a trip to her hometown eckman was helping a friend with her show steer when she realized that working with animals was what she really loved i just thought ‘this is what i want to do ' she said
when she got back to texas a&m eckman headed to the cvm and met with dr william bill banks to discuss changing majors to biomedical sciences he sat me down and talked to me about what my goals were and he said ‘i think we can help you'
an aggie through and through eckman ended up attending veterinary school at the cvm i drink the kool-aid for sure she joked while wearing aggie maroon scrubs
since i was growing up and going through veterinary school i was going to own my own practice in small-town america and thats what i was going to do the rest of my life eckman said the reality of it is the more time that i spend teaching the more i really enjoy the other side of medicine or the other side of what academia has to offer so its definitely been a trajectory that i never envisioned but it has evolved into the plan
from private practice to the cvm
after graduating stacy eckman began practicing small animal medicine in corpus christi texas although she wasnt working on cattle as she had intended she discovered her love of small animal medicine
for four years eckman and daniel her husband and a fellow veterinarian worked at competing practices in corpus christi the two later joined together and purchased a small animal practice where they worked for six years although working in private practice was rewarding for the couple it was also difficult
not a day went by that i didnt enjoy private practice eckman said people always ask me why i came back to the cvm if i enjoyed private practice so much for us it was a quality-of-life issue because we were co-owners we were the only two veterinarians there we had a young family so one of us was always at work
initially eckman was hesitant to leave private practice she loved the personal relationship that she developed with her clients but she found that working at the cvm still allowed her to develop such relationships with her pupils and clients not only does she get to see her patients grow up from being puppies and kittens but she also gets to see her students grow
as she began to explore professional options eckman remembered how much she enjoyed teaching anatomy in veterinary school so she applied for a position at the cvm in the er from there her career flourished
to me its the best of both worlds she said i still have the patients and clients but then i also get to teach students
mentoring students and involvement in the cvm
as a mentor and teacher to first- through fourth-year veterinary students stacy eckman now has the perspective of seeing students transform from starting veterinary school to entering the veterinary profession she teaches a correlates course to the first- and third-year students as well as a preventative care and wellness elective and communications to third-year students then she guides the fourth-year students during clinical rotations both er and primary care are required rotations for veterinary students allowing eckman to help mentor all the fourth-year students
mentoring is one of the reasons why i came back-to see that light-bulb moment when it all comes together in the students mind eckman said its really fun to see them come in as first-year students when they dont have a lot of confidence or opportunities to talk to clients but i love to see how they evolve in their fourth year and even as their fourth year progresses they gain so much confidence in themselves and in their ability to communicate its fun to watch
through her role as veterinarian in the primary care service eckman mentors fourth-year veterinary students who are practicing their clinical skills and preparing to enter the profession were there for support but we want them to truly be the doctors she said they can spread their wings and make a decision about something but still have the luxury of referring back to us and asking ‘is that ok should i do that'
the cases students see in primary care are a learning experience we try to make it the best example possible for the students to show them that this is what its going to be like when they get out eckman said we start seeing appointments at 8 am then we take a break in the middle of the day for rounds to discuss the cases and specific topics we continue to see appointments until about 5:30 or 6:00 and thats kind of our typical day in primary care
on the other hand the er rotation can be much higher stakes and students are watched closely by supervisors such as eckman so that the patients receive the best possible care
we are highly invested in the students education and i think thats really really important she said i think we as faculty take great pride in the fact that theyre getting a degree from texas a&m and theres a lot of weight that goes behind that its more of a family atmosphere were all in this together and we can all move forward together
beyond teaching
to further ensure that students receive a quality education stacy eckman is involved in administration currently eckman is involved in the selections committee and the committee on expanding class size the administrative piece is interesting theres different aspects of it that i find just as interesting as the teaching and practicing she said
for eckman the future is now and that means continuing to do what she is doing the descriptors shes earned-teacher mentor doctor-are ones that she hopes will stick with her for a long time
the cvms primary care service provides routine medical care including regular evaluations sick care treatment of minor emergencies and senior care it is a core service of the veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) and focuses on providing the best and most well-rounded care for pets along with practical experience for our fourth-year veterinary students
the emergency and critical care service is a fully functional service with the capabilities of the entire hospital and has a veterinarian and support staff in the hospital to receive patients 24 hours a day the service provides ongoing care for critically ill or injured pets as well as those recovering from surgery the emergency service also provides immediate initial evaluation stabilization and treatment for ill or injured pets
the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) held its 2017 annual conference at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) march 3-5 2017 in the veterinary & biomedical educational complex (vbec)
the event included the latest in teaching technology and investment in the future of the college and veterinary students daytime lectures workshops and trade show demonstrations were held in the vbec state-of-the-art teaching and clinical facility for the ultimate learning experience more than 150 veterinary students and nearly 400 veterinarians assembled to perform the business of the organization acquire and expand their knowledge base and skill set and grow closer as a veterinary community through networking and social activities
this is the first time the tvma conference was held at the cvms vbec and the 65-plus vendors were complimentary about the complex the space and the networking opportunities
dr dan posey academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university was sworn in on saturday evening as the new tvma president dr sam miller tvma past president was on-hand to pass the gavel to posey
we are so grateful to the tvma for their support of our college and our students said eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the tvma has been a collaborative partner for many years providing scholarships learning opportunities sponsoring practice management seminars job fair and college-to-work transition meetings-i could go on and on talking about all the wonderful things they do for us we were honored to host this years conference in our new building
the tvma annual conference was a great success with the showcasing of the new veterinary education complex the meeting of the tvma board of directors and the offering of quality ce said posey it was a great weekend for the tvma in college station with our great educational partner the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
the cvm has 100 percent faculty membership in the tvma and benefits from its input on curriculum design feedback on assessment identification of possible improvements and new ideas the tvma also assists with the student selection process which provides them with a good understanding of the high caliber of students in our program
from a veteran conference planners perspective i found the new veterinary & biomedical education complex to be one of the top meeting venues ive had the pleasure of working with said ellen forsythe cmp and director of education and meetings for tvma not only is the complex replete with the latest audio-visual technology but the event and building management teams were dedicated to ensuring our meeting went without a hitch they were right the association beside us to troubleshoot each challenge we faced during the planning and execution of our meeting
college station texas – following a year of serving as president-elect of the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) dr dan posey academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university (wt) has been installed as president of the tvma
posey was welcomed as the incoming president during the tvmas awards and installation banquet at the organizations annual conference and expo held at the hilton college station hotel and at the texas a&m veterinary & biomedical education complex (vbec) march 3-5 2017
as i look with great anticipation of service this year as the tvma as president i am always cognizant of the long line of great leaders who have held this gavel i am always reflective of their level of service their wise counsel and acknowledge the roads that they have paved before me the tvma has had the great fortune to have those great leaders who stepped forward to serve my hope is that i will be able to serve as well as my predecessors
as tvmc director at wt since 2016 posey mentors teaches and advises pre-veterinary students and works to advance and strengthen relationships with the livestock industries to support veterinary education outreach and research he also serves as a professor of agricultural sciences at wt
he received his doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) degree from texas a&m university in 1982
working in private general veterinary practice in rural madison county for 20 years posey was certified in beef cattle production management through the great plains veterinary educational center in clay center nebraska in 1997
he joined the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty in march 2002 and began instructing senior veterinary students through clinical service to the texas department of criminal justice agricultural programs
this is a very exciting time to be part of the tvma posey said i look forward to collaborating with the executive committee and members to work in fulfillment of the tvma mission
other accomplishments include being boarded by the american board of veterinary practitioners in beef cattle practice in 2003 serving as the chief of food animal medicine in the department of large animal clinical sciences from 2003 to 2008 and serving as the director of student affairs for the professional programs office which he joined in january 2009
prior to becoming tvma president posey served as an active tvma member through his participation on the organizations bovine membership and executive committees as well as its board of directors
dr poseys contributions to our profession to students and to our college are immeasurable said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the impact he continues to make through student engagement and through his professional roles in organizations across the state and country help develop the profession on many levels we are proud of his accomplishments here in the cvm at wt and in the tvma we look forward to working with him in this new role
as tvma president posey will lead the nine-member executive committee in running the organizations administrative functions
founded in 1903 the tvma is one of the largest state veterinary medical associations in the nation and is recognized for its leadership on important issues innovative solutions and effective representation
the organization is owned by its membership of more than 3 500 licensed practicing veterinarians in the state of texas and was created to support veterinarians as they practice the art and science of veterinary medicine in texas
college station texas – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) announces dr gerald w parker as the new associate dean for global one health the appointment is housed within the cvm
in this role he will serve as campus director for global one health for texas a&m university and also will hold joint appointments in the college of agriculture & life sciences as strategic advisor of the institute for infectious animal diseases in agrilife research and the bush school of government & public service as director of the biosecurity and pandemic policy program
parker will lead coordinate and expand the global one health program to meet its goals of improving global health and actively engage both national and international partners in pursuing innovated health solutions
a us army veteran with combined military and civilian federal public service of more than 36 years parkers federal experience culminated with his service as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for chemical and biological defense in the us department of defense
parker also served as the principal deputy assistant secretary within the department of health and human services (dhhs) office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response parker led the coordination of dhhs-wide efforts to prepare for and respond to public health and medical emergencies in this role he also served as a focal point for operational and policy coordination with the white house congress other federal departments state and local officials private sector leaders and international authorities that includes disaster responses to hurricane katrina to the haiti earthquake and the 2009 influenza pandemic
prior to joining the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences dr parker served as the interim director of the institute for infectious animal diseases and associate vice president for public health preparedness and response at the texas a&m health science center
we are honored to have dr parker join our team in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine with his many talents career experiences and widespread reputation he will help us realize our goals of synergizing the unique strengths across campus nationally and internationally to advance animal human and environmental health in a shared ecosystem
in 2015 parker was one of 27 individuals named to the us department of homeland securitys science and technology advisory committee (hsstac) which advises the departments undersecretary for science and technology on matters related to the expansion of technological capabilities he also serves as an ex officio member of the biodefense blue ribbon panel co-chaired by former governor ridge and former senator lieberman
dr parker is a remarkable scholar a remarkable administrator and a remarkable practitioner said mark a welsh iii dean of the bush school of government and public service we are honored to have him join the bush school faculty in this role and believe he has the talent experience and leadership skills to take biosecurity and pandemic policy discussions in this country to a new level
during his military career he served in many roles including former commander and deputy commander of the us army medical research institute of infectious diseases
in 2009 parker was recognized with the distinguished executive presidential rank award the highest annual recognition for senior executive service personnel and the secretary of defense medal for civilian meritorious service in 2013
parker holds a doctorate of veterinary medicine from texas a&m university a doctorate in physiology from baylor college of medicine and a masters degree in resourcing the national strategy from the industrial college of the armed forces
texas a&m university one health is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally nationally and globally to attain sustainable optimal health for the ecosystem
college station texas – the american association of veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) has named texas a&m university veterinary student erin black originally from mckinney texas as the recipient of the 2017 patricia m lowrie diversity leader scholarship the scholarship recognizes veterinary students who have demonstrated exemplary promise as future leaders and have made significant contributions to enhancing diversity and inclusion in academic veterinary medicine
she will receive the award during the aavmcs 2017 annual conference and iverson bell symposium march 10-12 in washington dc before more than 260 conference attendees including veterinary college deans faculty and associated dignitaries from throughout the united states and the world
through this scholarship were proud to honor veterinary medical students who are working to advance diversity and inclusion within our colleges and schools said aavmc chief executive officer dr andrew t maccabe erin is a truly remarkable young woman who has already accomplished a great deal in just a few short years and im sure were going to be hearing more about her in the future the leadership and passion she brings to her work and her community makes her an outstanding honoree
blacks manifold efforts to promote diversity at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) include mentoring minority students and being selected as the liaison for the national student american veterinary medical association and the national organization of veterinary students as one in culture and ethnicity she also serves as the president of the student chapter of the womens veterinary leadership development initiative and is a member of project diversity which works to reach out to undergraduates at historically african american colleges and universities to encourage students to consider a career in veterinary medicine
black was also awarded the prestigious western veterinary conferences dr jack walther leadership award in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the veterinary profession and received a 2016 zoetis veterinary student scholarship
in nominating her for the award dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm wrote that black has an unmatched work ethic and profound intelligence while remaining humble about her multitude of accomplishments … i truly believe that all successful programs are driven by inspired and dedicated people who have a vision for excellence and the energy to fulfill that vision erin is one of those rare individuals who has all of those qualities as well as a sincere passion for diversity programs and veterinary medicine
i have known erin since she joined the college as a first year dvm student said dr kenita rogers executive associate dean in the cvm what ive learned is that she is fully engaged and will always say yes to helping with new and exciting initiatives her passion for diversity and helping others is beyond compare and she is an incredibly talented ambassador for our profession i am truly proud of erin her accomplishments and all of the ways that she makes us better i cannot wait to see the difference that she makes in our collective future
dr karen cornell associate dean of professional programs at the cvm added we could not be more proud of erin she has espoused our aggie core values from the day she became a member of our cvm family her passion is contagious and she has demonstrated selfless service through not only her official leadership activities in our college but also her spontaneous acts of generosity
the aavmcs diversity leader scholarship is named in honor of patricia m lowrie a long-time champion of diversity and inclusion in the veterinary profession who formerly served as director of the womens resource center and assistant to the dean at michigan state universitys college of veterinary medicine
the aavmc is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals people and the environment around the world by advancing academic veterinary medicine members include 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges in the united states canada the caribbean basin europe australia and mexico
for many veterinarians especially those who operate their own businesses entrepreneurship and business know-how are staples of their careers but business is changing information is more readily available than ever before and information technology is growing exponentially its time for veterinarians to adapt-thats the philosophy of the newly hired director of innovation and entrepreneurship at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) dr adam little


for the veterinary profession and its business practices to adapt changes must also occur in veterinary school according to little early in his career he noticed a deficit in the way companies engage veterinary students often undervaluing their creativity and intellectual capacity companies might reach out to veterinary students through presentations over lunch hoping to piqué students interest in working with the company or trying their products he said the way in which most companies engage veterinary students is by saying ‘heres our new product heres a pizza lunch go off and prosper' although this strategy may have been effective in engaging students at one time little said its time to try something new
in the summer of 2016 little began the veterinary student innovations program (vsip) for second- and third-year veterinary students this program allows students to work with early stage startup companies with applications in veterinary fields the companies that partner with vsip are innovators and working with them allows students to have a hand in shaping how technology impacts the future of veterinary medicine
we wanted to support the students and see if we could not only provide them with a curriculum in entrepreneurship but also connect them to job opportunities and other opportunities for involvement its actually gone really really well little said
this program is of value to students and the college in general said dr stacy eckman a clinical assistant professor at the cvm who has mentored many students in vsip adam is clearly passionate about his work and so are the students
a unique learning experience
as part of vsip five students were matched with startup companies some of which had applications in veterinary medicine but did not have veterinarians on their team to help guide the company we were paired with five different companies and throughout the summer we helped them develop their market strategy in veterinary medicine because a lot of them werent veterinarians necessarily according to third-year veterinary student anna pennacchi
the program represents a new paradigm in veterinary education combining aspects of traditional learning styles and new teaching techniques students gained hands-on experience with the companies while also being mentored by little and other faculty at the cvm they also received support and feedback from their peers in the program
through vsip pennacchi was paired with scopio labs a biotech startup based in tel aviv israel they are revolutionizing microscopy by using a digital platform she explained rather than having a slide and looking at it under a microscope youll have this desktop scanning device where you put the slide in and it takes an image of the entire slide then it puts the image on your computer screen tablet or phone so you can look at it and zoom in and out its very user friendly and produces high-quality images

additionally scopios technology has advanced diagnostic applications in veterinary medicine using technology similar to facial recognition software scopio is exploring digital identification of pathogens under the microscope it will help down the line in saving time on analysis in a veterinary clinic pennacchi said the software can either help veterinarians come to a conclusion faster or it can make a diagnosis for you it would be something that every veterinarian could have in their clinic at a comparable price to your average microscope
for pennacchi an officer in the cvms veterinary business management association vsip was an ideal way to further explore her existing interest in business i learned a lot about business operations business management and business development within a startup company she said i think vsip is an awesome program for any veterinary student with an interest in business and innovation everyone who participated enjoyed it
similarly third-year veterinary student tyler kosich said this program definitely gave me more confidence in a business sense and ive always wanted to eventually own my own practice
kosich was paired with embark a company that sequences canine genomes and identifies breed and medically relevant genetic information they provide a super detailed genetic history of your dog he said they can fairly accurately tell you the breed composition of your dog but what i found most interesting is that they test for 160 genetic diseases this sort of information can be invaluable to veterinarians in developing a long-term health plan for their canine patients
at embark kosich was actively involved in the company i definitely contributed more than i thought i would have i had a variety of duties such as contributing to their information database he said i wrote and rewrote a lot of their descriptions i also met with veterinarians and got their opinions on embark i created a survey i sent out to veterinarians for feedback
like all the students in vsip kosich was embedded within the company and made to feel part of the team i was very ingrained in their team and i talked to everyone it was just a good team-oriented atmosphere he said
an entrepreneur from the beginning
the vision of vsip grew through littles early career experiences even in veterinary school little was an entrepreneur sometimes skipping class to pursue his next business venture however he said the curriculum did not always accommodate his efforts this ultimately fueled littles desire to provide these opportunities to veterinary students the process of learning about business in veterinary medicine is so important to veterinary students careers being able to give students an outlet to be creative and think differently in big institutions is critical

after graduation little put his skills to work joining lifelearn a company in guelph ontario while there little led a team that was tasked with using artificial intelligence to build a decision support tool for veterinary practitioners we were building a tool that was using an ibm watson artificial intelligence platform to help veterinarians make better quicker decisions in practice he explained
creating such a technology may seem like a time-consuming process and at first it was the project team had to generate both the questions clients would ask and the answers the veterinarians would give a process requiring much research and forethought you do that process tens of thousands of times and so its incredibly laborious in a lot of cases little said
but little had an idea: crowdsource the task he selected 20 veterinary students to help we separated them into pairs he said and they chose a condition that they were interested in from a list of 100 they ended up creating question and answer pairs through their conversations and then they go into the source material and find it in five hours they did three times more work than we had done in three months
this spurred little to hire 75 veterinary students over the course of the next four months we had 10 times more question and answer pairs than anybody in the world that was working on watson which was pretty cool he said if we did that with 75 students what could you do with 1 000 or 10 000 what problems could you solve thats the reason that were building this network
these experiences laid the foundation for littles work with vsip at the cvm he said i honestly believe the best way for us to tackle some of the significant challenges of the profession is by having a more entrepreneurial mindset and helping prepare students for that future thats the lens that we brought to this initial program
the future is here
being on the edge of innovation has its challenges merging modern and traditional aspects of veterinary education is no easy feat but with the first round of vsip being a success little plans to continue the program and recruit more students
to little the stakes are too high not to move forward the pace of change in the world is greatly accelerating largely due to advancing technologies in veterinary medicine we are beginning to see the early days of this he said knowing that these technologies are going to be transformative and knowing that there are opportunities to build something new we should ask ourselves ‘how does an academic institution drive training for the next generation of students and help push the profession forward in a positive way we are starting to shape that answer
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is home to more than veterinary medicine and a teaching hospital for postdoctoral colleagues xi li joseph cichocki fabian grimm and graduate students yu-syuan luo and abhishek venkatratnam the cvm is also a place for research to improve human health
mentored by two prominent toxicologists drs stephen safe and ivan rusyn these trainees are working to find more effective therapeutics for human disease and advance the scientific basis for decisions that protect the public from hazardous environmental chemicals
toxicology-the study of effects of chemical biological or physical agents on living organisms and the ecosystem-is an important factor in keeping people animals and the environment safe
sot membership
li cichocki grimm luo and venkatratnam are all members of the society of toxicology (sot) a professional and scholarly organization that unites toxicologists in the united states and abroad founded in 1961 the sot has grown from 108 members in its first year to over 7 000 members today the societys mission is to create a safer and healthier world by increasing the impact of toxicology
sot brings toxicologists together from all over the world through an annual meeting members who attend the meeting are given the opportunity to present their research network with other sot members and learn about advances in the field from their colleagues
i think the sot meeting is a good chance to find people willing to collaborate with you on your research li said if people are interested in your work they will approach you talk to you and collaborate with you sot is a tremendously big meeting and there are many opportunities
other learning opportunities include symposia workshops poster sessions and continuing education programs
the sot meeting offers a great opportunity for me to practice communication and public speaking skills luo said i need this opportunity to practice presenting my research in a way both scientists and the public can understand
grimm and venkatratnam added that the sot meeting has allowed them to receive feedback about their research and learn about the most recent developments in toxicology this opportunity has helped both increase their network within the toxicology community and stay updated on progress within their field of research
the sot meeting is a fantastic way to build your network grimm said during the meetings you can present your research and get feedback from experts
venkatratnam added the sot meetings help me keep track of progress relevant to my research as well as overall trends in the field
meaningful mentorship
this year these trainees have been awarded one or more honors from the sot and will receive these awards at the annual meeting in march in baltimore though they are incredibly talented and intelligent each of them credited their mentors for supporting them and encouraging them to continue their research and apply for sot awards
li who has been mentored by safe in a cancer research lab since 2008 said dr safe is supportive of my research and hes a great mentor whenever i want to apply for an award hes always willing to support me
cichocki luo grimm and venkatratnam all mentored by rusyn in a toxicology lab appreciate rusyn and his encouraging attitude
dr rusyn is extremely supportive of career development and applying for awards fellowships and other grants cichocki said hes also really supportive of us trying to communicate with as many people as possible so our research gets exposure
grimm added if you want to apply for something regardless of how busy dr rusyn is he will make it happen he also lets his trainees take the lead on their research projects and gets them in touch with the right people
each of these trainees impacts is rightfully recognized with awards from the sot that help fund their research and travel expenses to attend the annual sot meeting
the awards each trainee is receiving from the sot this year are as follows:
student (doctoral)
yu syuan luo
abhishek venkatratnam
postdocs:
joseph cichocki phd
fabian grimm phd
xi li phd
the research base at the cvm has been historically strong and is growing even faster now safe said our trainees are the beneficiaries of a conducive environment and the investment that the college is making in the next generation of researchers is a major reason we can attract and nurture talent
research
li who is studying cancer biology is focusing his research on developing small molecules specifically diindolylmethane (dim) analogs for cancer therapy
dim is a naturally occurring compound from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli cauliflower brussels sprouts and kale li said we have been testing dim in cancer cell cells in mice for tumor growth inhibition
through his research li could potentially help millions of cancer patients
clinical statistics and health surveys show that a diet high in cruciferous vegetables can greatly reduce cancer risk in humans li said that was one of the reasons we initiated our study in these vegetables by taking the dim molecules and chemically modifying them to change their naturally occurring state these new compounds or analogs become potent enough to potentially help treat cancer
lis goal is to create a treatment for cancer using dim analogs that is less toxic to humans than current chemotherapy treatments
in addition these new dim-derived compounds also can be combined with other anticancer agents to enhance effectiveness more importantly these compounds can target a specific receptor and may be particularly effective in cancer patients expressing this receptor
for cancer treatment in the future i think this could be a really good option li said
cichocki luo venkatratnam and grimm are studying how different individuals respond to environmental chemicals an important variable in environmental health protection information on inter-individual variability and on mechanisms of toxicity will improve decision-making about potential hazards from exposure to environmental chemicals and drugs
through collaboration and branching out on their own projects and studies the four hope to make the regulatory process in environmental health more accurate by creating more effective ways to test chemicals and toxins one of the most common ways to determine if a chemical is safe for human use is animal testing however animal testing is a slow process and is even illegal in some instances
animal testing to decide whether or not a chemical has to be regulated is relatively slow grimm said there is a dire need for alternatives that can replace animal testing we are trying to find solutions through our research for some of the key challenges in that field
grimm and cichocki have worked in rusyns lab since 2014 and have similar end goals for their research however they are approaching their research differently grimm is focusing on the development of in vitro technologies such as blood cells derived from multiple individuals that can be reprogrammed to functional cells that represent liver heart and other organs cichocki is working on modeling human disease in mice so he can better understand the mechanisms of disease and potential susceptibility to toxic chemicals
luo who joined rusyns lab to work on his doctoral degree in toxicology is focusing on developing sensitive methods to test how environmental toxicants are converted to reactive molecules inside the human body these methods will provide scientific information that is critical for understanding which organs may be harmed by chemical exposure
venkatratnam also joined rusyns lab to work on his doctoral degree in environmental sciences and engineering using genetic mapping tools venkatratnam is identifying regions of dna that may by driving specific responses from exposure to chemical solvents-chemicals that are used for commercial and industrial purposes such as degreasers paint thinners and cleaning solutions these responses could lead to adverse effects in humans such as cancer development
continuing support
though research can be challenging the five trainees are excelling in their field with the support of the sot the cvm and especially their mentors these trainees will continue making positive advancements in human health
it is rewarding to see young scientists succeed and be recognized for the amazing work they are doing rusyn said their awards are a major honor and are well deserved
for four days in march 2017 while the rest of campus is on spring break over 1 000 veterinary students from all over the united states and abroad will flock to college station for the 2017 student american veterinary medical association (savma) symposium the event promises to be a landmark moment for the cvm and a chance to show the world what texas a&ms veterinary community is all about the symposium will be packed with opportunities for hands-on learning and networking with events ranging from lectures and wet labs to zoo and aquarium day trips to research presentations and competitions the symposium will culminate in a lavish closing gala in kyle fields hall of champions
the 2017 savma symposium will be one of the highlights of the 2016–2017 school year and none of it would be possible without the hard work of several dedicated cvm students: chris dolan 17 bethany wienheimer 18 austin hardegree 18 nicole fierce 18 michael mcentire 17 caitlin conner 18 garrett crooks 19 justin casares 18 nicole bertolini 18 nicole fierce 18 and lauren thompson 18 these dedicated aggies compose the savma symposium planning committee and theyve spent over a year meticulously planning and organizing the event
savma delegates: michael mcentire caitlin conner and garrett crooks
the road to the 2017 savma symposium began in early 2014 michael mcentire was a savma junior delegate-one of two students who represent texas a&ms student chapter of the american veterinary medical association (scavma) to the national organization-when he was approached by dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine and dr kenita rogers former associate dean for professional programs with the idea that texas a&m should place a bid to host the symposium the answer was a resounding yes
my senior delegate stephen marsh 16 was just finishing up his term representing texas a&m so it would be up to me and my future junior delegate to place the bid mcentire explained mcentire an aspiring zoo or aquarium veterinarian from sandy utah got to work immediately hosting brainstorming meetings with students and faculty
caitlin conner of forney texas was elected savma junior delegate in november 2014 making mcentire the new senior delegate the pair immediately leapt into action they had until spring break to prepare their bid which they would present at the 2015 savma symposium at the university of minnesota
we worked all over christmas break on the bid then rehearsed weekly to bi-weekly leading up to spring break conner said together they came up with unique wet lab and day trip ideas and drafted a proposal to make texas a&m stand out from the crowd mcentire created a powerpoint presentation and video and conner made a promotional booklet detailing texas a&ms plans
after months of planning and practice the big day arrived mcentire and conner arrived at the university of minnesotas symposium ready to make their case for texas a&m in front of the savma house of delegates
i was nervous conner recalled it was the first time i had really met most of these people and i was standing up in front of everybody in a suit and talking about how much i loved my school
some of our selling points were the completion of the new veterinary education complex the beautiful spring texas weather and the fun day trips were offering around the state mcentire said
indeed the new facilities-which opened in august 2016-were one of the things that made texas a&m stand out until now no savma symposium has been held entirely on a schools campus
symposia are almost always at convention centers conner explained most schools just arent built for that many students at one time our huge selling point was ‘come to texas a&m were going to have this brand-new building-this brand-new complex where we will hold the symposium in its entirety' all the labs lectures exhibit halls and house of delegates meetings will utilize the expanded cvm
mcentire and conners hard work paid off-texas a&m won the bid when the pair returned to college station planning kicked into high gear mcentire conner and scavma president chris dolan 17 assembled the savma planning committee by hiring two general managers a treasurer and a fundraising chair they also took charge of new planning subcommittees mcentire chairs the marketing and technology committee conner chairs evening events and dolan is in charge of lecture and speaker planning
newest to the team is garrett crooks a buda texas native and texas a&m graduate interested in zoological medicine crooks was elected junior savma delegate last fall in the fall semester ­- when the fourth-year students phase out of the planning committee conner will take on mcentires senior delegate role and crooks will replace dolan as chair of the lecture and speaker planning committee and scavma president-elect bethany weinheimer 18 will lead marketing and technology
being a savma delegate is a dual role conner said were liaisons between the national savma and the planning committee here we also serve on the symposium committee within savma which is full of delegates from iowa state university who hosted the 2016 symposium and now the university of pennsylvania who won the bid to host the 2018 symposium we talk about symposium committee things and get feedback from each other
at the 2016 iowa state convention the savma delegates spent most of their time in savma delegate meetings
it gave us the opportunity to come together with delegates from all the other schools and learn from each other crooks said seeing how the symposium there functioned and talking to others that attended will allow us to continue building on the foundations that have been laid by all the other host schools before us
as mcentire conner and crooks gear up for the 2017 savma symposium each has his or her own favorite experience to look forward to mcentire who has served on the executive board for the national savma delegation is thrilled to be hosting the event in his final year at the cvm
i cant wait to welcome all my delegate friends to aggieland he said
conner has been focusing her efforts on planning an experience texas night at the new thomas g hildebrand dvm 56 equine complex
the plan is to get some texas favorites on the menu such as barbecue mini chicken fried steaks and jalapeno poppers well have a mechanical bull roping lessons and a live band conner explained its so people from all over the country and the world can get a taste of texas
for crooks hosting the symposium is all about showing attendees the best time possible
im excited about providing the highest quality experience for everyone that we can in addition to showing everyone how great things are in texas he said
general managers: nicole bertolini and justin casares
nicole bertolini and justin casares are the general managers working as a team to coordinate the committees biweekly meetings troubleshoot problems and make sure everybody stays on the same page
whenever theres issues within committees on how to handle something we try to help out with that casares said whenever someone has a general question were typically the ones that people go to try to figure it out if we dont know the answer we go find it
we have our hands in everything bertolini added so we still try to make sure that we know whats going on in every committee or stay up-to-date so that our two minds are on the same page we work 100 percent as a team
in addition to their general manager duties each is in charge of sub-committees bertolini leads the competitions and hospitality committees shes excited about the opportunity to inject fun into the symposium with both academic and athletic competitions attendees will have the opportunity to compete in anatomy and bovine palpitation contests bertolini also is planning a quiz bowl using zuku a review to help prepare students for the north american veterinary licensing examination she hopes to host the bowl on northgate to make the event both useful and fun when attendees want to blow off some steam and have fun with new people they can participate in dodgeball and volleyball tournaments for bertolini the savma symposium isnt just about veterinary medicine; its also a key opportunity to have fun networking with future veterinarians from around the world
casares committees handle host events-the opening ceremony and closing gala-and day trips the closing gala is one event that the committee members are universally excited about
its going to be a huge event were using the new hall of champions at kyle field casares said his committee is planning a fancy dinner followed by live music and a chance for everyone to mix and mingle with new friends
beyond the on-campus events casares committee is planning day trips to see veterinarians in action around texas
were organizing trips to the houston zoo to the rodeo and to sea world san antonio casares said these behind-the-scenes glimpses at veterinary specialties will be symposium highlights for many students for out-of-towners who want to experience some local flavor casares is organizing trips to messina hof winery and downtown bryan
although they come from different backgrounds bertolini and casares are dedicated aggies who are excited to represent their school on an international scale bertolini hails from southeast houston and earned her undergraduate degree in zoology at texas a&m shes tentatively planning to go into a mixed animal practice possibly specializing in zoo animal medicine later
when caitlin and mike won the bid to host savma at the cvm i knew it would be a huge deal and a great opportunity to work with all kinds of people bertolini said the last time we had the symposium here was 11 years ago to have it while im here at school is very exciting
casares grew up on a ranch in mission texas spending his youth working with horses cattle and hogs like bertolini he plans to pursue mixed animal medicine but specialize in large animals
i come from a huge aggie family so were very passionate about this school casares said i wanted to get involved to be able to represent texas a&m on a national stage
treasurer: nicole fierce
nicole fierce took an unusual route to the cvm originally from beaumont texas she earned a degree in marketing from the university of texas as much as she enjoyed her business classes she realized early on that she wasnt destined for life in a cubicle and began snatching up science electives to prepare for veterinary school these days her business background makes her a unique asset to the planning committee and well-suited to her role as treasurer
im also the class treasurer for the class of 2018 she explained knowing how difficult it is to take care of money and [given] my background in business and finance and accounting i wanted to be involved [with the planning committee] and figured that being treasurer fit my skill set
as treasurer fierce is responsible for managing a $400 000 budget she has the final say on how much money goes to each program i set the budget and write the checks and make sure we dont spend money that we dont have she said
its a big job and fierce is grateful to have a lot of support she works closely with the fundraising chair to make sure we have enough money coming in from large companies across the state and nation so that we can fund our symposium to make it the best one yet she also gets tips from outside the cvm including guidance from contacts at the avma and the copies of budgets from previous savma symposia
fierce enjoys her job which has made her realize just how much she enjoys working with people the experience has even shaped her thoughts about the future i think im probably going to do general practice for a bit but after that who knows ive been recently thinking about getting to work with students because ive enjoyed being in this sort of role she mused
but for now shes thrilled to be a part of planning the symposium and looks forward to introducing the cvm to the world ive fallen in love with texas a&m and i want other people to fall in love with it too she said
fundraising chair: lauren thompson
the other half of the monetary team is lauren thompson fundraising chair originally from grandview texas thompsons love of horses and later cattle propelled her to veterinary school but it was her love of people and networking that compelled her to apply for the fundraising position
i love this university i love what it stands for the traditions and such having the opportunity to have other veterinary students come down and see all that made me want to be a part of symposium planning thompson said when i was looking at different positions i was intrigued by fundraising chair i thought ‘you know that also gives me an opportunity to network with companies and veterinarians and just talk to people which i enjoy doing i decided to go ahead and apply and here i am!
as fundraising chair thompson is responsible for raising the $400 000 necessary to host the 2017 savma symposium its no small task but thompson is enthusiastic and well-organized she and her 12-member fundraising committee plan to seek donations from companies both big and small as well as national and local
i formulated a sponsorship letter and then different packages she explained we sent those so the companies could see at which level they would like to donate at different sponsorship levels the companies get different booth spaces or advertisements
in the year leading up to the convention thompson and her team of volunteers took advantage of every opportunity to find sponsors in march she and the planning committee attended the texas veterinary medical association meeting and the savma symposium in ames iowa to introduce herself and texas a&m to potential sponsors she followed up at the avma convention in august and the southwestern veterinary symposium in september as the symposium gets closer she planned to branch out and send volunteers door-to-door to local companies and veterinary practices to get the bryan/college station community involved
fundraising is a big job but for thompson its a key part of making this the biggest and best savma symposium yet everything really is bigger in texas she said i know thats so cliché but i really think thats something we can work on were hoping that it is going to be one of the bigger symposia and since its actually going to be at our school-which is completely different from symposia in the past that are normally held at convention centers-people will actually get to experience what its like to be a student here
looking forward
thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of this team of aggie veterinary students the cvm is set to host what the committee hopes is the biggest and best symposium yet for the cvm family its a once-in-a-generation chance to showcase the school on a national stage
2017 savma symposium schedule
thursday march 16 2017
8 am – 5 pm – diversity and wellness activities lectures and wetlabs held at vbec7 pm – 8 pm – opening ceremony at the msc in the bethancourt ballroom8:30 pm – 1 am – pubcrawl on northgate (social event)
friday march 17 2017
8 am – 5 pm – lectures wetlabs and academic and research competitions held at vbec6 pm – 11 pm – athletic competitions hosted at tamu rec center7 pm – 11 pm – experience texas (social event) at the hildebrand equine complex
saturday march 18 2017
8 am – 5 pm – lectures wetlabs and academic competitions held at vbec7 pm – 11 pm – closing gala (social event) at the hall of champions in kyle field
exhibit hall hours
thursday: 9 am – 5 pmfriday: 8 am – 5 pmsaturday: 8 am – 12 pm
on monday january 30 2017 dr george bettinger from the university of texas at el paso and project director for a united states agency for international development (usaid) funded rift valley fever vaccine project led a delegation including three executives from the moroccan-based veterinary products company mci sante-animale on a visit to college station
during the visit the group toured bio-corridor facilities the national center for therapeutics manufacturing (nctm) and the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) while at the cvm the visitors met with dr garry adams a collaborator on the usaid project dr linda logan director of cvm international programs and others involved in brucella and vaccine research at the college
officials from mci sante-animale included founder and ceo khalid omari tadlaoui dvm head of strategy & business development baptiste dungu dvm phd and director of research & development and production mehdi elharrak dvm phd the company is partnering with the usaid project team to manufacture a rift valley fever vaccine in morocco
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt director of cvmbs communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
on tuesday january 31 2017 the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) wellness committee hosted an event to create valentines cards for hospice brazos valley patients the group also helped the texas veterinary medical foundation (tvmf) with their meals on wheels program snacks and drinks were provided
thanks to every one who contributed! said dr jordan tayce associate director of the center for educational technologies who chairs the cvm wellness committee im also pleased to announce that the national student american veterinary medical association (savma) wellness committee has awarded $500 in funding to texas a&m for wellness-related activities special thanks to all the wellness reps our scavma board and especially ieva jansky for putting in the application
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website atvetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: megan palsa executive director of communications media & public relations texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science; mpalsa@cvmtamuedu ; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
on thursday january 26 2017 the graduate student association (gsa) and the postdoctoral association (pda) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) held their annual spring research symposium
this event has grown into a full-day of platform and poster presentations given by masters and phd students from across the departments in the college and representing the diversity of research areas that reflect the breadth and depth of research in the cvm this years symposium was one of the largest ever with 91 presentations by 75 different students
held for the first time at the veterinary & biomedical educational complex (vbec) a new flash-talk format was introduced in addition to traditional platform and poster presentations during a flash talk students give a brief and concise (three minutes with one static powerpoint slide) idea of their research and a synthesis of their poster presentation
approximately 20 graduate faculty members from the cvm judged the student presentations resulting in the following awards given in recognition of outstanding work at the banquet held at pebble creek country club that evening (peoples choice awards were voted on by the entire audience)
graduate student posters:
first place: yang gao department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs); dr qinglei li mentor
second place: jessica elswood vibs; dr weston porter mentor
third place: tae kim department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb); dr albert mulenga mentor
peoples choice: jessica elswood vibs; dr weston porter mentor
postdoctoral posters:
first place: quinci plumlee vtpb; dr jeff cirillo mentor
second place: xi li department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology (vtpp); dr stephen safe mentor
peoples choice: lindsay dawson vtpp; dr ken muneoka mentor
graduate student platforms:
first place: connor dolan vtpp; dr ken muneoka mentor
first place (tie): cassandra skenandore vtpp; dr annie newell-fugate mentor
second place: carlos pinzon vtpp; dr charles long mentor
second place (tie): joana rocha department of veterinary large animal clinical sciences (vlcs); dr noah cohen mentor
peoples choice: hanah georges vtpp; dr charles long mentor
graduate student flash talks:
first place: candice chu vtpb; dr mary nabity mentor
peoples choice: candice chu vtpb; dr mary nabity mentor
postdoctoral flash talks:
first place: emily schmitt vibs; dr weston porter mentor
each year the office of the associate dean for research and graduate studies at the cvm also presents high impact achievement awards at the research symposium banquet
first author publication award:
amer alhaboubi vtpb; dr maria esteve-gassent mentor
sabrina clark vtpb; dr mary nabity mentor
yang gao vibs; dr qinglei li mentor
carolyn hodo vtpb; dr sarah hamer mentor
sherrelle milligan vtpb; dr ann kier mentor
italo zecca vibs; dr sarah hamer mentor
alyssa kasiraj (fourth-year dvm student) department of veterinary small animal clinical sciences (vscs); dr jan suchodolski mentor
small grant award:
candice chu vtpb; dr mary nabity mentor
caitlin curry vtpb; dr james derr mentor
rachel curtis-robles vibs; dr sarah hamer mentor
sina marsilio (vscs); dr jörg steiner mentor
large grant award:
alyssa meyers vibs; dr sarah hamer mentor
maral molaei vtpb; dr jason karpac mentor
constance woodman vtpb; dr donald brightsmith mentor
the keynote speaker at the symposium banquet was dr edward hoover university distinguished professor and past department head of the departments of pathology and microbiology immunology and pathology at the colorado state university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences his talk was titled zombie story: chronic wasting disease of cervids
the spring research symposium is a key part of the office of the associate dean of research & graduate studies annual doctoral student recruitment weekend activities providing a glimpse to potential students of the excellence in research that graduate students are able to accomplish at the cvm
on january 27 2017 horse lovers attended the healthy happy horse event that took place at the thomas g hildebrand dvm 56 equine complex the event lasted from 8 am to 8 pm and featured a live demonstration by stacy westfall one of the most popular horsemanship clinicians in the equine industry
other activities at the event included breakfast a speech made by dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine educational talks made by seven professionals in the veterinary and equine profession dinner and a meet and greet with westfall
westfalls demonstration titled reading and understanding your horses body language pleased the crowd and gave attendees a chance to talk with westfall about their own horsemanship techniques
we were so excited to host the second annual healthy happy horse event dean green said this event is instrumental in educating our audience about innovative technologies and medical treatments within the equine industry and further expressing the importance of the welfare of horses
speakers and topics covered included:
new treatments for ocular and perioculartumorsdr leslie easterwood 95clinical assistant professor of equine communitypractice
upper airway diseasedr canaan whitfieldassistant professor of large animal surgery
equine dermatologydr alison dieselclinical assistant professor
engaging youth for the future of the horseindustrymr craig huffhines 90american quarter horse association (aqha) executivedirector
equine lameness/imagingdr ashlee wattsassistant professor of large animal surgery
history of horses on 6666dr glenn blodgett dvm 73four sixes ranch horse division manager
issues facing the equine industrydr jim heirdglenn blodgett equine chairequine initiative executive professor and coordinator
in early january 2017 nine veterinary students represented texas a&m university at the 65th international veterinary students association (ivsa) special general assembly and symposium at north carolina state university in raleigh north carolina
the nine texas a&m representatives branden nettles laura hurst tony blanco chandani bahkta jillian athey jivanni shah jannina saastamoinen selina zalesak and taylor strange were among 113 veterinary students from across the globe who gathered to learn about the ivsa and the opportunities the organization offers travel funding for the texas a&m students were provided by several entities including the texas a&m one health initiative
since the ivsa is an organization of veterinary students from a diverse array of countries we discussed veterinary medicine with colleagues who have had an education different from our own the texas a&m representatives said of their experience with how globalized our profession is becoming hearing from colleagues with these fresh perspectives was one of the best opportunities we were given we also had the chance to get a behind the scenes tour of a sea turtle rescue explore the north carolina aquarium practice novel technical skills and have some fun with a trip to a roller rink one of the favorite nights of the ivsa event was cultural night where students wore outfits from their country and brought food and drinks to share this was a unique way to see the similarities/differences in cultures around the world and have a good time with our new friends
the ivsa is a non-profit organization led by volunteer veterinary students from around the world their aim is to improve the standard of veterinary education internationally through the exchange of ideas knowledge and culture; ultimately pursuing their mission of benefiting the animals and people of the world by harnessing the potential and dedication of veterinary students to promote the international application of veterinary skills education and knowledge specific ivsa opportunities presented at the symposium included participating in international student exchanges helping to raise funding for veterinary students in low gross domestic product areas and making connections from all over the world
the week we spent at the ivsa conference changed our lives the students reflected from creating global connections within veterinary medicine to seeing so many different languages popping up on facebook to having a deeper understanding of the world we live in ivsa now has a place in all our hearts
for more information about the ivsa please visit txag/pmoge8e
dr nick jeffery professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was recently accepted to publish his manuscript on brain inflammation in dogs in plos one an open access journal that publishes scientific research
jefferys paper the association of specific constituents of the fecal microbiota with immune-mediated brain disease in dogs describes an investigation of a type of common brain inflammation in dogs that might be associated with changes in the bacterial constituents of the gut jeffery said there is increasing evidence that the bacteria in the gut of both humans and dogs can influence the way their immune system works and it could also be involved in creating susceptibility to brain inflammation
in addition his paper and research is an example of the ‘one medicine approach in that human and veterinary medicine are connected and can influence one another
this particular type of brain inflammation we treat in dogs has many similarities with multiple sclerosis (ms) in people jeffery said so any parallels between the diseases might be useful in understanding causes and developing new treatments
through his research jeffery found that the lack of a specific type of gut bacteria was associated with brain inflammation in dogs this means investigations into changing the gut bacteria in dogs might also help with treatment of ms in people
now we can investigate methods of altering the bacteria in the gut in dogs to see if we can help treat the brain inflammation jeffery said it is possible that our findings may also help in treating people with ms
by publishing his work in plos one jeffery hopes to show veterinary research can be relevant to different parts of the medical field such as human medicine jeffery said he chose to submit his work to plos one because it is a well-regarded journal that is also open access meaning anyone can read it online for free
the open access aspect was important for this study because the results may have relevance or interest to many different groups including dog owners veterinarians and human physicians jeffery said
furthermore jeffery said the project was a result of collaboration and would like to thank the american kennel club canine health foundation for their sponsorship of this project the pet owners and veterinarians who contributed their time and effort and especially dr jan suchodolski in the gastrointestinal lab at the cvm
figure caption: 3t t2w axial mr image at the level of the caudal colliculus illustrating the typical hyperintensity (*) that is often prominent adjacent to the ventricles in cases of muo
a delegation of 13 university presidents and the under secretary for higher education from the republic of sudan visited texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) on thursday january 26 2017 the delegation were invited to visit key united states universities through the united states department of states international visitor leadership program (http://exchangesstategov/ivlp/ivlphtml) which fosters citizen to citizen diplomacy for emerging leaders this program builds peaceful relations between the people of the united states and the people of other countries through academic cultural athletic and professional exchanges as well as public/private partnerships the international visitor leadership program aims to foster citizen-to-citizen diplomacy for emerging leaders
the group toured the new veterinary & biomedical education complex (vbec) large animal hospital and a research laboratory this was followed by a round table discussion lead by dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr linda logan director of international programs for the cvm and several members of the colleges executive committee areas of collaboration such as faculty exchanges graduate study opportunities and short-term visits were discussed areas of mutual interest such as collaborative research on transboundry livestock diseases and emerging diseases were discussed as potential research collaborations
amherst nh (january 27 2017) – walkin pets is sponsoring a new veterinarian and rehab/vet tech scholarship program for doctoral veterinary canine rehabilitation or veterinary tech students walkin pets a pet product company serving the needs of aging disabled and injured pets and their pet caretakers with products such as the walkin wheels dog wheelchair is honoring the veterinary and canine rehabilitation community with the announcement of these two scholarships
full-time doctoral students entering their senior year in 2017 at an accredited veterinary school may apply for the $1 000 veterinarian scholarship full-time canine rehabilitation or veterinary tech students entering their graduation year in 2017 at an accredited canine rehabilitation or veterinary tech program may apply for the $500 rehab/vet tech scholarship
the application period for these two scholarships is open feb 1-july 31 2017 scholarship recipients will be notified on oct 1 2017 applicants are asked to respond to an essay topic and submit a short online application
* * *walkin pets by handicappedpetscom is an online pet product company serving the needs of disabled injured and aging pets and their owners signature products include the walkin wheels adjustable dog wheelchair the walkin lift combo harness walkin dog boots and more 105 route 101a suite 18 amherst nh 03031 (888) 253-0777 wwwwalkinpetscom
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt director of cvmbs communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
dr jim heird executive professor and coordinator of the equine initiative at texas a&m university is a 2017 inductee into the texas cowboy hall of fame the highest honor bestowed on individuals who have shown excellence in competition business and support of rodeo and the western lifestyle in texas
currently heird is the second vice president of the american quarter horse association (aqha) and a former aqha director for texas and colorado he has also served as chairman of the judges committee shows committee international committee show council and the animal welfare commission heird is also an honorary vice president of the uruguayan quarter horse association
dr jim heird is one of the finest men i know said charles w graham dvm and owner of the southwest stallion station in elgin tx he deserves to be in the texas cowboy hall of fame texas is a better place because of dr heird and i am so grateful to know him and see what he has done and continues to do for the western life style our great state and our future through the students he teaches
heird is the former extension horse specialist at north carolina state university a former instructor/professor at texas tech university and has held various dean/director positions at colorado state university in the colleges of agricultural sciences and business and equine sciences program dr heird holds the dr glenn blodgett equine chair at texas a&m university
jim is a most deserving recipient of this award he spent his entire professional career educating and mentoring students and horsemen jim has been and continues to be devoted to the well-being of the horse as well as the western lifestyle said glenn blodgett dvm and chief veterinarian at four sixes ranch in texas
an aqha judge from 1977 to 2015 heird has judged aqha world championship shows multiple international championships and national reining horse association futurities he was on the executive committee of the national western stock show and is an ex-officio director of the houston livestock show & rodeo
he graduated from the university of tennessee with a bs and an ms and has a phd from texas tech university he and his wife dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university live in college station
heird was inducted at a ceremony which is one of the premier events prior to the fort worth stock show held at the texas cowboy hall of fame museum on thursday jan 12 2017
college station texasat the colleges centennial holiday reception on dec 9 2016 in the faculty commons area of the veni building in the new veterinary & biomedical education complex (vbec) dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) recognized the colleges achievements and cvm faculty and staff for their accomplishments
during the reception dr green awarded five cvm deans impact awards the deans impact award is intended to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the college recipients can be within the college from the campus from the tamu system or friends of the college dr green deemed the centennial year of 2016 to be an appropriate year to start this prestigious award and this final event of the centennial year to be the best time to recognize these outstanding individuals deans impact award recipients included john sharp chancellor of the texas a&m university system dr karan watson provost and executive vice president for academic affairs of texas a&m university dr charles w doc graham 53 distinguished alumnus of texas a&m university outstanding alumnus of the cvm and the college of agriculture and life sciences business owner and friend of the college dr kenita rogers executive associate dean of the cvm ms heather quiram interim director of facilities at the cvm
chancellor sharp was recognized for his vision for texas a&m and its cvm his creativity enthusiasm and drive in supporting the only veterinary school in the state of texas dr watson was recognized for her outstanding service as provost and tireless advocacy for the cvm dr graham was acknowledged for his selfless service to the cvm and for substantially promoting important college initiatives such as the equine initiative and the texas a&m veterinary medical center statewide partnerships dr rogers who works closely with dr green on a daily basis was recognized for her numerous impacts on the cvm in her roles as associate dean of professional programs and now executive associate dean including advancing diversity conflict resolution and mediation training at the cvm heather quiram was recognized for her excellence in managing facilities most notably her outstanding organization and dedication to the completion of the vbec which celebrated its grand opening in november 2016
each cvm deans impact award recipient was given a beautiful bronze of reveille running with a foal these original custom designed bronzes were crafted by the artist lisa perry who was also the artist for the 1 ¼ life size bronze horses adorning the front lawn of the vbec
during her closing remarks dr green expressed her gratitude and pride in belonging to the cvm: this is the most exciting and positive place ive ever been dr green said i love being here and i thank each one of you for all you do to make the texas a&m cvm such a special place
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was well represented at the american college of veterinary pathologists (acvp) annual meeting in new orleans on dec 3–7 2016 a number of dvm students residents and graduate students attended presented posters and received awards
candice chu won the first place young investigator award in the natural disease category for a poster titled rna-seq of serial kidney biopsies obtained during progression of chronic kidney disease from dogs with x-linked hereditary nephropathy
jeann leal de araujo won the second place young investigator award in the experimental disease category for a poster titled from nerves to brain: a time-based study of psittaciform 1 bornavirus (pabv) pathogenesis in cockatiels (nymphicus hollandicus)
quinci plumleewon the third place young investigator award in the diagnostic pathology category for a poster titled chaetomiaceae fungi novel pathogens of equine neurotrophic phaeohyphomycosis
chloe goodwin won the third place in the student clinical case report/studies category for a poster titled streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus outbreak in dogs in a north texas animal shelter additionally josué díaz delgado was the cvm recipient of the cl davis foundation scholarship award which is given to an outstanding resident in each residency program
on dec 16 2016 eight graduate students from the cvm were awarded their phd degrees five of them attended the ceremony to receive their diplomas and be hooded
students who received their doctorates were: sharla birch yating cheng sarah coquis-knezek rachel curtis-robles erik hedrick jessica hokamp william ben stoughton and canaan whitfield-cargile cvm faculty/researchers who graduated students were: dr noah cohen dr sarah hamer dr joe kornegay dr mary nabity dr christopher quick and dr stephen safe
third-year cvm veterinary students enrolled in drs johnsons and klemms vibs 948 elective course are honing their non-technical skills while inspiring the next generation of veterinary science professionals
this course aids students in enhancing leadership communication and outreach skills through the development and presentation of a k-12 classroom lesson relating to stem working closely with k-12 teachers and peer undergraduate student workers veterinary students create a science lesson aligned to state science learning standards and centered on a veterinary medical topic as they illustrate application of science concepts to real-world stem careers
immediately following final exams in december 2016 zach dielmann chelsea gartman and amber nava entered classrooms in bryan franklin and iola independent school districts as teachers for a day
dielmann taught seventh grade students at franklin middle school about intervertebral disk disease and how it impacts the structure and function of the nervous system
gartman allowed sevent grade students at stephen f austin middle school in bryan to listen to normal and abnormal heart sounds while relating them to cardiac structure and function
nava described the structure and types of animal teeth to third fourth fifth and sixth grade students at iola elementary school while emphasizing the importance of dental health
teachers and students at each school thoroughly enjoyed having the veterinary students in the classroom she is awesome and my students learned so much! stated one teacher about her visiting veterinary student
now i know that i am going to vet school to be a veterinarian! exclaimed a student following a presentation
veterinary students were equally impacted by their time as teachers it was so much fun to get into the classroom to teach 7th graders about the heart! said chelsea gartman cardiology is one of my favorite subjects and it was very rewarding to see their interest and engagement in the presentation
outreach and education are important facets of veterinary medicine and this honing non-technical skills course instills this value in future veterinarians whether they are only 17 months or decades away from beginning their careers as veterinarians
long before his days as department head of the large animal clinical sciences (vlcs) department at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) dr allen roussel was simply a young man fascinated by animals when i was growing up we had cats and one old hunting dog so thats what got me interested in veterinary medicine said roussel coming from a family focused on human medicine-his father worked in the medical department of an oil company and his mother was a nurse-roussels decision to become a large animal veterinarian came as a surprise i actually knew nothing about cattle and large animals when i was growing up he said
roussel made up for this lack of experience by joining the first graduating class of louisiana state universitys (lsu) school of veterinary medicine sheer determination and extracurricular opportunities supplemented roussels coursework and helped him prepare for a career as a large animal veterinarian i spent hours and hours and hours in an auction barn just sitting and watching cattle come through guessing the weights and seeing what they did the baton rouge native said adding that he also worked for the faculty member who was responsible for lsus teaching herds roussel took every opportunity to work with cattle at the university or on cattle farms of friends and relatives
early in his career roussel worked in two veterinary practices over a five-year period and pictured himself spending his life as a rural veterinary practitioner he was a partner in one practice for three years even though he thought he would be in rural practice his entire career something prompted his first employer to presciently predict that roussel would eventually become a professor
after completing a residency and masters at purdue university roussel joined the faculty at virginia tech before starting his long career at texas a&m university
roussels extensive vita includes nearly two decades of administrative experience he first joined the administrative ranks at the cvm as vlcs (then called vlam) associate department head in 1997 he also served as president of the southwest veterinary symposium the comparative gastroenterology society and the american college of veterinary internal medicines large animal specialty
during his administrative tenure at the cvm roussel learned much about what it means to be in administration the first being a realization of what constitutes personal success in higher education leadership positions administrative positions and being successful should not be considered the same thing roussel said if you look around this college i would say that most of the people who have the greatest careers reputations and accomplishments certainly arent administrators in fact many of these people are much more suited for non-administrative roles so we shouldnt think that an administrative role is the next step up to excellence
the second observation about administration that roussel has made is the different roles for different administrators the dean and the university president have a major role in public outreach interacting with the public all the time roussel said adding that these types of interactions dont come as easily to him im more of a chief operating officer than a chief executive officer i actually enjoy helping the university function internally establishing policies not to make rules but to facilitate the success of all faculty members in a complex and sometimes bureaucratically burdensome environment
the third realization was that a department head could not fill all of the roles of the job without help when i was associate department head (then department head) dr william moyer would share a lot of things with me youd go nuts if you dont have somebody to confide in roussel said many times as associate department head i sat there and listened to him talk and i went ‘mmmmmm when it was over he thanked me so much for helping him i didnt do anything but listen and nod my head every now and then but i realize now that this is what he needed
because of increasing administrative demands roussel relies on a leadership team that he created when he took over as department head first it takes a great administrative staff which i have been fortunate to have then it takes other faculty members with special talents and expertise to fill in the gaps in the department heads competencies i think one of the important skills of a successful leader is the wisdom to delegate he said when i took over the role of department head i appointed four assistant and associate department heads to whom i turned for advice and help i think the faculty members in our department are much much better off having five people working with them than only one theres no way i can do all the stuff that is required by myself
in addition to changes in administration roussel has seen many cvm accomplishments over the years a decade after moving to college station he saw the groundbreaking work of texas a&m university researchers when they cloned a calf in 1997 followed by a pig and goat in 2001 a cat in 2002 and a deer in 2003 he has also seen the cvms graduating classes continue to consistently earn high passing rates on the national board of veterinary examiners and the state of texas board while the college remains in the top echelon of national and international programs
even with this continuous advancement roussel is well aware of the numerous challenges facing the cvm due to shifting attitudes about the role of veterinary medicine for instance the emergence of specialty veterinary hospitals around the state forced texas a&m to reevaluate its practice we no longer have the luxury of being the only referral practice in texas roussel said while we were rather slow to respond to that change i think we have made substantial progress in the last decade by becoming more customer-oriented toward our referring practitioners and our clients both of whom have a choice when it comes to veterinary specialty hospitals
the long-time administrator of the vlcs has also seen significant demographic changes in the college roussel remembers when the department hired its first female faculty member in the late 1980s; now women make up 40 percent of the vlcs faculty and 80 percent of the house officers classes are increasingly filled with female students and fewer students have a background in agriculture
roussel also noted that the continuing emergence of new technology both within and beyond veterinary medicine offers tremendous opportunities for faculty and students i remember standing out in the hospital and hearing a crackly voice come over the loudspeaker competing with the noises from horses cattle and sparrows immediately after the voice ceased everyone began asking the person next to them ‘what did she say' roussel said now we all carry cell phones that not only get phone calls but also let us surf the internet where we can gain access to nearly every veterinary and medical journal in the world instantaneously while standing in a stall medical records are almost completely electronic laboratory results appear the instant the test is completed and radiographs are available for viewing instantaneously and the image can be manipulated on the screen
as these changes emerge roussels steady temperament and firm guidance have helped vlcs-which is one of cvms largest departments-remain on course
having announced his plan to step down from the department head position in 2016 roussel plans to continue teaching and mentoring young faculty members im looking forward to trying to help less-experienced faculty members in whatever way that i can he said
college station texas– leslie easterwood dvm clinical assistant professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) at texas a&m university has joined the board of directors of the american association of equine practitioners (aaep)
easterwood was installed during the dec 6 presidents luncheon at the aaeps 62nd annual convention in orlando fla her three-year term expires in 2019
dr easterwood will be a notable asset to the aaep as a member of its board of directors said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university and a past president of the aaep she brings an extraordinary level of energy and dedication and her enthusiasm is contagious her experience as an equine clinician educator and participant in organized veterinary medicine will serve her well and aaep will surely benefit from her uncanny ability to rally support for compelling causes
after receiving her veterinary degree from texas a&m university in 1995 easterwood spent 10 years in private equine practice before returning to texas a&m in 2005 to begin a large animal internal medicine residency upon completion in 2008 she was hired by the cvm to her current position
an aaep member since 1992 easterwood serves on the aaep foundation advisory council she previously served as chair of the aaeps membership development committee and as facilitator of the biologic and therapeutic agents forum in addition she voluntarily serves on the board of the texas equine veterinary association as the official veterinarian for the houston livestock show and rodeo and with several student organizations on campus
dr easterwood has an incredible passion for both horses and organized veterinary medicine said dr allen roussel department head of large animal clinical services & professor of large animal internal medicine she will surely be an excellent member of the board of directors and a wonderful ambassador for texas a&m university
the aaep headquartered in lexington ky was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse currently aaep reaches more than five million horse owners through its over 9 000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues practice management research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry
cvm hosted a tailgate for the ole miss game in the new veterinary & biomedical education complex courtyard on november 12
the event rounded out a weekend celebration of both the grand opening and the 100-year anniversary of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
approximately 300 people attended the tailgate to play games enjoy food and drink share laughter and stories and watch the aggies play ole miss on the big screen we look forward to our next tailgate in 2017 and we welcome everyone to join in as we begin a new century of education excellence in our college!
to see more photos of the cvm tailgate please go here
what program combined public health environmental health and animal health to answer two research societal needs two texas a&m students clara bush (veterinary student) and jarius pulczinski (graduate student) participated in the thirteen-week on- campus summer veterinary medical scientist research training program (vmsrtp)(https://vetmedtamuedu/vmsrtp)
their scholarships were sponsored by the texas a&m one health initiative each student was provided the opportunity to address a societal need conduct hands-on research and identify one health solutions working alongside accomplished faculty mentors the students analyzed and presented their individual research findings at the veterinary medical scientist research training program research conference (https://vetmedtamuedu/vmsrtp/about-the-vmsrtp/research-conference) and the merial-nih national veterinary scholars symposium ( http://wwwmerialscholarscom/pages/national-symposium2016aspx) at the ohio state university
jarius a public health ms graduate student was mentored by dr natalie johnson (https://sphtamhscedu/eoh/faculty/johnsonhtml) an assistant professor in the environmental and occupational health department at the texas a&m school of public health jariuss research examined the relationship between air pollution exposure and health outcomes in humans and mice dr johnson explained that jairus compared data from a mouse model of prenatal air pollution exposure-induced asthma and from a maternal exposure characterization study in a population with high rates of childhood asthma he measured inflammatory markers reflective of maternal air pollution exposure in human and mouse samples to investigate the link between maternal inflammation and asthma susceptibility dr johnson observed that this summer the program led to new insights about opportunities at the interface of human and animal research
clara a second-year veterinary student was mentored by dr raquel rech (https://vetmedtamuedu/vtpb/directorydetailuserid=12806) a clinical assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at texas a&m university claras research will ultimately impact the creation of a pig model to study environmental enteropathy a gastrointestinal (gi) disease in humans i worked to determine what tissue fixative best preserved the mucous layer of the colon in pig colonic samples clara explained about her research in the future the use of optimal tissue handling and fixation will be an important aid in the further discovery of more targeted treatments and therapies for gi disease in veterinary medicine and human medicine alike
claras response to this experience was overall the program was a confidence booster for me as a person who had never been on the presenting end of a scientific research project it gave me the push to explore other career options and opportunities that i might not have known about she added this program was such a great way to break into the field of veterinary medicine which truly exemplifies a collaborative effort not only was i able to gain valuable laboratory skills that i can take with me far beyond veterinary school but i was also able to get a first-hand look at the way the one health concept works in real life
information about one health student programs and opportunities are available through the texas a&m one health initiative (http://onehealthtamuedu)
the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical science hosted the us department of agriculture animal plant and health inspection service veterinary service (usda aphis-vs) live bird market system continuing education training course october 25-27 2016 the course was supported by colleagues from the department of poultry science texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory the usda agricultural research service and the texas animal health commission the purpose of the live bird market system program is to improve biosecurity practices and provide actively surveillance for avian influenza in live bird markets
the live bird marketing system continuing education training course is designed to provide veterinary medical officers (vmos) animal health technicians (ahts) and other regulatory personnel involved with the live bird marketing system with the basic information and skills they will need to successfully carry out their job responsibilities participants learned about how to collect samples from chickens turkeys ducks and quail and how to detect avian influenza using rapid diagnostic tests and how to collect samples and pack and ship them to the appropriate diagnostic laboratories approximately 50 participants from 17 states and 6 countries attended the course usda aphis-vs is responsible for safeguarding animal health and welfare in the united states
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt director of cvmbs communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
i was born and raised in old méxico and came to the states to go to college my father was an artist and my grandfather was an artist i remember sitting at the kitchen table as a 5 year-old kid sketching cowboys and horses with my dad at that early age i started to show some talent i have been developing that talent for the last 45 years i did pencil drawings growing up but my wife michelle encouraged me to try oils in 1992 after i did i fell in love with the medium!
we have three daughters; alissa(18) aleah (13) and ava (11) they all show artistic talent we have a small place outside of sulphur springs where my wife raises a few prospect performance quarter horses
i feel that i am the luckiest man around because i get to do what i love to do i am very passionate about my art i love to paint anything that has to do with tradition i like to paint whats important to my collectors i try to be true to my subject i have to have a special connection with my subjects because that will reflect the true character of the subject on the final piece i am always fascinated by painting light and try to represent it through my own style
i feel honored to be chosen to paint the centennial piece dr green had a vision to depict the past (tradition) the present and what the new school will represent for future generations i appreciated the thought behind it and the direction the selection committee wanted to take with the piece it made it challenging but with a lot of meaning!
i take commission work and i welcome the opportunity to create a piece of art for new collectors some of my work hangs at the texas a&m university equine complex board room and now one of my best pieces is part of the permanent collection of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences in the veterinary & biomedical education complex i am honored also my oldest daughter is planning on attending texas a&m next year
i am originally from a small costal community near port lavaca texas i married my high school sweetheart wesley t bissett jr dvm phd class of 97 my days consist of designing-on paper canvas or autocad i am an artist a residential/commercial designer and general contractor we live in college station and have three amazing children that have wonderful spouses we claim as our own our daughter whitney and her husband kaleb morton are the parents of our beautiful grandkids kaylynn and karter(in the painting) of college station our son wesley r bissett 11 and his wife terra (hausenfluck) 12 live in portland tx and our son landon bissett and his wife kaitlynn (williams) live in college station
like a runner that loves to run i love the peaceful calmness within me when i paint i always have music playing in the room as i paint and i am mentally and physically in a wonderful place i have always gravitated toward and strived to paint paintings that tell a story that draw people into a world of their own i credit god for giving me the talent i do have and my parents for letting me peruse my dreams i took art lessons from the age of 8-15 years old then i stopped lessons because life took over i painted commission pieces here and there as requested but not until wesley started vet school did i have the opportunity to paint full-time i hope someday to be able to study under some of the greats-but until then i am fortunate to have family and friends that can and will critique my paintings
i was contacted by dean green a little over two years ago to kick around some ideas for the cvm centennial she was already gearing up for this special occasion and had a vision of what she wanted she gave me free reign to come up with a concept that i felt good about my thoughts for this painting were to show something of the future in medicine and a piece of medical equipment that was suspended in mid air only connected by the beam of light that you see shining from the ball while the veterinarian holds it close to the giraffes chest cavity and to her fingertip my second thought was to show that anything was possible so i came up with the idea of a painting within a painting to give me the several layers i needed to tell my story it is of two veterinarians making their after hour rounds and they stepped into this painting bringing it to life as they check all the animals vitals giving the animals a chance to play and stretch their legs and wings whichever the case may be this moment was unexpectedly caught by two children and their dog walking by capturing the compassion of all the animal groups toward one another and the wired hair dog was very important to me just like our veterinarians do everyday they are showing compassion to all of our furry family friends every veterinarian should stand tall and proud because of everything they do and everything they accomplish in the animal and human health world i am very proud to be married to one of them
i have a very strong tie to this college my husband is the class of 1997 we had the pleasure of going through vet school together with our three children he was the student and we were his support system wesley is with the college now and is director of the texas a&m veterinary emergency team
anyone that would like to see some of tammies artwork or any behind the scene pictures of this painting can go to tammie bissett or email tammie_bissett@yahoocom tammie would love to hear from you or see pictures of anyone standing in front of any of the paintings or print
when researchers try to uncover the cause of disease they commonly start with two questions: did a quirk in the patients genes open the door to illness or did exposure to environmental factors play havoc with the patients health
very often both genes and the environment are at least partly to blame and to provide the most effective treatment health care providers need to know as much as possible about how they work together
with support from a $53 million national institutes of health (nih) grant scientists from texas a&m university and johns hopkins university will further investigate how individuals health is affected by the environment and genetics especially concerning exposure to lead two nih units-the national human genome research institute and the national institute of environmental health sciences-will provide the funding over a five-year period
david threadgill phd director of the texas a&m institute for genome sciences and society at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and professor and holder of the tom and jean mcmullin chair of genetics at the texas a&m college of medicine is co-lead on the project along with andrew feinberg bloomberg distinguished professor and director of the center for epigenetics at johns hopkins
research on how genetics work in concert with the environment to affect health is a relatively new area of research according to threadgill for the last several decades research has largely focused on genetic differences that are associated with disease he said however the environment particularly intersecting with genetics probably has a much larger impact on our health
threadgill will provide the expertise in genetics and clinical phenotyping for the project my research group has a long-standing interest in how environmental exposures such as chemicals and diet interact with our genetics to impact future health and disease he added and importantly how this knowledge can be used to reduce the health impacts of detrimental environmental exposures
epigenetics is the study of genetic activity changes that occur without alteration of the basic dna sequences sometimes epigenetic changes triggered by environmental factors lead to serious health problems as a first step toward averting or treating such illnesses researchers need to figure out precisely how this process unfolds
the environment is perhaps the major contributor to human disease yet its effect is virtually impossible to control for in human genetic studies feinberg said one example of how this team will try to get around this problem is by studying a very genetically diverse set of animal models and an environmental issue that is important to many people: exposure to lead and how it is linked to significant health and behavioral issues
the team will use advanced genomic and mathematical methods to gather data and relate these findings directly to human disease population studies in order to understand how our distinct genomes and individual exposures to environmental factors affect human health
we are using epigenetic information feinberg said to understand how genes and environment connect as information that reprograms our bodies in early development to behave in a healthy or unhealthy way and how it sets us up for adverse responses to stressors later in life in particular we are studying lead exposure in the mouse model and then will connect these results to a large group of urban lead-exposed people in baltimore and the behavioral effects this exposure causes
this is one of several collaborative projects we are working on to address how the environment alters our epigenome to influence health and disease threadgill said we hope that this work will lay the foundation for understanding the mechanisms by which the environment alters our health and to identify interventions that can reduce the negative impacts of disease
testing drug safety and efficacy is challenging expensive and time consuming recent advancements have given way to what is known as tissue chips these tiny bioengineered systems mimic the larger complex organs and tissues of the human body the chips may improve our ability to ensure that a drug is safe before clinical trials begin and could ultimately replace drug testing in humans and animals
a team of texas a&m university researchers led by dr ivan rusyn will be working to advance tissue chip research through a recently awarded $42 million grant by the national institutes of healths (nih) national center for advancing translation sciences (ncats) this award will establish a state-of-the-art tissue chip-testing infrastructure known as texas a&m tissue chip validation (tex-val) center the center will work with tissue chip developers to test and validate their devices this work will help facilitate and further the use of tissue chips for drug and chemical testing in both the united states and europe
tex-val center will conduct testing in the microphysiological systems developed by a number of nih grantees said dr ivan rusyn professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine (cvm) and principal investigator our goal is to provide resources personnel and infrastructure for establishing functionality reproducibility robustness and reliability of tissue chip models that represent a wide array of human organ and tissue systems
currently many researchers use conventional tissue cultures to test drug efficacy but tissue chips offer a more physiologically relevant model that better imitates whole human tissues and organs rusyn said
although many are researching how to create tissue chips and testing their physiological function tex-val center takes the research a step further the next important step is to demonstrate that tissue chips may be transferred to the laboratories and companies outside of the developers lab and shown to perform equally well and on a wide range of drugs and chemicals rusyn said
the project is a collaborative effort and includes faculty from across texas a&ms campus and beyond the team of senior investigators and staff at tex-val center has been assembled to address all aspects of the tissue chip technology development and use rusyn said our team includes experts in toxicology in vitro and in vivo testing microscopy genomics pharmacokinetic modeling bioengineering analytical chemistry and risk assessment
other tex-val collaborators are: dr weihsueh chiu dr robert burghardt dr candice brinkmeyer-langford at the cvm; dr clifford stephan at the texas a&m institute of biosciences and technology; dr terry wade with the texas a&m geosciences and environmental research group; dr arum han in the texas a&m college of engineering and dr michael mancini at the baylor college of medicine
learn more about the grant from ncats press release
dr charles w graham 53 was selected as one of 12 recipients of the 2016 distinguished alumni award the highest honor bestowed upon a former student of texas a&m university since the inception of the award in 1962 only 261 of texas a&ms 440 000 former students have been recognized with the distinguished alumnus award awarded jointly by the university and the association this award recognizes those aggies who have achieved excellence in their chosen professions and made meaningful contributions to texas a&m university and their local communities
dr graham is one of the worlds top equine veterinarians a leader in texas horse and cattle industries and a tireless volunteer advocate and youth mentor a member of the texas a&m equine research committee he was an influential participant in funding and construction of the new veterinary and biomedical education complex he has helped recruit leaders for a&ms equine initiative and the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) he is a former director of the american association of equine practitioners and was a founder of frontier bank of texas in elgin; a director of the american quarter horse association; a member of the board of managers of kalon biotherapeutics; and a founding member of rodeo austin
graham is the only individual to serve as president for both the texas quarter horse association (tqha) and the texas thoroughbred association (tta) he is also the only person to be selected as horseman of the year by both associations
grahams other honors include the 2013 texas a&m agrilife distinguished texan in agriculture award the 2010 coals outstanding alumni award and the cvm outstanding alumnus award
he was also inducted into the american quarter horse association (aqha) hall of fame in 2009 the texas rodeo cowboy hall of fame in 2008 as well as the texas horse racing hall of fame in 2002 and the texas cowboy hall of fame in january 2016
graham earned his bachelor of science degree in animal husbandry in 1953 his bachelor of science degree in animal science in 1954 and his doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1961 all from texas a&m
in the early 1960s graham and dr w h cardwell built the elgin veterinary hospital and grew the practice into one of the largest equine veterinary facilities in the nation graham is now owner of a number of other businesses including the 1 300-acre southwest stallion station in elgin which has bred some of the top stallions and broodmares in the quarter horse industry
congratulations to dr charles graham a great aggie and a great friend to our college
howard fisher began his career in 1986 as a custodian on the main campus of texas a&m university but his love of horses motivated him to apply for an animal caretaker position in the department of large animal clinical sciences (vlcs) at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) i really wanted to spend more time with horses fisher said he obtained the position in vlcs and 30 years of service later he continues to enjoy his work
as an animal caretaker fishers duties have changed now his job includes taking care of animals and the land where they are kept at the cvm his responsibilities include mowing pastures spraying weeds cleaning water troughs and cleaning pens in addition fisher feeds waters grooms bathes exercises and moves horses-and occasionally cattle-from the land where they are kept to campus for use in labs for veterinary students
fisher spends many hours every week grooming the horses and caring for their hooves because he believes routine grooming adds aesthetic value to an animal fisher also ensures the horses stay active because exercise keeps the horses healthy and in good physical shape fisher also loves to monitor behavioral and health changes in the animals a sudden change in temperament or physical habit may be a sign that there is a problem fisher said if an animal needs medication i bring them to the large animal hospital (lah) for a medical examination and treatment
during his time spent working at the lah one incident that remains fresh in fishers memory is the friday afternoon a man walked into the clinic with two bay horses the horses paced in slowly with excess saliva bubbling from their lips and sweat dripping from their body one of the horses carried backpacks while the other had camping materials strapped on its back at first sight of these horses you would have thought they were ill fisher recalled but after taking a detailed history we found out that the man had ridden the horses from canada to college station fisher said the horses were taken into the stable and given some food and water afterward the veterinarian on duty provided medical attention the horses spent that weekend at the hospital while the owner camped in a little tent just outside the hospital door on monday the mans wife came with a trailer to pick him and the horses up to make the trip back to canada
fisher serves as a resource for his co-workers howard has an amazing attitude when you call on him he is always on time and ready to help said erin lester assistant manager for vlcs and fishers supervisor lester also said fisher is handy at keeping the facilities functioning well and looking presentable and he is also reliable for tasks such as moving furniture for faculty members and operating equipment like forklifts tractors shredders skid steers mowers and front end loaders
i spend my spare time with my wife children and grandchild said fisher i also love riding on the back of quarter horses at the united states trail ride club his love for horse riding is greater than his desire to watch an aggie football game in fact he said he has not been to an aggie football game in 35 years
fisher loves wearing jeans eating hamburgers and listening to soul music he lives in hearne about 26 miles from college station and enjoys the small-town atmosphere i was born here and i dont want to live anywhere else said fisher it is a small city where you know everybody
fisher reminisced about the last three decades of working at texas a&m and said i am happy that i have been able to come this far i attribute my success with my job to hard work dedication determination commitment and respect for authority fisher hopes to spend a few more years at the cvm to enjoy more time with the horses before retirement moving horses around is one thing i love doing in fact when i am in their company i feel like i am at home with my family he said
college station texas – mitral valve disease (mvd) accounts for approximately 75 percent of all canine heart disease however a recent global clinical trial led by a texas a&m university veterinarian was published in the journal of veterinary internal medicine (sept 2016) and shows that early treatment can slow progression of the disease prolonging overall survival and helping patients remain symptom free for longer
the trial titled effect of pimobendan in dogs with preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (mmvd) and cardiomegaly (epic) is the largest clinical study ever to be conducted in veterinary cardiology the trial found pimobendan a drug treatment is effective in delaying the onset of clinical signs for an average of 15 months in dogs with increased heart size secondary to preclinical mmvd
i am excited about the results of this groundbreaking study and proud to be a part of the epic team said dr sonya gordon associate professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science and a lead investigator in the epic clinical study the results of this clinical trial will change the way the most common cause of heart disease and heart failure in the dog is managed on a day-to-day basis by veterinarians around the world and contribute to dogs with mmvd living better and longer
the study is the largest prospective cardiology study in veterinary medicine and took place over the course of seven years the study was terminated early following an interim analysis as the evidence was considered conclusive and it was deemed unethical to continue to withhold treatment from the placebo group
epic was an international effort run by specialized veterinary cardiologists at 36 clinical trial centers half of the trial centers were in the united states while the other 18 centers were in australia canada france germany italy japan the netherlands spain sweden and the united kingdom the 360 canine patients enrolled in the trial randomly received pimobendan or a placebo with 180 dogs in each group gordon and her colleagues at texas a&m treated 16 of those dogs
these findings will allow veterinarians to offer pimobendan as a treatment for dogs with heart enlargement as a consequence of mmvd to delay congestive heart failure and prolong survival thanks to the epic study results vets no longer have to adopt a ‘watch and wait approach to suspected preclinical cases of mvd when a typical mitral valve murmur is detected vets should now investigate further to look for cardiac enlargement if demonstrated this suggests the patient will probably benefit from treatment with pimobendan before the onset of clinical signs said dr adrian boswood professor of veterinary cardiology at the royal college of london and a lead investigator of the study
full and final results of the epic clinical study which was sponsored by boehringer ingelheim were presented for the first time the american college of veterinary internal medicine forum in june 2016 of this year
college station texas – cade luckett a third-year veterinary student at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was recently honored with the amstutz scholarship from the american association of bovine practitioners (aabp) this is just one of several recognitions of cvm students at the aabp conference in charlotte north carolina on sept 14 to 17
the aabps amstutz scholarship was created to support veterinary students interested in rural and food animal medicine specifically bovine medicine today the scholarship totals $7 500 and is the largest in the nation for students pursuing bovine medicine the scholarship named in honor of dr harold e amstutz encourages students to pursue bovine medicine and helps ensure that students are well trained according to aabp
i am very grateful for the work that dr amstutz did to move our profession forward luckett said it was an honor to be recognized amongst my peers through this scholarship created in his memory by receiving this award i accept the challenge of collaborating with my colleges to propel bovine medicine into the future
the scholarship amount has really grown over the years as the cost of veterinary tuition has increased and is a meaningful contribution towards that debt said dr meredyth jones associate professor at the cvm who won the award in 2000 on top of that receiving the scholarship is a huge honor dr amstutz for whom the scholarship is named is a legend in bovine medicine and this really shows that cade has set himself apart as one of the top future bovine practitioners in the nation
luckett is one of only seven third-year veterinary students in the nation awarded the scholarship this year the award is based on students interest in bovine medicine extracurricular activities answers to essay questions grades and letters of recommendation
the scholarship comes along at a good time as students are in the midst of their third year of veterinary school jones said at this point they have taken on some debt that the scholarship can pay down but they are also about to incur some expenses in addition to tuition during their fourth year as they travel to externships to gain additional clinical experience
after graduation luckett plans on returning to the texas panhandle near his hometown matador texas there he plans on practicing bovine medicine i have a true passion for beef cattle he said so i would prefer to practice predominately food animal medicine my ultimate goal is to own my practice my wife and i both come from a long line of ranchers and we plan on carrying on the tradition
in addition to lucketts scholarship a number of other students were honored at the aabp conference amy eiland and zach sharpe two third-year veterinary students presented case reports and eiland was awarded first place
luckett and garrett janke served as junior delegates at the aabp convention also the cvms two quiz bowl teams competed at the convention the members of the quiz bowl teams are cade luckett garrett janke alec wynne amy eiland lauren thompson cassandra burghardt justin casares and zach sharpe
as faculty we appreciate the dedication it took to reach this level of competition said dr kevin washburn professor at the cvm and faculty advisor to the student aabp chapter our students spent hours outside the classroom preparing and all the hard work certainly paid off! we are very proud of all of them and the way they represented our veterinary school
dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has loved music from an early age when she was four years old her mother taught her piano-later came accordion harp cello and singing but from a similarly early age of five years old she also loved biology
tiffany-castiglioni remembered her father bringing home a frog dissection kit and a see-through visible man one night he dissected the frog for us she recalled and i saw how the layout of the organs was very similar to the visible man-where the stomach was where the intestines were the lungs and the heart-the body plan was similar i was just five but i found it fascinating
now a neuroscientist tiffany-castiglioni serves the cvm as a devoted administrator researcher mentor and occasionally a musician she was one of its first female faculty members and today she is the head of vibs and the cvms first associate dean of undergraduate education
in 1982 tiffany-castiglioni finished her postdoctoral fellowship at the university of california los angeles and she and her husband decided to return to their texas roots she was attracted to the cvms uniquely encouraging collaborative atmosphere she said i felt the students were there because they loved animals not to get a prestigious job or money
at the time the department of veterinary anatomy (vtan) a predecessor of the vibs department was looking for a new assistant professor and tiffany-castiglioni applied she interviewed with department head raymond sis at the since-closed grill the loading dock where she speculates her toddling 18-month-old daughter helped charm him into offering her the position
sis hired tiffany-castiglioni to teach and lead research in cell biology and histology with no start-up funding tiffany-castiglioni scrounged together a 90-square-foot lab in the parking lot and a surplus lab hood and set her pen to a pile of applications within three years she had funding from the national institutes of health (nih) the american heart association (aha) and the epilepsy foundation of america to continue her postdoctoral studies on the inner-workings of a type of glial (non-neuronal) brain cell called an astrocyte
tiffany-castiglioni did this only about a decade after the cvm officially allowed unrestricted admission for women into all programs she was around the 10th woman on the cvm faculty and the third (a high number then) in vtan she worried somewhat she said the faculty included a couple of young women besides her but none of them had a baby during their time getting tenure-and she worried about how she would be perceived and whether people would trust her to balance family and work despite her fears she said the cvm was a much friendlier place for women than other colleges
when tiffany-castiglioni had arrived in 1982 vtan was a small department with 15 faculty and not much research although she said she found a rather friendly work group such as downstairs in the electron microscopy laboratory
sis stepped down a year after tiffany-castiglioni arrived and the freshly recruited gerald bratton became department head like sis bratton strongly promoted research during his 15 years in the position he encouraged building the large animal clinic (now hospital) in 1993 and remodeling the vtan surgical suite where tiffany-castiglioni received a renovated lab
bratton said tiffany-castiglioni was one of my young superstars we gave her lots of opportunities and she did us a great job she listens well she doesnt fly off the handle she analyzes things before she makes decisions and she gets along with all levels of students faculty and staff
tiffany-castiglioni said she considers bratton one of her main mentors the mentorship started with a collaborative research project a paper proposed a connection between her studies in astrocytes and his in lead they took the tip and ran earning funding from the environmental protection agency and the nih and publishing many papers together their research eventually showed that astrocytes are the brain cells that absorb and store lead
in 1995 tiffany-castiglioni and her lab found a protein in astrocytes that finds lead and is a key to lead neurotoxicity this finding and its subsequent studies that followed from it led to the texas a&m association of former students (afs) awarding her the distinguished faculty award for research in 1998 tiffany-castiglioni continues to research the changes in biochemistry and function of astrocytes in response to lead
tiffany-castiglioni received tenure in 1987 and took a faculty development leave in 1989 for her leave she half-jokingly said that she set for herself three goals: first to learn new molecular biology techniques at the university of texas health science center at san antonio; second to learn to type on a computer; and third to start playing the harp again
i gave up music for 13 years she said recollecting the busy time beginning with her postdoctoral research and continuing into her time at the cvm in 1989 her children were nine and two-finally old enough to let me play!
music has often blended into tiffany-castiglionis teaching career she keeps a lever harp (the lighter nimbler cousin of a traditional concert harp) in her office and has often brought it to class to serenade her students with lyrics of for example thyroid histology and iodide set to old english folk tunes when the (thoroughly sanitized) large animal hospital set up a 4-6 day triage hospital for over 350 elderly and child evacuees of hurricane rita she and her harp could be heard soothing the stress of the halls
tiffany-castiglioni said she loves teaching in song and otherwise but as much as she loves it she has since found a pursuit she loved even more
in 1994 tiffany-castiglioni spoke to some students about careers in science describing the stages of an academics life up to being a new full professor where she was at the time what would be next she didnt know in fact she thought of it as a featureless terrain she had hoped it would include research and teaching-but what else two years later she found out
the cvm was seeking someone to fill a new position: assistant dean of the biomedical sciences (bims) undergraduate program i loved bims tiffany-castiglioni said i taught in it and i thought it was valuable so i wanted someone good in charge she remembered how shed asked others including bratton to apply for the position-and all those turned right around and asked her well why dont you apply she did and she joined dr mary herron then assistant dean of professional programs and dr ann kier then head of the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) as the third woman at the table of the cvm administration tiffany-castiglioni has remained at the table since and her title changed from assistant to associate in 1998
i knew she had the demeanor and the background bratton remembered i thought shed make a good associate dean and i think she has
in 1998 bratton stepped down as head of the merged department of veterinary anatomy and public health (vaph) tiffany-castiglioni served a year as interim department head while the new dean dr richard adams rallied an external search they eventually asked her to apply she said so she did and she received the position
tiffany-castiglionis move into administration changed her thinking for years i thought my major identity was a researcher she said it is what i am; and now i know that my identity is building a department and helping to build a college i do it through hiring strategic use of resources and mentoring her shift was simple she said i just built on geralds foundation
bratton says shes done that and more for vaph and its successor since its 2005 name change vibs the quality of research has improved he said she too has grown a lot he added and has become a good administrator
of her vision for vibs tiffany-castiglioni said the department is working toward parallel excellence in research teaching and service outside her office in the heart of the vibs office hang plaques with long lists of department faculty who have won afs distinguished achievement awards in teaching research graduate mentoring outreach and administration her name appears there twice: once in 1998 for research and again in 2014 for administration
tiffany-castiglionis other awards include the womens faculty network outstanding mentoring award for 2012 and the texas a&m womens progress award for 2013 she is the associate editor of neurotoxicology and on the editorial board of international journal of developmental neuroscience she has served on committees inside and outside texas a&m including most recently the texas a&m university presidents council on climate and diversity for the 2014–2015 academic year she has served on 10 grant review committees and study sections advised dozens of students and mentored more she currently heads a search committee for the department head position in vtpb
tiffany-castiglioni serves with a love of teaching and research a deep appreciation for history and new opportunity and a passion for cultivating her department and college she brings these talents (and sometimes a musical instrument) with her to the cvm every day
thats how a college gets better-by building the strengths of the people in it tiffany-castiglioni said
veterinarians at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) serve on the front lines of the war on cancer some of their discoveries not only save beloved pets lives but also offer hope for treating cancer in humans as the fastest growing disease on earth cancer has been the focus of a national war proclaimed by every united states president since richard m nixon by 2030 experts believe there will be 22 million cases of cancer in humans worldwide
as a pioneer in animal oncology dr claudia barton a cvm professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) has seen the field go through monumental changes during the past 40 years soon after her arrival at texas a&m university in 1976 barton remembers a retiring veterinarian handing her multiple boxes of kodachromes or slides of cancer tumors the only treatment that anybody had done at that time on animals with cancer was surgery that was about all there was she said
bartons interest in oncology began when she earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the university of missouri (um) after graduation barton followed dr george shelton a former um dean who became the cvm dean in 1973 we worked together when i was a student at missouri so he asked me if i wanted to pursue a residency in pathology at texas a&m barton said i came here did the residency and then went back to teach at the university of missouri then it was easter sunday and i could not get my car out of the driveway because there was so much snow a position came open at texas a&m and the bluebonnets were blooming there so i applied for it i took a salary cut to come here but i did not want to live in the snow
the field of animal oncology was quickly emerging when barton returned to the cvm she didnt waste any time immediately she began working with other top researchers to found the veterinary cancer society we all got together in a little office around a table and just said ‘we need to start a specialty of oncology ' barton said it was a dynamic group of people including pathologists surgeons and internal medicine folks who were interested in cancer today the professional society serves more than 800 members internationally
the cvm was among the first colleges to offer radiation therapy for animals initially the veterinarians used an orthovoltage unit which was a routinely used diagnostic radiology machine a human hospital eventually donated the more advanced cobalt teletherapy unit to the cvm it was difficult and expensive to actually bring this unit into the radiation department because they had to build a shielded facility with many layers of concrete in the walls so that the radiation would not permeate outside of the room barton said
although these early radiation technologies were helpful for diagnosing and treating cancer they did pose a risk to the animal the problem with this type of therapy was that you had to use a high dose to get any penetration into deep tissues so there were a lot of radiation burns barton said
during these early years of treatment options and while chemotherapy drugs were still in their infancy cvm researchers found radiation therapy to be a useful procedure when surgery wasnt an option as chemotherapy advanced a few drugs were developed but our veterinarians didnt have access to them barton said most of the drugs that we use today became available for veterinary medical use after i began my career in oncology
the introduction of imaging technologies such as computed tomography (ct) scans magnetic resonance imaging (mri) scans and positron emission tomography–computed tomography (pet-ct) scans has moved veterinary medicine light-years ahead in the fight against cancer in the old days if a dog came in with nasal bleeding and was found to have a nasal tumor on x-rays and radiographs the only way surgeons could determine how extensive it was was to go in and start probing around to find out if it had gone behind the eye or broken through the bone between the nasal cavity and the brain barton said now with cts and mris we dont have to put dogs through those procedures and it has been such an advance in veterinary medicine
these various scans provide important information to veterinarians as they diagnose and treat cancer for instance cvm veterinarians can use ct scans to combine x-ray images taken from different angles and then create cross-sectional images of bones blood vessels and soft tissues of an animals body through computer analysis an mri scan uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the animals organs and tissues pet-ct scans the latest imaging technology allow researchers and clinicians to view any abnormal activity in the animals tissues and organs this scan also can identify a target for biopsy and help researchers analyze the effectiveness of cancer treatments
barton believes advancing technology will open the way to new discoveries and better treatments well be able to see finally tiny little foci of tumor cells that we cant appreciate now because they are just too small to visualize she said i think well even become more sophisticated in our ability to see where tumors are located and then to make the decision about whether you want to put an animal through treatment maybe youre not going to want to put your animal through radiation therapy for its nasal tumor if you find out that it is already somewhere else in the old days we wouldnt have known until they showed up with the clinical signs that the cancer has spread
todays cvm veterinarians are also more sophisticated in their knowledge of the different types of cancer its amazing to me that we used to make sweeping generalizations about cancers that were good and cancers that were bad with so little knowledge barton said every day we advance our knowledge about the biologic behavior of these tumors related to molecular diagnostics that we had no idea about what we do regularly today would have been considered something akin to star wars in those days our molecular diagnostic tests also have revolutionized our ability to give people prognoses for their animals cancer
some cvm research discoveries also hold promise for helping humans who are diagnosed with cancer for instance the texas neuro-oncology program which started in 2008 focuses on understanding deadly brain tumors this partnership between the cvm the university of texas medical school at houston and md anderson cancer center began when dr stephen fletcher a utms pediatric neurosurgeon saw his two boxers die of brain tumors he reached out to the cvms dr jonathan levine an associate professor department head and mcwhorter chair in vscs their collaborative studies have found that the growth of spontaneous and highly aggressive brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme in dogs closely mirrors what happens in humans the researchers hope to discover novel therapies that will work in dogs with the hope that these therapies can be translated into a useful form for treating children with similar types of brain cancer
researchers also study human cancers to identify potential treatments for animals when faced with an animal that has an unusual form of cancer barton and other cvm research faculty and veterinarians often delve into the national cancer institutes database ill first start by going to cancergov and i will think ‘okay if this dog with this stage of this cancer were a human what would they be doing for that human' barton said can we do that or is it too painful too difficult too technically beyond our means
while cvm veterinarians and researchers strive to find new treatments they also realize that some animals are not good candidates for therapy therefore they try to help pet owners think through the ramifications and consequences of their healthcare decisions one of the things that we always have to think about is that the dog or cat or horse is not choosing this for themselves barton said they dont wake up in the morning and say ‘i have to make it to christmas i have to make it to my childs college graduation when a dog wakes up in the morning it thinks ‘is today a good day do i feel good do i get to play with my ball do i look forward to my dinner when we take away their good days because of treatment when theyve only got three months to live are you going to take a month of that and make the animal not feel good
ultimately barton believes its important to counsel the owner about the realities of cancer of course were trying to sort out for them what they really want for their animal whats right for their animal and what we can and cannot accomplish she said you have to keep reminding them that many of these cancers do not have a cure were trying to prolong the animals life with quality we do not want quantity without quality
oncology in both humans and animals has made tremendous strides over the past 40 years and more breakthroughs are on the horizon barton believes that the future of cancer treatments in humans-and eventually animals-will be personalized medicine it will be beyond my practice career and probably beyond my life but they will biopsy a human tumor and they will find the cancer genome and then they will figure out what kinds of targeted molecular therapies will be available based on the genetics she explained they will apply that therapy and then the cancer mutates and they will look at the genome again and figure out the next therapy this process ideally allows you to turn cancer into a chronic disease
amarillo globe-news
by eleanor green
last sunday in the amarillo globe-news texas tech university officials expressed their desire for a new veterinary school to address a potential shortage of veterinarians specializing in large animals and serving rural communities although the texas higher education coordinating board confirmed in july there is no need for a second veterinary college


i thank agn for the opportunity to explain what texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and west texas a&m university are doing to address the panhandles veterinary needs
in 2009 when the coordinating board urged texas a&m to increase enrollment the legislature could not pay for the necessary facilities because of the recession instead texas a&m tapped the permanent university fund to build a $120 million complex for veterinary education
this month we opened our new facility and will increase the entering class to 162 students – tied for the nations largest thats an additional 30 students each year and we can increase it to meet future needs larger classes are important to the texas panhandle because we are targeting most new seats to address two needs: more minorities and more students willing to work in rural areas and with large animals
earlier we announced that we are expanding veterinary education research and undergraduate outreach at west texas a&m prairie view a&m texas a&m-kingsville and tarleton state all have unique ties to important agricultural industries and each school has significant minority populations
in may we hired two experienced professionals to launch texas a&m veterinary medical center at wt dr dee griffin is director and dr dan posey is coordinator of educational programs they will collaborate with faculty and students at wt to build a program meeting the regions veterinary education needs while serving the livestock industries
they also will identify promising students and help them pursue a veterinary education our thinking is that mentored wt students are more likely to return to rural communities after graduation additionally we can bring more veterinary students to the texas panhandle from other parts of the state exposing them to opportunities through externships summer internships and research
while tech officials argue they wont duplicate our efforts they are asking the legislature for almost $17 million next year as a down payment on their proposal – money we could use to ramp up efforts in the texas panhandle and elsewhere for an even broader impact
thats really the issue: whats the most cost-effective way to train more rural veterinarians of the 6 660 veterinarians in texas only 180 are livestock veterinarians working in rural areas as they move toward retirement how do we meet the livestock industrys needs
tech officials said their innovative program will focus on large animal veterinarians without duplicating our efforts truth is neither accreditation standards nor economic realities will allow that
to make a living most rural veterinarians have to treat small and large animals
tech chancellor robert duncan acknowledged to the texas tribune: rural vets treat small animals and large animals even as a matter of accreditation you have to have the broad spectrum of education
so wheres the innovation tech officials propose building a school without a teaching hospital since students have to learn surgery somewhere they would outsource it to local clinics and veterinarians claiming its cheaper and will reduce student debt other schools using that method actually prove more expensive not less while texas a&m is a leader in cost-efficiency
texas a&m veterinary students have the second lowest debt load in the nation and our tuition and fees are in the bottom third of us veterinary schools we achieved that with high standards in 2015 our veterinary college was ranked third in the nation and sixth best in the world
in effect tech is proposing that taxpayers build and pay for the ongoing cost of a start-up veterinary college under the guise it can address one state need – more rural veterinarians – without diverting resources from other veterinary needs it wont our plan will accomplish what tech claims to do plus we will address the needs of the texas panhandle and the rest of the state at a fraction of the cost
i understand the lure of techs argument about an economic boost to amarillo but the coordinating boards july report notes the job market for veterinarians may be at or near saturation
texas workforce commission projects 195 annual openings for veterinarians in texas and the bureau of labor statistics is projecting 2 700 graduates chasing 1 900 openings nationally
we dont have a shortage of veterinary colleges we have a shortage of graduates who want to work in the rural areas our program at wt will address that it is better to focus on how to recruit and incentivize students to practice in rural areas than to saddle taxpayers with the costly overhead of a second veterinary college
destiny mullens favorite question to ask during her international experience in europe was how many languages do you speak she discovered that most people with whom she talked spoke three languages although one person spoke seven mullens a senior biomedical sciences (bims) major participated in a spring 2015 study abroad program in germany organized by the cvms international programs office where she had both an academic and cultural learning experience
mullens is just one of the many students whose trip was made possible by a stipend from the international programs advisory committee (ipac) housed in and composed of faculty from texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) mullens experience is an example of how globalized the cvm is becoming her experience was possible in part due to the work of cvms international programs the mission of which is to help students and faculty to become global citizens by supporting a variety of activities including research collaborations and study abroad opportunities mullens experience was also supported by several scholarships including the dr anne marie emshoff 90 dvm 94 scholarship from bims
over 80 percent of the $85 000 the ipac provides annually for international opportunities goes to undergraduate graduate and professional students at the cvm as travel stipends students must apply for ipac travel stipends to receive funding they may use ipac funding for two types of international experiences: faculty-led study abroad programs and independent study abroad programs the students can develop on their own with cvm approval
however ipacs efforts go beyond helping students study abroad the committee also helps faculty develop study abroad programs and conduct international research it assists with providing funds if you want to establish international research partnerships or develop new study abroad opportunities said dr christine budke ipac member and associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs)
the cvm faculty members promote international experiences for students because they understand the value of international work when students go abroad they gain culture awareness said dr maria loles esteve-gassent assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) who has organized exchange programs between the cvm and spain the world is a big place both a big and a small place there is a personal change some of the barriers are gone students arent afraid of new things of change
transformative was the word dr jeremy wasser associate professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) who leads study abroad trips to germany uses to describe students international experiences he said his goal is to bring these students back utterly changed for good forever wasser noted the 21st century is increasingly global and students need to be comfortable working with individuals from various cultures and countries
dr elizabeth crouch the assistant dean for undergraduate education at the cvm said international experiences add depth to students undergraduate careers employers want post-graduates that work in teams and function in a world culture
of the bims students surveyed upon graduation following the 2014–2015 academic year almost a quarter said they had participated in an international experience crouch added every student who comes back says they would do it again
students can participate in a variety of experiences through the study abroad programs office at texas a&m as well as several faculty-led study abroad international programs through the cvm
in one international program through the cvm students travel to kruger national park and surrounding areas in south africa to learn about chemically immobilizing capturing and transporting wildlife species they work with big game as well as plains game animals and have the opportunity to interact with many local experts dr james derr professor in vtpb and director of this south africa international experience said every single day the students have their hands on animals for 15 days we are darting animals capturing animals transporting animals treating animals and observing animals derr continued the students get exposed to african veterinary medicine practices wildlife conservation economics and sometimes the politics of wildlife and wildlife management
veterinary students interested in learning about food safety and public health can participate in a summer short course in italy according to budke who helps coordinate the course the students learn about the european unions food safety regulatory system which allows them to compare and contrast it with the us system the students also interact with peers from another country who have unique perspectives and backgrounds
similarly undergraduate students have analogous experiences through an international experience in costa rica during this semester-long experience students live and study at the soltis center as part of the experience students live with a host family for three weeks they are learning something about latino culture learning something about the language and learning how to communicate as a biomedical professional in texas said dr don brightsmith assistant professor in vtpb and the director of the costa rica study abroad trip
like many study abroad opportunities the semester in costa rica leads students to step outside of their comfort zone london dority a student from the 2014 fall experience said she got off the plane in costa rica and felt alien in a new place everyone spoke only spanish while in costa rica she overcame a lot of fears dority couldnt pronounce her name when translated to spanish on the first day at a restaurant but stayed with a host family for the cultural immersion the host family welcomed her as one of their own and helped her practice spanish over cookies and coffee in the afternoons the hands-on learning really helped me learn the material dority said
spanish is also an integral component to the program in spain where students enroll at a local university and transfer the credits back to texas a&m which is coordinated by esteve-gassent the program which emphasizes public health is targeted to students who are interested in careers in veterinary medicine human medicine and public health specifically the program focuses on how to communicate about global health in a different language its an immersion program esteve-gassent said the students need to experience what it is like to be in a different country so they can appreciate at a different level why public health happens differently in different places she continued cultures are different people are different
chinma onyewuenyi who is a medical student participated in esteve-gassents trip to spain as an undergraduate student learned spanish and studied public health like dority she lived with a host family and experienced a cultural immersion the program pushed onyewuenyi to become independent she learned to interact with people despite the language barrier and explore new places just go go with a plan go without a plan onyewuenyi said she encourages other students to go on an international experience and said because in the end it doesnt matter where you go or how you get there but that you went thats what will change you
wasser has developed experiences for both veterinary and undergraduate students in germany the veterinary students in the first two years of school travel with dr michelle pine clinical associate professor in vibs to europe for four weeks in the summer to experience aspects of the veterinary world in germany and the netherlands wasser leads the semester-long undergraduate experience in germany which has predominately bims and biomedical engineering students the undergraduate program is a culturally intensive experience including a stay with a german host family
students receiving ipac funding write reports about their experiences which can be seen at the cvm international programs website at txag/studentreports
students from outside the united states are encouraged to travel to the cvm for educational research and cultural opportunities while it does not financially support international students the ipac helps to facilitate bringing international students to the cvm it shouldnt be a one-way street budke said while at the cvm these students share their unique perspectives and experiences esteve-gassent brings veterinary students from spain to texas a&m for clinical rotations and culturally immerses them in american culture expanding their views
dr linda logan director of international programs since 2010 and professor in vtpb said she is interested in diversifying our graduate program with international students as of the fall 2015 semester there were 315 international students in the veterinary and graduate programs these students represent 26 countries including colombia germany iraq nigeria and japan
esteve-gassent encourages graduate students to research and collaborate at the cvm she encourages students to determine what techniques they know then the students can identify techniques they want to learn in a collaborative experience currently the esteve-gassent lab has an array of people from china egypt india and brazil
ipac also supports faculty collaboration internationally this includes research and development of new study abroad programs international collaborative research at the cvm has centered on food security global health and the one health initiative among others developing these collaborative research interests involves building international teams to obtain funding for example the cvm has successfully partnered with universities in mexico to obtain conacyt grants for collaborative research projects the conacyt program promotes inter-institutional research collaboration between texas a&m and mexican educational institutions conacyt projects that faculty members at the cvm are working on include studying the immune response of an endangered species of fish and improving immune responses to brucellosis
according to esteve-gassent international collaborations arent something that you plan she explained they develop by going to meetings and talking with people budke said these collaborations provide unique perspectives and problem-solving approaches that help us tackle research questions in ways that may not be evident from a single cultural viewpoint
many faculty at the cvm have international collaborations these faculty members can act as resources to consult about funding possibilities they also provide guidance for building new collaborations and developing new study abroad opportunities when new ideas for collaborative research or teaching opportunities arise faculty are encouraged esteve-gassent said that with new international experiences teaching or research yes you can do it but we may not know how yet
many students travel abroad for the chance to expand their knowledge and dive right into a new culture language and education system though all the barcelona students agreed that these opportunities convinced them to study abroad at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) one of the biggest impacts on the students was something less deliberately planned: all-around personal growth


one of the biggest leaps a student can take is making the decision to study in a foreign country whether the trip lasts three weeks or three months studying abroad never fails to make a lasting impact on participating students after researching several universities that offer study abroad programs through their veterinary schools students such as carla carrera gusart decided on texas a&m university because of the veterinary schools strong reputation for success other students like silvia cros roura considered an education at texas a&m to be her gateway to developing a diverse background in veterinary medicine each of these students independently came to college station to study abroad and were here for variable times-some for a few weeks and some a few months
i wanted to go outside my country and practice i wanted to see how veterinary medicine is organized in different countries as well as how it is different roura explained at first i wanted to go to europe but then i saw the program in the united states and thought ‘why not'
though it was many students first study-abroad trip maría simó vesperinas is adding texas a&m to her list as her second country visited after such a positive experience as an exchange student in france vesperinas decided to explore another culture my home university universitat autònoma de barcelona offered me this chance and i thought it would be a good option for me to improve my english and see other ways of working they also told me that in the united states you have more stuff to do with the animals there is more money and more opportunity
while the students were expecting to experience culture shock the difference in education systems came as more of a surprise roger llaurado perez was fascinated by the difference in education systems but was especially impressed with the hands-on experiences offered to fourth-year veterinary students what fourth-year students do here in the hospital on their rotations is what interns do in spain he said once you finish your studies in spain you apply for an internship and if you get it thats when you do the stuff that fourth-year students do here i think students from texas a&m are more prepared than students from barcelona or spain
while perez appreciates the time students take on their studies before they obtain a veterinary degree gusart admires the communication between the students and the clients ive learned how important it is to get information from the client about the patient in the hospital all the students know how to get this information because they know how important it is she explained they always follow a case in the same way first meeting with the client and then examining the patient the process is different we dont do it the same in spain
roura added here the students act like doctors before they finish the degree i think its important because they gain more confidence in themselves in spain we go out and might not feel as comfortable exercising as a veterinary doctor the structure and planning of education is very important and i think its good here
in describing their experiences working in the veterinary hospital the students explained how the relationships between clinical personnel and veterinary students impacted them they said professors were highly attentive to their needs investing time in them if they did not understand the lesson material the visiting scholars also admitted their astonishment at the care given to the general student population and were happy to feel included we felt more comfortable when we were working with them because we were treated like other students and the students were treated like veterinarians said gusart
though completing the paperwork and housing details might have been exhausting for the interns the experience at the cvm was well worth it students were able to submit their preferences for working with large or small animals making their rotations in the hospital more individualized and focused many of them even came out of the internship with special interests naming several classes that they would recommend to other students i recommend taking pathology said vesperinas i had a good time in there and i learned a lot
the students were also exposed to new hands-on practices that they may not have been able to experience back home perez explored equine medicine a field of study he recently became interested in in fact he cites this experience in the program as the most influential on his future career my main aim for coming here was to decide whether i wanted to practice in the small or large animal field because just last year i realized that i like horse medicine he said this is actually my first time working with horses and i enjoy it horses are possibly what i want to work on he added that texas has also introduced him to western cultural traditions i have discovered the world behind horses cowboys and how much people care about their horses here
while each individual had a different journey during their time at the veterinary school one transformation remains constant through each student: personal growth dr maria esteve-gassent organizer of the exchange program and mentor of the visiting students explained how each student faced and overcame challenges through the study abroad program i think what happens is your comfort zone expands she said when youre used to a particular culture or a particular language you have this comfort zone you think ‘i have it under control its predictable everything is cool as soon as you step out of that comfort zone youre afraid of things she continued you feel panic and then all of a sudden you feel like youre comfortable there too youre not afraid of new things
besides organizing and coordinating the exchange program esteve-gassent works to make sure each student feels comfortable in the new environment her counseling has helped the visiting scholars follow their passion in veterinary medicine and guide them through opportunities for individual development
how did the exchange program between texas a&m and the faculty of veterinary medicine and food technology (a part of the universitat autònoma de barcelona) start esteve-gassent and other faculty began working to organize the program two years ago when pre-veterinary students from texas a&m became interested in studying abroad esteve-gassent was able to make contact with the veterinary school in barcelona through the pre-medical internship program in spain that she also leads i just realized that this could be a great opportunity not only for the pre-veterinary students but also for the veterinary students when theyre interested in studying abroad or some type of internship somewhere else she explained very few people think about spain i guess because its farther away its a relatively safe environment and i thought it would be a great opportunity now im their point of contact
esteve-gassents inspiration to begin international programs came from her experiences as a graduate student in spain after studying for a year in denmark esteve-gassent developed an understanding of other cultures and was introduced to new perspectives you get this understanding of other cultures and i like the fact that you can pick and choose when you know about other cultures and how people do things in other places you can say ‘hey i like it better why shouldnt i do it this way too' explained esteve-gassent there might be things in life that make you say ‘i dont like it but i understand where it comes from
esteve-gassents experiences studying abroad impacted her so deeply she was moved to share this opportunity with her students at texas a&m years later since im a spaniard i wanted to have spanish students experience the same personal growth and international awareness i did she said that is what my goal is even when i teach undergraduates
now after working hard to coordinate and organize the finest details esteve-gassent is proud to announce that texas a&m will complete a full exchange with barcelona in the near future sending a maximum of five professional and undergraduate students per year to spain each exchange student in barcelona and texas a&m will visit the other campus for four to 12 weeks with a goal of completing several full hospital rotations
although the barcelona students all had different journeys during their time at texas a&m they all shared a personal growth experience while studying abroad can be invaluable no one can truly estimate how positive international programs can be until they experience it for themselves though there is extensive planning and paperwork involved in studying abroad faculty such as esteve-gassent work to communicate the importance of cultural understanding and awareness through international programs i hope to keep doing this for a long time so we can impact more students lives she said
for many across the globe pork is a vital source of protein in china the production and export of pork and pork products have increased as a result of the nations growing economy swine diseases can cause fluctuations in domestic and international markets for pork and can negatively affect both human and animal health as a result there has been increased focus on food safety and the prevention of pathogens entering the food supply


to begin a discussion about food safety as it relates to pork faculty members from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the college of agriculture and life sciences (coals) travelled to china to participate in a two-week scientific exchange trip in july 2015 the purpose of the trip was to identify future collaborations in the prevention of swine diseases many of which can be transmitted to humans this undertaking was an example of the one health philosophy in action texas a&ms one health mission is to find interdisciplinary health solutions by combining expertise from human health animal health and environmental health perspectives
the five texas a&m researchers who participated in this us–china scientific cooperation exchange program which was supported by the us department of agriculture (usda) and the china ministry of agriculture were dr rosina c tammi krecek a parasitologist and visiting professor at the cvm and interim assistant dean of one health; dr christine m budke an epidemiologist and associate professor at the cvm; dr clay ashley director of the veterinary medical park and chair of the international program advisory committee; dr brandon dominguez a swine health specialist and assistant professor at the cvm; and dr chad paulk an animal nutritionist and assistant professor at coals
before coming to texas a&m ashley lived in china for five years there he worked in agricultural development in guizhou where he encountered farmers raising pigs infected with the pork tapeworm taenia solium this parasite causes neurological disease in humans krecek has participated in extensive international research on this tapeworm and one of her areas of expertise is infectious and parasitic diseases impacting resource-poor communities budke also has international experience including in china and studies animal diseases transmissible to humans dominguez is a swine health specialist and clinical veterinarian with experience in epidemiology paulk is a swine nutritionist
through exchanging ideas and best practices the team believes that the relationships established through this exchange will build capacity and expand markets for pork as well as support the countrys growing agricultural enterprises there are additional benefits for both countries; this dialogue is leading to a better understanding of opportunities and solutions to swine diseases
swine production has become a big issue in terms of the worlds food supply said budke
in china the group travelled to beijing chengdu (sichuan province) and lanzhou (gansu province) their main objectives were to explore new research collaborations in pork production swine nutritional issues zoonotic swine diseases and pathogen contamination prevention


the team began their trip in beijing visiting the college of veterinary medicine at the china agricultural university the school of public health at peking university and the china center for disease control scientists professors and physicians at the institutions met with the team to share swine disease concerns in both countries and how to translate research into education and outreach
the group travelled south to the sichuan center for disease control and the college of veterinary medicine at the sichuan agricultural university in chengdu both texas a&m faculty and their chinese colleagues presented seminars about their research and educational programs
at the lanzhou veterinary research institute in gansu province the team interacted with graduate students and senior institute members there we were in the middle of china talking to next-generation scientists who are focused on the future it was very exciting said krecek
travelling from eastern china to western provinces the team observed different one health perspectives in rural regions the topics discussed concentrated on agricultural production problems while in other locations swine disease affecting minority groups became the main issue
differences between american and chinese veterinary medicine practice also became apparent while travelling across the region the veterinary profession in china is very different than in the united states ashley explained in the eastern part of china where the big cities are their veterinarians are focused on small animals those veterinarians are well trained like western veterinarians but in less-developed parts of china veterinarians are perceived to have less technical expertise
the visit helped strengthen existing partnerships and establish new ones related to infectious and parasitic diseases and swine nutritional issues a possible exchange program between texas a&m and the china agricultural university may also lead to advancements in the one health initiative in the spirit of one health future collaborations will not involve only a single person or even a single discipline budke stated we will need to bring together individuals from multiple disciplines in both countries
college station texas – texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was recently identified as the number one veterinary college in the nation in terms of lower student debt compared to income texas a&ms veterinary students enjoy the second lowest student debt in the nation among veterinary colleges the cvm offers a valuable and affordable veterinary medical education in texas
the cvm ranking occurs in concert with texas a&m recently being ranked among the top universities in the country in money magazines 2016 best colleges for your money report according to the magazine texas a&m moved up two places on the list since last year placing fourth among public institutions among all us colleges-private and public-texas a&m now ranks 13th in the nation moving up seven spots since last year universities were ranked based on factors such as graduation rates affordability and alumni success
clearly the students at the cvm get a tremendous education said dr kenita rogers executive associate dean at the cvm what is often overlooked is how the college has focused on providing an extremely cost effective professional education for the students texas a&m veterinary students have the second lowest mean debt load in the country while still receiving a world class experiential education
student debt and the cost of veterinary medical education are a high priority for the veterinary profession said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m and the president of the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) all facets of the veterinary profession including colleges students and employers accept the complex nature of student debt and are seeking viable shared solutions to ensure that the cost a veterinary education is affordable and enticing to those seeking careers in veterinary medicine
veterinary professionals across the nation will continue to meet and discuss ways to raise awareness among all stakeholders about student debt and its impact on the profession a shared understanding of the issues including the cost of education debt management and starting salaries are important steps in working across the board to control student debt
although we have the second lowest mean debt load in the country we are continually working to keeping our educational costs low and to better prepare our students to manage the debt they accumulate said dr karen cornell associate dean for professional programs this year we are partnering with experts on the texas a&m campus to provide education regarding personal and professional financial literacy that begins during orientation to veterinary school
here at texas a&m university we will continue to dedicate ourselves to offering the best veterinary education and graduating the best career-ready veterinarians while maintaining our number one ranking in student debt to income green said in doing so we will help texas a&m continue climbing as one of the best universities for your money
read more about the cvms low debt burden in dr mike dicks article in dvm360
college station texas – a new report issued by the texas higher education coordinating board concludes that a second veterinary college would be expensive to create and operate and is unnecessary in the state of texas particularly with the opening of a $120 million veterinary teaching complex at texas a&m university
the high cost of establishing a new veterinary school would outweigh the potential benefits to the state given the small to moderate workforce demand and the issue that building a new school would not guarantee that any of the graduates would practice on livestock which is the states principal area of need but there are more cost-effective ways of addressing the need for medical care for food animals in texas the study concluded the staff report was presented at thursdays meeting of the coordinating board
i concur with the overall conclusion because it confirms the coordinating boards past recommendations to the texas legislature said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university it is clear they were diligent and thoughtful in their study which has resulted in a substantive data-driven report about veterinary medical education in texas i believe this report bolsters our announcement in january for a judicious expansion of veterinary education research and undergraduate outreach into several regions of the state through four texas a&m system universities
in january texas a&m university announced partnerships with west texas a&m university prairie view a&m university texas a&m university-kingsville and tarleton state university that would add veterinary faculty and researchers at those universities to support the states important agricultural industries while focusing on increasing the number of successful applicants to veterinary college from those regions
the partnerships address two ongoing concerns repeated in the new study: increasing the number of underrepresented minority students in veterinary college and ensuring a supply of large animal veterinarians practicing in the states rural areas
all four of the a&m system universities have significant underrepresented minority student populations as well as unique animal science programs and ties to the livestock or wildlife industries in their regions
the thought is that students from those regions are more likely to return home to practice veterinary medicine said green our proposal is the only one that tries to address all the key concerns including achieving greater diversity in the veterinary profession increasing the number of large animal and rural veterinarians and meeting the unique needs of multiple regions of the state and we do it at a fraction of the cost of creating a new veterinary medical education program from scratch
the creation of the regional partnerships became possible with this falls opening of a state-of-the-art veterinary teaching complex at college station that allows the veterinary college to accept more applicants particularly from the four regional universities the $120 million facility which is located at the heart of the universitys main campus and works closely with the texas a&m health science center was funded from the permanent university fund
texas a&ms decision to invest in the new complex was prompted by a 2009 report issued by the coordinating board which similarly concluded that no new veterinary school was needed and encouraged texas a&m to expand its enrollment at the time the american veterinary medical association council on education warned that the colleges existing facilities could not handle such an expansion with the opening of the new complex there are no longer any constraints on the colleges ability to meet the states future veterinary educational needs
the new building will accommodate a first-year class-size increase of 20 to 30 students easily with more room to grow should there be a future need the coordinating board study noted
texas a&m university already has hired veterinary faculty assigned to west texas a&m and is asking the legislature for an appropriation to further support all of the partnerships
the veterinary faculty at those universities will teach students further support animal agriculture and mentor students to successfully enter the rigorous veterinary curriculum they will also offer relevant veterinary courses on site
for the sake of taxpayers and our students and alumni it is vital that we approach the expansion of veterinary education strategically and judiciously green said
michael dicks the director of the american veterinary medical associations veterinary economics division issued a report in december 2015 concluding that the creation of new veterinary schools could have an adverse impact on the starting salaries of veterinarians
this decline in income would exacerbate the existing disparity between growth rates in income and debt causing the debt-to-income ratio to rise the rising debt-to-income ratio will likely accelerate the reduction in applicants perpetuating the potentially negative effects on the market for veterinary education he wrote
the coordinating board study noted that tuition and fees at texas a&ms veterinary college are not only below the national average but in the bottom third of all us veterinary schools texas a&m veterinary students already have the lowest debt-to-income ratio in the nation
the report also said that the workforce demand for veterinarians is moderate and closely aligned with supply
about the texas a&m university system
the texas a&m university system is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation with a budget of $42 billion through a statewide network of 11 universities seven state agencies and a comprehensive health science center the texas a&m system educates more than 140 000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year system-wide research and development expenditures exceeded $946 million in fy 2015 and helped drive the states economy
contact: laylan copelinvice chancellor of marketing and communications(979) 458-6425(512) 289-2782 celllcopelin@tamusedu
memorial day weekend-a time reserved to honor those who have served in the military and given their lives so that all can live in a free society it is a time to reflect on the sacrifices of these men and women and celebrate all they have accomplished however the 2015 memorial weekend will also be remembered as an example of the strength and power of mother nature especially in the minds of the residents and visitors to wimberley texas


torrential rainfall in the texas hill country changed the gentle flow of the blanco river in wimberley into a raging wall of water that carried away houses trees cars and anything else left in its path people were missing pets were left stranded in hasty evacuations
the mccomb family and their friends were vacationing in wimberley for the holiday weekend the house they were in was lifted from its foundation by the strength of the floodwaters and forced against a bridge the house was swept away leaving the father jonathan mccomb as the only survivor
as part of the large search and rescue effort the texas a&m veterinary emergency team (vet) deployed to wimberley to provide veterinary medical support for the canine teams of texas task force 1 (ttf1) huge piles of debris impassable roadways and unstable structures all had to be searched the dogs and their human handlers worked tirelessly in this precarious environment to rescue those who survived the night and to search for those still missing
these dogs are special said dr deb zoran chief veterinary medical officer for vet they are trained to go into hazardous environments that are not safe for humans to look for missing persons that need rescue or recovery they are at a high risk of injury and exposure to environmental hazards our partners on the urban search and rescue teams have recognized the value of onsite veterinary medical support in enabling their searches to be more effective
as the rains subsided and the sun rose the heat and humidity created an additional challenge to the search teams: dehydration pre-search fluid therapy ongoing veterinary examinations and medical intervention throughout the day kept the canines in the field and on task longer and more safely
while teams were in the field vet members began receiving and examining stranded pets to ensure injuries were treated and the animals eventually would be able to reunite with their owners a wimberley resident who had returned to evaluate the damage to his property brought in a yellow lab he found in the branches of a felled tree on his property the dog did not belong to him but he knew it would be important to get the dog back to the owner


after treating the lab for minor injuries the dog was scanned for a microchip vet members then discovered that her name was maggie and she belonged to the mccomb family by this time jonathan was being treated for injuries in a nearby hospital and the search was ongoing for the rest of his family and friends through the efforts of vet maggie was returned to the mccombs
to have someone find an animal in the middle of devastation and care enough to seek help is a tremendous example of the compassion and neighbor-helping-neighbor mindset we witnessed in wimberley said dr wesley bissett director of vet stories like maggie mccomb are why we do what we do the intangible benefit of returning a pet to its owner lies at the core of our mission we were humbled by the outpouring of generosity from a community recovering from a disaster as well as by the opportunity to play a part in the healing process by caring for pets like maggie who represent hope for someone
the search efforts in wimberley came to a close; the vet was redeployed to provide similar search and rescue support to texas task force 2 (ttf2) a team continuing the search for the missing from their base of operations in san marcos due to the ongoing heat and humidity the vet sent teams into the field with the search and rescue units to provide on-scene veterinary support most resident animal issues were addressed by the local animal shelter but a wimberley resident who was staying with family in san marcos made a critical visit to the vet base of operations
in san marcos we worked with some new canine teams that we had not worked with before said zoran the handlers like those with task force 1 are such a dedicated group-dedicated to their mission and dedicated to their canine partners it was great to begin building long-term relationships with these new handlers and their teams but the opportunity to serve through caring for animals was not limited to just the search and rescue canines
natalie taylor evacuated her wimberley residence as quickly as she could but was unable to locate her oldest cat august as taylor returned to her home she found august waiting for her she cleaned august up and brought him back to san marcos however due to age and the stress of the disaster augusts health began failing taylor heard about the vet and took august to the vets mobile medical trailer to see if he could be helped
august was treated with fluids and medications and taylor was told that the prognosis was not good taylor took august home with instructions to return the next day for an evaluation when taylor arrived the next afternoon august had made significant improvement he was a survivor more than that like maggie august provided a glimmer of hope that after disaster life can begin again
augusts story is an illustration of what our team is all about added bissett as aggies we serve the state of texas through excellence and selfless service providing support for the human-animal bond through caring for and reuniting pets with their owners during a disaster is not just a job-its our mission our purpose our duty and our privilege
disasters are fraught with devastation and despair and the shock of sudden loss is hard to recover from pets who are separated and then reunited with their families during the recovery period provide the first step toward healing and the assurance that life continues and can be rebuilt the vital support the vet provides in emergency situations helps support efforts to rescue and find the missing and to help those animals and their owners impacted by disasters to have a new beginning
college station texas – dr leif andersson former texas a&m institute for advanced studies (tias) faculty fellow and professor at uppsala university in sweden was one of five faculty members at texas a&m university to be awarded a governors university research initiative (guri) grant as part of the grant andersson was awarded $1 568 000 to support his research in molecular and comparative genetics which has numerous applications in animal breeding and veterinary medicine
texas is the home of innovation and with the addition of these world-class scholars to our university faculties we will continue to lead the nation in cutting-edge research governor greg abbott said this strategic investment in higher education will further elevate future generations of students and faculty at texas universities while spearheading new breakthroughs in the fields of science technology engineering mathematics and medicine all of which are crucial to the long-term success of the texas economy i would like to thank guri advisory board chairman james huffines and all our advisory board members for their outstanding work i am proud and deeply honored to welcome these distinguished researchers to the lone star state
we congratulate dr andersson on receiving a guri grant a well-deserved honor for an accomplished and distinguished researcher whose work has the potential to truly transform and improve the lives of people locally nationally and internationally said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine additionally we would like to recognize the vision of governor abbott in establishing this grant through which great advancements in science and research can be made
andersson will join the faculty half time at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) in this role he will participate in graduate education programs as well as teach and assist with graduate and undergraduate courses
it is a great honor to receive this prestigious award that will allow me to more quickly build up a strong research program at texas a&m andersson said i am very much looking forward to take advantage of this opportunity and initiate my research program together with my faculty colleagues at texas a&m i applaud the governor and his staff for making this major investment in research and higher education
a world-renowned scientist who has published more than 370 scientific articles and has received six patents and filed applications for two more andersson has mentored 27 students to doctorate or professional degrees he has also been uniquely elected to four major scientific royal societies in sweden (royal swedish society for agriculture and forestry the royal swedish academy of sciences royal society of sciences in uppsala and the royal physiographic society in lund) and was recently elected as a foreign member of the us national academy of sciences he received the wolf price in agriculture in 2014
dr andersson previously was a tias faculty fellow in our college and we are thrilled that he soon will be a permanent faculty member said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni department head of veterinary integrative biosciences my perception of his interactions with collaborators at texas a&m is that dr anderssons recruitment will greatly accelerate research here in the area of domestic animal genetics his brilliant explorations of genetic diversity in domesticated animals have already had far-reaching implications in animal agriculture and human health
the aim of the guri is to recruit nationally recognized researchers to universities in texas who bring with them a breadth of knowledge and great potential for scientific progress and development the initiative has been a top priority for governor greg abbot and is set to bring transformative research to texas that positively impacts the lives of texans and the texas economy
a total of $34 292 550 was awarded through the guri grant to various texas higher education institutions
with lives on the line the ability to communicate during surgery has always been critical this is even more so the case in a teaching hospital like the one at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) where highly skilled clinical faculty are joined in the same room by the students
for both specialists and students seeing is communicating in the surgical suite and sight has been transformed by the advent of digital radiography on top of enhanced audiovisual capabilities digital radiography has improved the clarity and speed whereby a surgical team and students can readily see the anatomical areas involved in a procedure
new technology has not only affected communication within the surgical suite it has enabled communication with consulting clinicians who could be located anywhere in the world for students it means that when there is not enough room in a surgical suite for their active participation on a case they can view the procedure and the accompanying images in a nearby rounds room or observation room
sonya gordon a cardiologist and associate professor in vscs said that digital radiography has improved workflow overall including the speed at which clinicians can communicate with each other digital radiography changed everything she said being able to look at high-quality images and quickly communicate all of the information to others has been a game changer
the cvm is expected to open its new classroom and laboratory complex in 2016 and is concurrently developing plans to build a new small animal hospital part of the vision includes a client-friendly lobby and waiting space but for the clinicians the most exciting part of the new planned facility is the increased space and its impact on communication within surgical teams with students and with colleagues
by creating facilities that will function well into the future the goal is to create space that will accommodate emerging surgical technologies this may also lead to changes in how surgery may one day be performed
dr audrey cook associate professor in vscs noted many of the advanced procedures performed at the teaching hospital are intensely collaborative and often include using small camera-like devices the space for collaboration and the ability to instantly share images with others including students are what makes the future growth of the hospital so exciting for her
jacqueline davidson clinical professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) agreed and said digital imaging text messaging and smartphones have enabled us to send a digital image by phone text message or email and communicate between colleagues who may not be in the room however what were hoping is to have audiovisual equipment in the room so we can communicate live with someone whos not in the room in real time
in the surgical suite there is often a balance between the amount of space required for the surgical team to perform maximally and allowing students to see procedures without obstructions in present-day surgical suites such obstructions include new technology and equipment the latest surgical equipment enhances veterinarians ability to operate and allows specialized procedures to be performed we have a lot more technology in the room said davidson when i was a veterinary student the equipment was much less sophisticated and didnt require a lot of extra space in the operating room as it does today
along with more technology surgical teams now involve more specialized clinicians making communication all the more critical according to cook pre-surgical meetings are now essential for every case because they allow surgeons to understand the strengths and expertise of each team member
in the past we tended to do procedures that were much more basic said cook these days we do procedures that are much more complicated its not unusual for us to do a procedure and have an internist a criticalist and a surgeon all working at the same time on the same patient so i think its really important for the teams to be able to communicate before a procedure starts
in addition to the increased number of specialists in the surgical suite teaching hospitals often have more students in the room cook and davidson noted the importance of including students but said there is not always adequate room for them to observe and learn from the procedures
i think right now were limited by physical space the students might be able to watch some of the procedures in their classrooms and rounds rooms but thats not nearly as useful as getting them a more profound presence cook said in small rooms the people we send out are usually the students when were pressed for space thats a loss because they dont get to be a real participant in the process
envisioning what future surgical suites might look like davidson said what i look forward to the most is having a room thats big enough to accommodate all the people that need to be there and to have the audiovisual equipment to communicate beyond our current reach she said
similarly cook imagined a day where other centers and hospitals could collaborate virtually if were working on a patient on a procedure our team has not done before but another team has we could live stream our imaging so they could be there with us virtually-that would be priceless maybe theyre in the same building but across the hallway maybe they are hundreds of miles away in a different center that would really be an invaluable resource for us to have
such futuristic concepts of what surgery may become are the driving forces behind the designs for the new facility redesigned surgical space filled with the latest equipment in the hands of skilled clinicians will bring the next level of care to the cvm
technology may impact collaboration communication and the ability to do increasingly complex procedures but veterinarians at the cvm point out that the most important aspect of any teaching hospitals surgical suites is the education of future veterinarians as planning moves forward the new surgical space will allow a larger number of team members to participate in a case-especially students
a lot of the joy in what we do is in that surgical team coming together and making something work said cook the more we can involve the students and communicate our excitement with them the more theyre going to get out of the whole process
currently the new small animal hospital is in the design phase an active fundraising effort is working to secure funding that ensures the new facility fosters technological innovation collaboration and improved communication for faculty staff and students and of course central to all planning will be what is best for the patient
one hundred years ago an enterprising veterinarian from shandon ohio became the first dean of the new school of veterinary medicine at a&m college in college station texas his name was dr mark francis and he was poised to forever change the face of veterinary medicine in texas
his appointment was the culmination of 18 years of innovative research and lobbying dedicated to tick fever in texas but for mark francis founding a&ms veterinary school was only the beginning he couldnt have known it at the time but mark francis was also starting a century-long family tradition of thoughtful entrepreneurship a deep love of animals and a passionate devotion to texas a&m
the francis family ties to texas a&m run deep all but two of mark francis descendants have attended texas a&m the most recent graduates are his great-great-granddaughters sarah francis martin 01 and hannah francis 03 and sarahs eight-year-old son grayson appears poised to follow in his familys footsteps
in the fall of 2015 bebb and iris francis brought their grandson grayson to visit his great-great-great grandfathers college for the first time the francis name appeared everywhere-an emotional experience for the family although these halls didnt exist when mark francis taught the first classes of texas veterinarians the visit still felt familiar to bebb iris and grayson looking at statues of mark francis and reading about all he meant to the college touched them deeply
standing in front of the bust displayed outside of the mark francis room grayson looked at the brass face do you know who that is iris asked grayson nodded
its your great-great-great grandfather bebb filled in smiling looking between the three francis faces (mark bebb and grayson) it was easy to see the family resemblance there was something about the cast of the nose and the set of the brow that had passed down through the generations grayson turned to his grandparents and said i wish i had known him
mark francis legacy is not limited to physical appearances but also includes a defining set of family values bebb never met his great-grandfather who died in 1936 but he recognizes his great-grandfathers boldness thoughtfulness compassion and empathy in his photos passed down through each generation of the francis family
mark and anna francis arrived in college station texas in the summer of 1888 when mark accepted an invitation to head the a&m college of texas new department of veterinary science operating on an appropriation of $2 500 from the state he faced the challenge of building the first veterinary training program in the state
in the beginning the veterinary departments resources were scarce a&m college was a relatively new land-grant college having only opened its doors in 1876 marks new program operated out of a single 14 x 16 foot room that served as an office classroom and laboratory however he was a man known for his grit and determination as bebb stated he started with a foundation then went from there he recalled there is a great story of mark walking around with a candle in his pocket-always being prepared in case there was a need for it with that attitude mark laid the foundation for a new era of veterinary education in texas and set a standard for generations of francis men and women to follow
in the early years mark francis divided his time between teaching and research at the texas agricultural experiment station in the 1880s tick fever was devastating the texas cattle industry so his research focused on finding a solution by the turn of the century mark francis and his partner dr jw connaway had developed a vaccine effectively ending the texas fever epidemic next on his agenda was lobbying for the establishment of an actual veterinary college
in 1903 mark helped found the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) serving as its first president until 1905 working with the tvma he was instrumental in lobbying the legislature to pass laws standardizing veterinary medicine practice and licensing in texas and pushing for money to start a veterinary school mark and his colleagues were also working on a new research project: developing an inoculation against hog cholera finally in 1915 the texas legislature passed a bill allotting $100 000 to build texas first and only veterinary school at the a&m college of texas mark francis resolve paid off and when the school of veterinary medicine opened in 1916 mark francis became its first dean and professor of veterinary medicine and surgery
the fledgling veterinary school was only one of the challenges facing the young couple when they arrived by train in 1918 they found themselves in a small town thousands of miles away from home with few of the amenities we enjoy today there wasnt much to college station at the time other than the tiny college and a train station the treeless landscape was dominated by prairie and cotton fields the town sprouted up around the college and by 1900 the census registered only 391 residents four miles away bryan was the center of brazos county life with 3 589 inhabitants mark and anna settled in a home on lamar street where the memorial student center (msc) sits today the house has since been relocated to the historic district on the southside of town and when you look at the reality of day-to-day life in the early 1900s you quickly understand and appreciate my great-grandfathers and my great-grandmothers perseverance and their deep commitment to texas a&m bebb said
fortunately mark had his devoted wife anna by his side to love and support him anna once wrote to mark do not deny me the opportunity to share your troubles and concerns our marriage is a partnership i may not be able to offer anything positive but im a good listener sometimes that helps according to francis family lore anna was considered the grand-dame of texas a&m she was one of few women to grace the campus during those years and anna was known as a gracious hostess to all the students and faculty she was kind with a touch of formality a century later iris treasures annas heirloom jewelry and china holding onto it for future generations to enjoy
mark and annas sons andrew and william bebb became the first francis men to enroll at a&m college starting a family tradition that lives on to this day
andrew was part of the class of 1915 in those days all students were required to join the military through the corps of cadets andrew was a standout in the corps sadly andrew died of tuberculosis in 1917
william bebb (bebb sr) named after one of marks professors who later became the first governor of ohio enrolled in 1913 bebb sr was named best drill cadet in 1914 and bebb still has his grandfathers medallion and his class ring from 1916 bebb sr went on to serve in the army in world war i as bebb noted in choosing the name of his second son we get a glimpse of some of his great-grandfathers qualities-loyalty and a deep appreciation of commitment my great-grandfather truly must have admired mr bebb otherwise why would he have given my grandfather a name (bebb) that is so difficult to pronounce bebb laughed
after the war bebb sr earned an advanced degree in hospitality from cornell he then moved to dallas where he eventually started his own furniture store the hard-working entrepreneurial streak that defined mark francis had been passed on to his son bebb sr bebb recalled my thoughts on my grandfather-a very focused formal gentleman who was gracious and trusting obviously growing up with dr mark francis as his father and watching all that his father was accomplishing helped mold my grandfathers values
in 1922 bebb sr married vera bell together they had one son william bebb jr (bebb jr) bebb doesnt remember very much about his grandmother because she died when he was young; but he says that in her portraits he sees a very stately and loving mother and wife the family has always agreed that bebb sr married a woman who possessed personal values similar to those of his mother anna
following in the footsteps of his father bebb sr and his uncle andrew bebb jr also attended texas a&m however his studies were interrupted when the united states entered world war ii he was deployed to the south pacific bebb jr returned home safely but regretfully never graduated from texas a&m
instead bebb jr moved home to dallas where he entered business and met the love of his life ann netterville they married in 1948 and in 1949 they welcomed their first child mary lynne two years later their only son william bebb francis iii was born and is the last family member to carry on the francis family name
like his father bebb jr was a businessman and entrepreneur bebb remembers working summers on a printing press in bebb jrs printing shop toward the end of his business career bebb jr switched to medical administration overseeing several medical practices in the dallas area
while bebb jr worked ann stayed home to raise her children mom was the typical 1950s baby boomer mom bebb said she was devoted to my father to my sister and to me when bebb and lynne started elementary school ann went to work as a legal secretary at her brother-in-laws law firm spafford gay and whitham she was a loyal and devoted employee with an unbelievable work ethic bebb explained
iris also saw the family resemblance in ann who seemed very much like the francis women before her bebbs mom and i would just sit and talk she also mirrored bebbs grandmother vera they were very refined formal ladies yet loving and gracious ladies said iris ann was a woman of character and made sure that i learned about the family she wanted to make sure that i carried on the traditions of the francis family i treasure the fact that i had an opportunity to spend time with bebbs mother and that she shared so much of the family history with me
of course seriousness and formality were not the only traits passed down in the francis family at the very top of the list was marks deep love for animals bebb remembered his father having an immense empathy for animals bebb and lynnes childhood was marked by a parade of creatures rescued by his father there was josie the epileptic dog a few tortoises picked up off road sides parakeets and then there was charlie the pigeon bebb said my dad found charlie with a broken wing and he nursed charlie back to health for over a year dad loved that bird bebb laughed that there was even my ‘dime store turtle ‘hershel that dad decided to feed wet dog food (because dad felt badly that the turtle was not getting enough to eat) well that darn one inch hershel the turtle grew to where dad could barely hold him-so off to the creek he went to live happily thereafter with all the other dallas dime store turtles
in the 1950s bebb jr and ann often gave the children baby chickens and ducks for easter for one memorable easter ann picked out ducklings lynne and bebb were delighted with their new pets but the ducks quickly grew up and ann and bebb jr had to find a new home for them they loaded the kids and ducks into the station wagon and drove to a pond at the country club golf course dad let the ducks out and we started driving off but the ducks started following us quacking bebb said dad stopped and petted them then put them further back lynne and i were looking out the tailgate crying my father was an animal lover and a compassionate man he felt just as bad as lynne and i did but he knew this was best for the ducks
when lynne was finished with high school women were still not admitted to texas a&m she married judd stephens and today lynne is retired and they live outside atlanta
bebb was the first of the francis men not to attend texas a&m a decision he called almost sacrilegious instead he attended stephen f austin state university however after his freshman year he transferred to louisiana state university where he joined the cheerleading squad studied history and was a member of sigma chi fraternity
bebb was accepted at both lsu law school and st marys law school in san antonio he wanted to practice law in texas so he chose to accept admittance at st marys graduating with his doctor of juris prudence degree in 1976 at the beginning of his third year bebb attended a law school mixer where he met iris ann mahan a student at our lady of the lake university he was immediately enchanted by the gregarious red-head and they married only four months later it was obviously the best decision i will ever make bebb said i mean can you blame me
iris was a country girl from south texas where her parents raised cattle and peanuts and bebb was definitely a city boy from dallas while teenage bebb worked summers on his fathers printing press and hanging out with his buddies iris spent her teenage years riding horses and deeply involved in the 4-h program back then you could often find her decked out in a pink hat and boots it was city boy meets country girl iris laughed
the quick engagement caught the francis family by surprise but ann and bebb jr handled it with grace a mere three weeks after seeing his parents over the summer and never mentioning a girlfriend bebb called home to share the good news i said ‘hey mom and dad im getting married!' bebb recalled can you imagine i didnt even know iris over the summer now that im the father of two wonderful daughters i would have had a coronary if either sarah or hannah had done that to me always classy bebbs parents just said really whats her name bebb replied her name is iris would you like to speak to her at which point bebb handed the phone to iris i am still amazed that iris married me after pulling that stunt
the following weekend bebb and iris drove to dallas to meet the francis family they were greeted with a surprise in true francis-family fashion ann had arranged a family dinner party complete with numerous relatives candlelight and the best china to welcome iris into the family bebb and iris were married in january 1976
bebb graduated and was privileged to work with many talented and seasoned lawyers in san antonio gaining knowledge in numerous areas of law in 1990 bebb was honored to be named a fellow in the american college of real estate lawyers today bebb focuses on the dynamic and ever-changing area of telecommunications law
meanwhile the couple had two daughters sarah agatha and hannah elizabeth the girls loved their grandparents very different lifestyles they spent happy weekends playing on the red-dirt farm in south texas with iris family or in dallas visiting ann and bebb jr who they called gd (grand dad) and grammy
in 1997 the entrepreneurial francis spirit showed itself again when bebb followed his dream to open his own law firm for the last three decades he has practiced with just one other person in the firm his loyal and trusted assistant linda bailes-a beloved member of the francis family
although bebb didnt go to texas a&m his daughters picked up the tradition from their grandfather during a return trip to see ann and bebb jr in dallas bebb was surprised when sarah announced her decision she wanted to go to the university where both her grandfather and great-grandfather attended
her sister hannah joined sarah two years later both joined the zeta tau alpha sorority and became active members of the campus community hannah even volunteered handing out supplies at the 1999 bonfire collapse with her zeta sisters
sarah graduated in 2001 with a degree in psychology sarah sold pharmaceuticals in north carolina she married fellow texas a&m graduate and cadet greg martin who chose to attend ranger school after sept 11 graduated and then deployed with the 82nd airborne after returning from three tours to iraq and afghanistan greg received his mba from north carolina state while simultaneously beginning his banking carrier at bb&t in pinehurst much to the delight of bebb and iris greg was asked by bb&t to become a part of their college station commercial lending team so finally greg and sarah have returned to aggieland with their future aggie son-grayson
hannah the last francis to graduate from texas a&m earned her degree in communications in 2003 she followed in her great-grandfather bebb srs footsteps and now manages a showroom in atlanta selling high-end furniture and décor hannah is very active in the atlanta interior design scene and has held several positions in the atlanta junior league
today mark francis legacy lives on in his great-great-great grandson grayson at 8 years old hes already following in the francis tradition like many generations before him he adores animals he desperately wants a dog of his own but for now is content to play with bebb and iris two rescue dogs graysons greatest ambition is to be a fighter pilot no doubt inspired by his father and the generations of francis military men before him
back in the fall of 2015 bebb iris and grayson sat in the cvm surrounded with artifacts that carry the francis name as they wondered what mark would think of the cvm today the small veterinary school he fought so hard to build has grown to become a pillar of strength and comfort to the state and to the nation just walking in and seeing what the college has done and continues to do my great-grandfather has to be looking down and saying ‘the people who followed the work i started here have done an incredible job ' bebb said
what would mark francis say if he could speak to the 2016 graduating class drawing on the wisdom passed down through the generations bebb thought he knew the answer having seen my great-grandfather through the lives of my father and my grandfather i know that my great-grandfather would say ‘work hard study hard persevere be true to yourself and to your profession never lose the passion and empathy that brought you to this great institution and once you have developed and honed that foundation of knowledge compassion and self-confidence-trust yourself trust your judgment and then go do what you have been so well equipped to do' bebb continued most importantly my great-grandfather would tell them-‘at the end of the day put your feet up and think of all you accomplished that day think about what you can improve on and then tell yourself ‘job well done get up the next day and do it all over again only this time with more passion and with an even stronger sense of commitment'
we will never know for sure but legend has it that mark francis at the end of a long day would put his feet up on his desk to relax we can say with assurance that if not him at least others were thinking job well done dr mark francis
as you talk and listen to his great-great-great-grandson grayson and see the twinkle in his eye you realize the legend of this great man lives on there is a strong connection between texas a&m university and the francis family-clearly visible when you meet grayson thumbs up eyes glistening grayson spoke im going to come to school here one day im going to be a pilot and a veterinarian
as mark francis stepped off the train 100 years ago he had a vision of the future for this college now 100 years later graysons future is still to be determined-but hearing the excitement in his voice as he speaks of his great-great-great-grandfather he seems destined to a life of devotion to animals and to texas a&m
college station texas – playing video games has been a favorite pastime of young and old alike and now the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is investigating the benefits of video games on an unconventional gamer-birds researchers at the cvms schubot exotic bird health center are in the process of developing video games that can be played by birds on a tablet
using vocalizations or movement birds can play the game and win a treat that is dispensed upon completion of the games task for birds like pet parrots video games can be more than just entertaining; they can also provide much-needed mental stimulation as well as other potential health benefits
the problem is that these are incredibly intelligent birds and it is challenging to provide them with all the stimulation that they require said dr donald brightsmith an assistant professor at the cvm leading the project owners need to provide intelligent birds with as much mental stimulation as possible then theres the physical aspect if you sit around on the couch all day its not good for you and its not good for a parrot to sit on a perch all day either getting the parrots to continue to move is extremely beneficial
birds face some of the same health issues humans face said constance connie woodman a phd student working on the project they can get brittle bones; they can get problems with arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries; they can get fat this is why exercise is important
the first game the researchers developed is similar to the popular game whack-a-mole they said in scientific terms they call it a stimulus discrimination test picture a pop-up on the screen and if the birds yelled at the pop-up to ‘scare it away then the picture would go away woodman said then the bird gets a reward from the dispenser we tested whether or not the animals could learn on their own how to utilize the tablet to play the game and gain a reward they showed all the signs of being a content happy animal during that process
the device could eventually be programmable so the owner could set the times in which the game would be played while the owner is away additionally the tablet could be sold with the feeder as a package so the owner would not use their own personal tablet
it would be nice to come home and know that your animal had been exercising during the day brightsmith said video games such as this would allow pet owners to increase the birds activity and increase the birds mental stimulation with an interest in improving the physical and mental health of the birds
developing the video game stemmed from an undergraduate research scholars project conducted by woodman and taylor strange a senior biomedical sciences student at the time since then the project has flourished and potential for commercialization has been pursued to explore the market woodman and brightsmith were invited to participate in an entrepreneur training course sponsored by the national science foundations (nsf) innovation corps program we figured out that the idea we have is definitely fit for commercialization brightsmith said theres a need out there in the real world for this sort of technology
the researchers were awarded $50 000 through nsfs project and with that they interviewed 127 bird owners to assess the market value finding a need for this technology our research showed that in fact theres a market among bird owners for a technology like this brightsmith said
the researchers will soon be conducting additional market research where users can interact with the game and provide additional feedback to make the design more user-friendly and resilient to wear and tear the researchers also said that they could see potential use of this technology in other species including other pets and zoo animals
college station texas – dr linda logan professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology and director of international programs at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences was recently honored by the uc davis school of veterinary medicine with a 2016 alumni achievement award for her outstanding leadership and contributions to the global community through the promotion of veterinary medicine animal health and international agriculture one or more alumni are honored each year for outstanding personal and professional contributions to veterinary science or one of its branches veterinary practice in any form or humankind and the advancement of human welfare
uc davis distributed a press release announcing the alumni achievement award and highlighting logans career saying:
her career is founded on her longstanding interest in tropical diseases of livestock including trypanosoma congolense infections of calves rickettsia heartwater disease of domestic and wild ruminants and cowdria ruminantium
at an early age she was encouraged to discover and appreciate a vast diversity of cultures languages geography animal populations and ecologies with this background she has pursued a lifelong career as a high-impact veterinary biomedical research scientist an inspiring educator and a visionary leader of international animal and public health programs she has organized numerous workshops and exchanges for veterinary educators in the middle east africa and at texas a&m university she has received a number of awards including the international veterinary congress prize in 2014
dr logan has held a number of critical leadership positions including: research leader at the international livestock research institute in nairobi kenya; leader of animal health on the national programs staff of the agricultural research service of usda; texas state veterinarian; usda agricultural attaché for the east africa and middle east; and usda senior agricultural attaché for all of africa
dr logan is viewed as a mentor and collaborator encouraging her colleagues to work together to find inventive solutions by establishing alliances and cooperations she has successfully launched programs to advance animal and human health and been a major supporter of veterinarians in the developing world
the alumni achievement award is the highest honor bestowed by the school honorees may be graduates of the schools dvm mpvm and graduate academic (ms phd) programs or individuals who have completed internship or residency programs the award is presented during the schools commencement ceremony each may
among its more than 5 000 veterinary and academic graduates the uc davis school of veterinary medicine has produced many who have made extraordinary contributions to society the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine is pleased to call her one of our own congratulations dr logan
college station texas – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is pleased to announce that dr dan posey has been named academic coordinator for the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) at west texas a&m university (wt) posey will focus on implementing and supporting the partnership between the cvm and wt hiring of the academic coordinator is an important component of the cvm statewide plan for the tvmc and the serving every texan every day initiative


as the tvmc program academic coordinator posey will advise mentor and teach undergraduate pre-veterinary students pursuing careers in veterinary medicine at wt he will also advance and strengthen relationships with regional livestock industries to support veterinary education outreach and research these duties are all part of the tvmc at wt effort to expand the pipeline of outstanding students who will join the cvms accredited and world-renowned dvm program in college station tx
posey received his dvm degree from texas a&m university in 1982 he was in private general veterinary practice in rural madison county for 20 years he was certified in beef cattle production management through the great plains veterinary educational center in clay center nebraska in 1997 posey joined the cvm faculty in march 2002 he instructed senior veterinary students through clinical service to the texas department of criminal justice agricultural programs posey was boarded by the american board of veterinary practitioners in beef cattle practice in 2003 he served as the chief of food animal medicine in the department of large animal clinical sciences from 2003 to 2008 in january 2009 he joined the professional programs office and currently serves as the director of student affairs posey is an active member in the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) he has served on the tvma bovine committee tvma membership committee the tvma board directors and tvma executive committee he is currently the president-elect of the tvma
dr posey will be instrumental in accomplishing the goals of this initiative as he has proven skills in working with students in all areas of the college said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine i have no doubt that his talent and dedication to rural veterinary medicine education and students will provide an excellent foundation for this initiative at wt as the incoming president of the tvma dr posey will bring his unique and incredible passion and energy to the tvmc network
the tvmc at wt will focus on serving the livestock industries including beef cattle dairy and swine; supporting the youth of texas in their pursuit of careers in veterinary medicine and related fields; equipping and encouraging veterinary graduates to enter rural communities; increasing the diversity in the veterinary profession; and further developing a strong mutually beneficial partnership with wt
this is a very exciting time to be part of the cvm and the serving every texan every day initiative posey said the first step in this groundbreaking initiative is our partnership with wt i look forward to working with some of the best students in texas and collaborating with wts dedicated student-centered faculty
to view photos of poseys farewell party visit the cvms flickr page
college station tx – team members from the texas a&m veterinary emergency team (vet) deployed to port oconnor tx today to provide support for the 10th annual warriors weekend the event is a fundraising fishing tournament that supports veterans who were wounded in service to their country each year soldiers injured in combat arrive in port oconnor from brooke army medical center in san antonio and join other wounded soldiers who arrived earlier from military installations from all across the country
many of the soldiers participating are accompanied by service dogs at this years event it is anticipated there will be approximately 50 dogs attending with their owners the vet was asked to provide veterinary support to these special canines as the closest small animal veterinarians are 45 minutes away
the dogs that come with these soldiers are special said dr deb zoran medical operations chief for the vet they are therapy dogs service dogs and retired military working dogs in their own way they continue to serve our nation by assisting these brave men and women who sacrificed so much for our country
the participants begin the day with a welcome rally and then are treated to a day of coastal fishing with a weigh-in of the days catch the tournament concludes with a dinner including music and presentations by military dignitaries in celebration of these soldiers and their service
this is a large event supporting our troops said dr wesley bissett director of the vet our teams motto is to serve our state and nation every day and it is truly an honor to be asked to participate in this event in support of these soldiers and the dogs who continue serving by their soldiers side
the texas a&m veterinary emergency team formed in 2010 the motto of the team is serving our state and nation every day this is accomplished by deploying the largest and most sophisticated veterinary medical disaster response team in the country; developing and providing cutting-edge emergency management education; developing new knowledge in emergency preparedness education and response; and building on the legacy of service that is at the heart of texas a&m university for more information on the texas a&m vet visit their website at vetmedtamuedu/vet
founded in 2007 warriors weekend is a non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation dedicated to the support of veterans of the united states of america with an emphasis on those wounded in the global war on terrorism this is accomplished through holding an annual fishing event for wounded military personnel in may in port oconnor tx as well as donations to veterans and veterans-based causes
college station texas – us representative bill flores visited the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) on may 3 the cvm was honored to host congressman flores first tour of the cvms facilities he toured the small animal hospital the diagnostic imaging & cancer treatment center the large animal hospital the veterinary emergency team (vet) vehicles and caught a glimpse of the new veterinary biomedical education complex (vbec) he learned about the many ways the world-renowned veterinary college serves texas and impacts the nation


flores is serving in his third term representing the 17th congressional district of texas which covers portions of central texas from waco to bryan/college station to north austin for the 114th congress flores was elected by his fellow conservative colleagues to serve as chairman of the republican study committee (rsc) the largest caucus in the us congress and an influential group of house republicans committed to economic opportunity national security fiscal responsibility american values and limited government additionally flores serves on the powerful house energy and commerce committee
it was educational for me to be able to tour the texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences facility and to learn more about the great work and incredible advancements being done in animal medicine flores said my visit was informative interesting and fun the work taking place at the college is helping shape the future of the 21st century for both animal and human healthcare
dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine and michael oquinn vice president for government relations at the texas a&m university system were present to host congressman flores as he toured the cvm facilities we were truly honored to welcome congressman flores to the cvm green said he always takes the time to interact with his constituents whether in washington dc or in college station at the cvm he took time to speak with our students staff and faculty he toured our hospitals saw our latest technology visited our emergency veterinary trailers and even had a chance to meet a few of our clients this visit was an excellent follow up to his presence and speaking role at the legislative reception in dc this past march in recognition of the cvm centennial
congressman flores was provided a brochure outlining the details of the cvms texas veterinary medical center (tvmc) statewide partnerships designed for serving every texan every day the tvmc network includes partnerships between the cvm and four texas a&m system universities: west texas a&m university prairie view a&m university texas a&m university-kingsville and tarleton state university to meet all of the veterinary needs in texas through education research outreach and undergraduate collaborations in these regions of the state
we welcomed the opportunity to discuss our college with congressman flores as we continue to address the needs of the veterinary profession across the state green said our goal was to introduce him to both the depth and breadth of what all we do here at the cvm as well as how the cvm serves and impacts texas
college station tx – the national alliance of state animal and agricultural emergency programs (nasaaep) asked the texas a&m veterinary emergency team (vet) in only its fourth year of membership to host the 2016 annual summit the event brought representatives from government agricultural agencies animal health organizations and veterinary colleges from across the united states gathered at texas a&m university to hear presentations on the latest efforts and issues relating to animal and agricultural emergency response
topics presented at this years summit included planning for animal issues in a disaster infectious disease response sheltering of animals in an emergency situation building veterinary capacity through pubic/private partnerships animal decontamination is a disaster and the support of search and rescue canines during a deployment an additional highlight included a panel discussion on the vets involvement in the ebola response in 2014 for a complete list of presentations go to https://wwwthenasaaepcom/
all too recently we have seen the impact that disasters have on animals and their owners said dr wesley bissett director of the texas a&m vet we are fortunate to have organizations such as nasaaep that bring all the stakeholders in animal and agricultural emergency response to the table to build partnerships and develop plans to provide for the rescue treatment and sheltering of animals before and during a disaster event as one of the newer members of nasaaep it is our honor to host this years summit and to participate in so many presentations and discussions cooperation and collaboration are the way we will improve our ability to respond to animals need
the vet displayed their vehicles and response equipment in the plaza by rudder fountain outside the memorial student center on main campus for attendees and others to tour on the last day attendees were provided a tour of disaster city
disaster city is truly a benchmark in responder training environments and its located right here at texas a&m said dr deb zoran chief medical officer for the texas a&m vet one of our strongest relationships is with texas task force–1 urban search & rescue team who call disaster city home we have the privilege of working side by side with their team and their search and rescue canines when training at disaster city and on deployment relationships like this are important because in a disaster environment its not just resident animals that are in harms way
the nasaaep summit concluded on thursday may 19th
nasaaep is an organization of government agencies academic institutions and non-governmental organizations dedicated to responding to animal needs in a disaster the members are responsible for emergency planning and response for all animals–large and small–at the state and national levels all state agencies (united states department of agriculture and the infectious disease response unit from the national animal health emergency response commission) have representation in nasaaep as well as animal rescue and sheltering groups such as the american humane society and the humane society of the united states
the texas a&m veterinary emergency team formed in 2010 the motto of the team is serving our state and nation every day this is accomplished by deploying the largest and most sophisticated veterinary medical disaster response team in the country developing and providing cutting edge emergency management education development of new knowledge in emergency preparedness education and response and building on the legacy of service that is at the heart of texas a&m university
college station texas – simply putting on a virtual reality (vr) headset can transport someone into an immersive digital environment this technology has been used for both entertainment and educational purposes including in medical schools but for the first time is being leveraged in veterinary education as part of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) commitment to transformational learning the center for educational technologies (cet) is beginning to apply the vr headset to veterinary medical education


collaborating with surgeons in the cvms small animal hospital the cet created a 360-degree video of a spay procedure when a viewer wears a vr headset that viewer is able to see the entire surgical suite by a simple movement of the head as if present in the room
its the next step toward using vr as an educational medium for veterinary medicine said dr jordan tayce instructional assistant professor in the cet the worlds first live-streamed virtual reality surgery was recently performed in human medicine so why not veterinary medicine too
this model has the potential to be an innovative and engaging way to teach vr experience that requires only a smartphone and a vr headset the cheapest vr headsets are less than $20 tayce said this is something that is accessible to anyone
while there are many programs utilizing surgical videos to better prepare veterinary students for surgery to our knowledge this is the first use of vr in veterinary surgical training said dr karen cornell associate dean for professional programs this vr-based experience allows the student to stand in the shoes of the surgeon performing the surgery and gain a perspective they dont typically have until they have a scalpel blade in hand
imagine learning about a rare or complex surgery as if youre right there at the operating table tayce said we could create virtual environments to supplement student learning we are only scratching the surface of possibilities
washington dc – embracing an opportunity to help advance the quality of global academic veterinary medicine the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) has established a new council of international veterinary medical education (civme)
aavmc president dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences announced the councils creation during the aavmcs recent 50th anniversary gala celebration in washington dc
our responsibilities in this area have been growing since 2005 when the council on education began accrediting international schools green said we have an obligation to inspire higher standards of academic veterinary medicine around the world and its an obligation we embrace with a great sense of duty and purpose
the profession of veterinary medicine is playing an enormous role in global food production food security and public health and that role will continue to grow in the decades ahead civme hopes to boost the capacity of the profession to provide needed services by enhancing the worldwide quality of academic veterinary medicine
the council of international veterinary medical education includes representation from different regions of the world the goal is to create a structure that will promote more robust collaboration and communication share best practices and advancements and diffuse innovation in academic veterinary medicine
the council will facilitate collaboration among educational researchers through the provision of small seed grants and where appropriate make recommendations to the aavmc and other organizations for funding larger initiatives
the council includes one member and one alternate member from seven different geographic sectors: the united kingdom continental europe australia/new zealand latin america/caribbean africa asia canada and the united states
the charter meeting of the council occurred during the march 2016 annual conference of the aavmc in washington dc there representatives held a daylong meeting focused on the development of initial strategies and operations
planning for the initiative began when the aavmc board established a task force on international engagement in july 2014 chaired by cummings school of veterinary medicine at tufts university dean dr deborah kochevar that group was asked to develop a potential organizational structure identify and prioritize global regions for engagement and explore strategies for working with educators in these regions
more information about civme is available on the aavmc website
the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals people and the environment around the world by advancing academic veterinary medicine members include 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges in the united states canada europe and australia
college station texas – as the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) celebrates its centennial year the college is excited to announce its newest landmark faculty hire as part of the texas a&m veterinary medical center (tvmc) partnership at west texas a&m university (wt) dee griffin dvm ms will serve as director of the tvmc at wt he will direct the first of the statewide partnerships being launched as the cvm remains dedicated to serving every texan every day starting on july 1 2016 griffin will utilize his extensive experience in livestock health feedlot production medicine management education and outreach to serve texas its livestock industries and the students of texas with aspirations for careers in veterinary medicine and related fields especially those interested in large animal and rural veterinary medicine he and his team will work with the excellent faculty staff and students at wt and the cvm to create a first-of-its-kind program of excellence designed to meet the unique regional veterinary educational and livestock health needs of the panhandle region of texas griffin will be an invaluable asset to the state of texas wt and the cvm

griffin comes to the texas panhandle directly from the university of nebraskas great plains veterinary educational center where he served as professor since 1991 in a program focused on food animal health and production his research teaching and extension interests include feedlot medicine and management he was active in the development of the nebraska cattlemen beef quality assurance (bqa) program he also has developed and teaches techniques for bqa and production monitoring in beef harvest facilities prior to teaching he practiced veterinary medicine for 10 years throughout oklahoma in 2012 griffin was awarded the inaugural national beef quality assurance educator of the year award he has been a bqa certified trainer and served on the nebraska bqa advisory board since the programs inception in 1987 he started the first train-the-trainer sessions in nebraska and has traveled extensively and has certified over 1 000 producers
as director griffin will develop and oversee the teaching research and outreach missions of this landmark partnership he will also be responsible for shaping the program at wt and solidifying collaborations among wt the cvm the veterinary profession the livestock industry and the other tvmc partnerships these include strategic partnerships with other texas a&m university system universities including prairie view a&m university texas a&m university kingsville and tarleton state university
west texas a&m is in the heart of the beef industry where a third of the nations beef is fed and where more and more dairy and swine operations are locating said john sharp chancellor of the texas a&m university system it is important that texas a&m provides veterinary support to one of our states most important industries this new hire is the first step in the regional partnerships that ultimately will educate more large animal and rural veterinarians who are badly needed
griffin is joining a talented team of teachers and researchers working across the state in the new initiative since 1916 the cvm has educated several thousand talented veterinarians earning national and worldwide accolades along the way this past year the cvm was ranked third in the nation and boasts one of the lowest student debt loads making it one of the best values in veterinary education in the united states the tvmc is set to build on the cvms long history of success and expand its reach to serve even more texans a major thrust will be enhancing pre-veterinary programs recruiting and mentoring rural and minority students interested in veterinary careers and strengthening the existing agricultural programs unique to each campus
this initiative is ultimately about service to our state it extends the reach of our highly-ranked college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences while also putting the prospect of a veterinary education on the radar of more students throughout texas especially those intending to serve rural communities said michael k young president of texas a&m
by building on existing infrastructure the tvmc is a logical and cost-effective way of reaching out to the communities throughout texas to better serve their veterinary needs west texas a&m-located in the heart of the cattle feeding industry-already operates its own feedlot and is home to the beef carcass research center and nance ranch teaching and research facility
the new tvmc partnership will provide opportunities for collaboration with west texas livestock industry aimed at improving animal and human health prairie view a&ms international goat research center is one of the largest and oldest small animal ruminant programs in the nation and an important resource to the growing texas sheep and goat industries the tvmc will work with prairie view educators to improve research and undergraduate education in small acreage animal health public health and the global one health initiative
dr griffin is the ideal individual to direct the tvmc partnership at wt said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm he has extensive professional experience in livestock health and veterinary education and he has the personal attributes to ensure success he is well-respected and well liked widely within the veterinary profession and the livestock industries additionally he will be an important role model and mentor for students seeking veterinary careers in large animal fields and in the rural communities in texas
in south texas texas a&m-kingsville runs the caesar kleberg wildlife research institute which the tvmc will use as a base to expand its efforts in deer and wildlife medicine tarleton state already operates its own dairy and has deep ties with the local dairy industry a logical place for the tvmc to reach out to texass dairy producers in addition both texas a&m-kingsville and tarleton state have strong veterinary technology programs that will benefit from an enhanced partnership with the tvmc
one of the main goals of tvmc is to recruit rural students interested in veterinary medicine who may one day return to serve the veterinary needs of their communities thus the tvmc is dedicated to expanding and enhancing each campuss pre-veterinary programs including increased hands-on and mentorship opportunities by offering more undergraduate opportunities to work with the cvm faculty texas a&m hopes to prepare promising future rural veterinarians for entrance and funnel a more diverse class of talented students to the tvmc
west texas a&m university has a rich history of serving the livestock industries located in the texas panhandle and beyond this partnership with tvmc and the addition of dr griffin to our faculty will enhance our ability to serve the feedlot industries allied industries associated with feedlot operations and the students who seek a world class education at wt said dean e hawkins the dean of agriculture and natural sciences at wt ultimately this partnership will benefit all of the stakeholders served by tvmc the texas a&m sysytem and wt this partnership fits perfectly with our departmental mission to serve texas we are ecstatic that dr griffin will join our team
the timing of the tvmc launch coincides with the opening of the cvms new state-of-the-art veterinary and biomedical education complex (vbec) in college station tx in august 2016 the cvm will move into these new facilities which provide the most current in veterinary educational innovations and technology for many years the size of the existing cvm facilities has limited incoming classes to 132 students the new vbec will allow the cvm increase its class size immediately and continually adjust to the ever-changing needs of texas well into the future
what a tremendous opportunity to continue to serve the livestock industry griffin said i am envious of the next generations of veterinarians willing to serve cattle and the rural communities in which most have their roots from my perspective the future is bright for those willing to dedicate their professional lives to the livestock industry with great excitement my wife and i look forward to coming back to the panhandle area
in its 100th year the cvm is uniquely poised to revolutionize veterinary education and medicine to serve the unique needs of every texas community
college station texas – mark bomon bo connell has been selected as the assistant dean of hospital operations at the veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) in assistant dean bo connell will serve on the cvms executive committee chair the vmth hospital board and work closely with departments of large animal clinical sciences small animal clinical sciences and veterinary pathobiology
in addition to supporting the cvm in continuing to deliver state-of-the-art healthcare to its veterinary patients connell will support an environment that values teaching the hospitals growing clinical trials and the cvms one health emphasis
currently connell oversees the teaching hospital at the university of pennsylvania school of veterinary medicine where he identifies areas for strategic investment across the school he has also served as director of strategic initiatives at the savannah college of art and design and director of planning & business development at memorial health university medical center both in savannah ga
bo connell is an individual who is forward thinking team-oriented and understands the intersection of our expanding teaching research and patient care missions said eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine he shares our aspirational goals for excellence in all aspects of hospital operations including creating the hospital of the future he is an outstanding leader and will make a great addition to the cvms innovative leadership team
connell received his master of business administration in 2002 at the university of florida his master of health services administration in 1995 from the university of central florida and his certificate in executive leadership in 2014 from the university of pennsylvania wharton school
i am excited about the opportunity to join the outstanding team at texas a&m university and i look forward to working together as we create the veterinary medical teaching hospital of the future said connell
the vmth is a world-class animal healthcare facility that sees over 18 000 small animals and 9 000 large animals per year an additional 30 000 to 40 000 state-owned animals are treated annually through external cvm and vmth programs
college station texas – the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is pleased to announce dr james herman clinical professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) at the cvm has been selected as one of two recipients of the 2016 presidential professorships for teaching excellence this honor is based upon the recommendation of a university-wide selection committee facilitated by dean of faculties john r august in concurrence with provost karan l watson and president michael k young
two presidential professor for teaching excellence awards are presented every spring each with a $25 000 stipend the recipients are given the title presidential professor for teaching excellence which they retain for the remainder of his or her career along with herman dr arvind mahajan of mays business school received this award
herman holds four degrees from texas a&m-a bs dvm ms and phd he joined the veterinary faculty in 1996 after operating a practice in san antonio tx his commitment to excellence in teaching has been recognized through the association of former students college-level and university-level awards for teaching and he is a montague-center for teaching excellence scholar he received a $400 000 grant from the national science foundation to research how bioengineers use the internet to enhance collaborative teaching experiences
we were proud and honored to hear president youngs announcement that our own dr herman is receiving the prestigious presidential professor for teaching excellence award at may graduation said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine he has made exceptional contributions to our college and to the university and his remarkable achievements in the classroom are evident in the lives of his students
a few of the comments in his nomination letter reflect his impact on students his lectures were so entertaining and really aided in my understanding of the material said one student dr herman is the most inspiring teacher that i have ever had he made the classroom environment conducive to learning by interacting with us and making us feel comfortable said another
dr larry suva department head of vtpp said to quote albert einstein ‘it is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge this attribute epitomizes dr hermans teaching philosophy and is what all his students experience i am privileged to know him and very thankful that dr herman is a member of our department college and university
the presidential professor award nominations are received from students faculty members and deans in each of the universitys colleges faculty senate representatives review each nomination and narrow the list that is sent to the president for the final selections
my main goal is to help my students succeed by teaching them how to think critically solve problems and apply information so they excel in their chosen careers herman said from my experience as a clinician and a researcher i know that these are valuable tools and worth pursuing the challenge comes in tailoring my approach to their specifications carefully i construct a learning environment that is founded on respect and fairness so that the students will listen
herman will receive his presidential professorship of teaching excellence at the university commencement ceremony on friday may 13 at 2:00 pm in reed arena texas a&m university bestows two of these awards each year to two extraordinary teachers
the award was established in 2003 by former texas a&m president robert m gates to underscore the importance of teaching at a major research university
college station texas – dr sakhila banu assistant professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was named a 2016-17 montague-center for teaching excellence scholar
the montague-center for teaching excellence (cte) scholar award has been given annually since 1991 to one tenure-track faculty member from each college based on their early ability and interest in teaching awardees receive a $6 500 grant to encourage further development of undergraduate teaching excellence
each spring semester banu teaches a course in endocrine toxicology to undergraduate and graduate students the course examines the mechanisms behind endocrine disrupting chemicals and their role in environmental contamination and development of some diseases such as cancer
i teach because it energizes me and gives me an opportunity to influence and motivate students life in a positive way banu said i treat my students with care and compassion and i appreciate them for their confidence in me and their eagerness to learn
with the grant provided by the montague-cte scholars program banu intends to develop a lab module for the endocrine toxicology course she currently teaches she also plans on facilitating field trips related to the endocrine toxicology course for students further the funds from this program will also allow banu to promote research experiences for undergraduates through purchasing materials and supplies for training and by sponsoring students to present posters in local scientific meetings
i would like to thank the awards committee for honoring me with this nomination for a montague­–center for teaching excellence award banu said i am extremely proud to be a teacher and i consider it one of the most important and responsible professions
dr banu is truly dedicated to her students and her enthusiasm for teaching is inspiring said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we congratulate dr banu on this well-deserved honor and believe that her teaching efforts help facilitate an engaging and active learning environment at the cvm
dr banu is a lifelong learner herself and strives to nurture this habit and mindset in her students said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni department head in veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm she is also a highly accomplished researcher who conveys the immediacy of science to her students in their everyday lives and future careers whether they pursue jobs research or professional school after graduation dr banus students are inspired by her teaching
the montague-cte scholars awards are named in honor of kenneth montague texas a&m class of 37 a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of the texas a&m foundation who had a long and storied career in the texas oil industry the award is designed to benefit aggies who are life-long learners and contributors to their communities
the goal of the cte is to stimulate the development of innovative teaching strategies and technologies at texas a&m university and to recognize excellence in teaching early in a faculty members career
college station texas – the atlantic herring-one of the worlds most abundant fish and historically a staple of the northern european diet-has recently helped scientists understand how species adapt and evolve previous studies only examined a few genes and suggested that different groups of the atlantic herring were genetically indistinguishable despite marked differences in behavior such as when they reproduce and the salinity of their habitat however a study published in elife and led by dr leif andersson professor at texas a&m university and uppsala university in sweden revealed that there is in fact much underlying genetic diversity between various groups of herrings
in the study researchers sequenced the whole genomes of several groups of atlantic herring including both herring that live in the high-salinity atlantic ocean and the low-salinity baltic sea the study also compared herrings that spawned in the fall versus in the spring a total of 500 loci-or locations on chromosomes-were identified as being different between the various herring groups this genetic diversity indicates how herring are able to adapt to varying conditions
the new study reveals that the atlantic herring is a near ideal model to study genes underlying ecological adaptation said andersson firstly it is highly adaptable and it shows a considerable diversity in spawning time secondly the population size is enormous which makes random fluctuations in the frequency of gene variants of minor importance thus the signal-to-noise ratio for detecting natural selection is exceptionally good in this species
by comparing the genome sequences between fall-spawning and spring-spawning population samples dr leif andersson and colleagues identified a number of potential genetic factors that affect spawning time said dr james cai assistant professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the cvm who was not an author of this study these genetic determinants for the timing of reproduction can be used as markers for stock assessment which has important implications for sustainable fishery management
prior to this study scientists wondered how it was possible that these groups of herrings could have such distinct behaviors despite being so genetically similar they came up with two possible explanations one explanation suggested that herrings were flexible and could adapt to a range of environments meaning their genetics did not need to change the other explanation was that the differences were in the genes that had not yet been identified
i was involved in one of these early studies as an undergraduate student at stockholm university in the late 1970s and during the last 35 years i have wondered which of these explanations is the correct one andersson said i was convinced that by applying the new sequencing technologies that have revolutionized biology we would eventually get the final answer
a number of the identified genetic differences do not have a known function but finding these differences lay the foundation for future research additionally this discovery is expected to have implications to understanding speciation and sustainable population management
this study exemplifies how the population-level genome sequencing can help us understand the genetic basis of adaptation of animals to their habitats cai said herring unlike zebrafish and stickleback is not a model fish species commonly used in genetic studies the availability of the genome information has made herring an emerging model which is ideal for studying salinity adaptation
i am convinced that further research on this rich collection of genes associated with ecological adaptation will lead to new basic knowledge about gene functions that will be relevant also for human medicine since the majority of genes in herring are also found in humans and are expected to have similar functions andersson said
i congratulate dr andersson and his team on another stunning piece of work this study is remarkable not only for its boldness and breadth but even more for its implications for species adaptation and survival in a changing climate said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni head of vibs
college station texas – long and pointy short and blunt large and prominent: these are just a few of the beak variations of darwins finches beaks are not only highly variable among species but also they are shaped by evolution in a study published in science a research team led by leif andersson professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and uppsala university in sweden has discovered a gene-hmga2-affecting the variation in beak size in darwins finches
previously the team discovered that the alx1 gene affects beak shape specifically whether the beak is pointed or blunt both studies help unveil the genetic basis of the beak variation in darwins finches and further explain this iconic example of evolutionary adaptation
our data shows that beak morphology is affected by many genes as is the case for most biological traits andersson said however we are convinced that we now have identified the two loci with the largest individual effects that have shaped the evolution of beak morphology among darwins finches
aptly named darwins finches greatly influenced charles darwins theory of evolution through natural selection the finches descended from a common ancestor which arrived in the galápagos islands about two million years ago since then the finches have evolved into 18 species differing in body size beak shape song and feeding behavior variations in beak size and shape allow the different species to consume different foods such as insects seeds and nectar
specifically the researchers compared the medium ground finch and the large ground finch on daphne major island in the galápagos the average beak size in the medium ground finch was reduced following a drought because birds with a large beak could not compete well with the large ground finch having two different beak sizes allowed the two species to use different food sources reducing competition for a single food source the team now demonstrates that the hgma2 gene played a prominent role in this rapid evolution
the hmga2 gene is known to play a role in body size in dogs and horses as well as height in humans
the hmga2 gene regulates the expression of other genes but the exact mechanism how it controls beak size in darwins finches or human stature is unknown andersson said it is very fascinating that this gene pops up in many different species as a gene affecting growth in humans is also a gene affecting dysregulated cell growth in cancer and it is clear that more research to better understand the function of the gene is well justified
dr anderssons research is not limited to discovering genes but extends deeply into the biology of inheritance and adaptation says evelyn tiffany-castiglioni head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at texas a&m university this new paper is an elegant example of how the function of a gene can play a role in survival of a bird lineage when the environment changes it will undoubtedly shed light in future on how this gene and others influence growth and body size of important domestic animal species
andersson has been a texas a&m university institute for advanced study (tias) faculty fellow-one of the nationally and internationally renowned scholars invited by the institute to come to the campus for extended stays to teach conduct research and interact with texas a&m students and faculty
college station texas – the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) at texas a&m university has again received full accreditation for the next seven years by the american veterinary medical association (avma) council on education (coe) dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine announced the accreditation to the college on april 19 2016
the avma coe is recognized by the united states department of education and the council for higher education accreditation and is responsible for accrediting programs that offer a professional doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) degree in the united states canada and other nations it is recognized internationally as the benchmark for quality in veterinary education
the avma coes decision to grant the cvm accreditation reflects the high educational standard of the college the cvm is one of the largest colleges of veterinary medicine nationally with over 527 dvm students as of may 2015 the cvm has graduated 7 697 dvms in addition the cvm was ranked sixth in the world and third in the nation by quacquarelli symonds in 2015
achieving this benchmark in a college with a rich 100-year history during its centennial is especially meaningful said green this designation speaks to the superb quality of the only college of veterinary medicine in the state of texas constantly striving for excellence this is a resounding endorsement of the quality of the faculty staff and students upon which all programs depend as well as the leadership of texas a&m university the texas a&m university system and the board of regents the knowledge of the cvm and support by the leadership has been essential
green noted that during the avma coe accreditation site visit exit interview in december the accreditation team commented on the cvms positive learning and working environment and complimented the faculty staff and students the team also noted the strong research program and success in engaging students in research further the accreditation team commended the cvm on robust educational opportunities at the houston spca the veterinary emergency team the noticeable dedication to diversity and an inclusive environment professional development opportunities outcomes assessment initiatives and the center for education technologies with its support in the curricular review process
after the exit interview texas a&m president michael young provost karan watson and vice president christine stanley congratulated the cvm on this positive review
the avma coe reviews each program every seven years to determine if renewing accreditation is appropriate and if the program meets the standards necessary for a veterinary medical program the coe measures veterinary programs according to eleven standards including curriculum facilities clinical resources and research these standards are reviewed regularly by a number of parties including the avma house of delegates veterinary practitioners faculty deans of colleges of veterinary medicine veterinary students and the public
full accreditation status ensures that graduates are prepared to serve society in diverse careers including clinical practice public health conservation biomedical research public policy global health and much more said dr kenita rogers executive associate dean the cvm has a 100-year history of education research and service to the state of texas and is proud to again be recognized by the avma coe
the coe accreditation process is rigorous and ensures that dvm students receive a high-quality education
chantilly va (march 30 2016) – i4c innovations inc dba voyce a wholly owned subsidiary of intersections inc (nasdaq: intx) and the creators of the voyce health and wellness management system™ is pleased to announce that the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences will be the first veterinary college and teaching hospital to offer the voyce pro wellness monitoring program™ to all patients beginning in april 2016
the voyce pro wellness monitoring program™ – designed specifically for veterinarians – enables remote observation of canine patients biometric data including resting heart and respiratory rates intensity of activity quality of rest and calories burned and more using the voyce health monitor™ these data collected from a dogs home environment have never before been available to veterinarians and are used to drive better patient health and practice outcomes
were very excited to partner with such a revered institution as texas a&m said michael stanfield chairman and ceo of intersections inc we look forward to assisting the clinical activities of the colleges veterinarians faculty and students while allowing the hospitals clients to better understand their dogs health and wellness using the objective data provided by the voyce pro system texas a&m has a commitment to technology as a vehicle for better medicine and we are very pleased to assist in meeting that commitment
eleanor m green dvm dacvim dabvp the carl b king dean for veterinary medicine at the cvm is passionate about incorporating the latest technological advancements in veterinary medicine in the hospital
as an organization we strive to shape tomorrows veterinarians while providing our clients an unmatched patient experience said dr eleanor green and integrating the latest advancements in veterinary medicine and technology is essential to our success we look forward to incorporating voyce pro into our hospital and benefitting from the remote monitoring and objective data provided by this exciting new program
the partnership between voyce and the cvm developed as a result of the positive experiences that sonya g gordon dvm dvsc diplomate acvim (cardiology) had while using the system during a small trial on her canine patients suffering from heart disease
i use voyce data in combination with my medical evaluation for the assessment of the clinical stability of my heart failure patients said gordon based on the health data i see specifically resting heart rate i can ascertain if a patients clinical management is effective and intervene if necessary the best tool to treat heart failure is early diagnosis voyce pro has the potential to help us do a better job of this in a simple cost-effective manner
how the program works
canine patients are enrolled in the voyce pro program based on a veterinary recommendation the patient is provided a voyce health monitor worn comfortably around the dogs neck hospital staff have the ability to set customized data parameters for each patient based on their individual conditions or needs and the voyce pro wellness monitoring program will alert the veterinarian if the key vital signs and wellness indicators move outside of those set parameters unprecedented biometric data collected from the voyce health monitor will sync with the interactive and user-friendly veterinary dashboard – easily accessible from any web-enabled device – that provides access to information about each patient enrolled in the voyce pro program
to discuss the voyce pro partnership with the cvm please contact shannon stevens at fetching communications at 6315692285 or shannonstevens@fetchingcommunicationscom
about voyce
voyce is comprised of a diverse team of passionate individuals committed to building a suite of unique products and services for the companion animal market as part of its comprehensive approach to pet wellness voyce brings a new era of personalized care to pets – where pet parents and veterinarians are empowered with unprecedented insights and tangible information about the health and wellbeing of each individual dog i4c innovations dba voyce is a wholly owned subsidiary of intersections inc and is headquartered in chantilly va for more information please visit http://voycecom/
about intersections
intersections inc (nasdaq: intx) provides innovative information-based solutions that help consumers manage risks and make better-informed life decisions under its identity guard® brand and other brands the company helps consumers monitor manage and protect against the risks associated with their identities and personal information the companys subsidiary habits at work provides insurance and other services that help consumers manage risks and achieve personal goals the companys i4c innovations subsidiary provides voyce™ a groundbreaking pet wellness monitoring system for pet owners and veterinarians headquartered in chantilly virginia the company was founded in 1996 to learn more visit wwwintersectionscom
media contact:
shannon stevens631-569-2285shannonstevens@fetchingcommunicationscom

college station texas – the texas a&m association of former students (afs) honored three members of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty with university-level distinguished achievement awards one of the highest honors presented by the afs dr wesley bissett associate professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences (vlcs) and director of the veterinary emergency team (vet); dr jeffery mb musser clinical professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb); and dr ashley saunders associate professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) were announced as this years honorees from the cvm
distinguished achievement award recipients are recognized by the afs for their efforts in one of several categories: teaching; research; staff; student relations; administration; extension outreach continuing education and professional development; and graduate mentoring
bissett earned the award in recognition of his excellence in the extension outreach continuing education and professional development category musser and saunders were awarded based on excellence in the teaching category
the cvm is fortunate to have such dedicated faculty whose work plays a critical role in the success of our college said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine this is an exciting honor for drs bissett musser and saunders these three leaders contribute to the cvm in a unique and meaningful way and help facilitate a welcoming and productive educational environment
bissett earned his dvm in 1997 and his phd in veterinary microbiology in 2007 both from texas a&m university his primary interests are in veterinary emergency response environmental health epidemiology and public health as director of the vet he oversees and leads the vets rescue efforts
i have never seen anyone more passionate about his work than wesley bissett is about the vet said dr allen roussel department head of vlcs dr bissett took the vet from an idea spawned in the wake of hurricane rita to the largest best equipped and most successful veterinary emergency response team in the usa through selfless dedication and endless hours of work he and his team have assembled an unparalleled emergency response unit that touches the lives of animals and human beings every day while they have performed incredible service on deployments to areas in need their greatest contribution to the state and the country is working with county officials to develop local emergency response plans and training future veterinary leaders who will bring emergency preparedness wherever they go witnessing the passion and dedication of wesley bissett and the successful outcome of his efforts has been one of the highlights of my career as a department head
musser joined the cvm faculty in 2000 and has won several awards at the cvm including the 2003 montague teaching excellence award the 2005 texas veterinary medical association research award and the 2007 texas a&m university international excellence award he has also been nominated twice by the cvm for the bush excellence award for faculty in international teaching with an interest in global veterinary medicine and emerging infectious diseases musser has worked diligently to provide opportunities for texas a&m students to intern overseas in zambia malawi norway australia ghana and ecuador in addition he has taught several study abroad courses
in veterinary medicine we are lucky to have so many caring passionate and outstanding teachers making it difficult to single out a few for special recognition said dr roger smith interim head of vtpb mussers passion for students is obvious to all who see him in a classroom laboratory or any student gathering his love of students combined with his creative teaching makes him truly deserving of this recognition
saunders has been with the cvm since 2005 as a clinical assistant professor where she focuses on cardiac issues in small animals including congenital heart disease and heart failure management in the small animal cardiology service
saunders works closely with veterinary students in the hospital to prepare them for difficult and complex cases she is also a diplomate of the american college of veterinary internal medicine (subspecialty cardiology) and has been widely recognized for her teaching having won several other awards her teaching awards include the bridges teaching and service award in 2011 and the richard h davis teaching award in 2010; she was also named a montague center for teaching excellence scholar in 2009 additionally she is the assistant department head for teaching in vscs
ashley saunders is a superstar she is an outstanding clinician-scientist who is a truly gifted educator said dr jonathan levine department head of vscs by fusing her passion for teaching novel technologies and scholarship she is defining veterinary education in the 21st century
each distinguished achievement award honoree will receive a framed certificate from the afs along with a $4 000 monetary award in a ceremony scheduled for monday april 25 at 1:30 pm in rudder theater the awards begun in 1955 recognize outstanding members of texas a&ms faculty and staff for their commitment performance and positive impact on aggie students texas citizens and the world around them
college station texas – congo african grey parrots are well known for their intelligence and beloved by many as pets but little is known about their genetic make up researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) are changing that by studying the parrots chromosomes
in a paper published in cytogenetic and genomic research scientists looked at the congo african grey parrots chromosomes and compared them to other parrot species from south america and australia this is the first study of its kind in true african parrots said dr terje raudsepp associate professor and lead author of the study so far analogous work in parrots has been done in three south american macaws australian budgerigars and cockatiels and peach-faced lovebirds from asia and africa
the study found that congo african grey parrots were strikingly similar to neotropical macaws found in south america unexpectedly congo african grey parrots were genetically more similar to neotropical macaws such as the scarlet macaw and the red-and-green macaw than parrots from australia such as cockatiels and budgerigars
we found that the rearrangements are essentially but not completely indistinguishable from the scarlet macaw said dr ian tizard distinguished professor of immunology at the cvm director of the schubot exotic bird health center and an author of the study that was a bit of a surprise because youre talking about an african parrot and a south american parrot it implies a much closer relationship between the south american parrots and the african parrots than we would have predicted
further tizard suggested that this genetic similarity could have originated before africa and south america were separated over 70 million years ago the african and south american parrot species ended up on opposite sides of the world due to continental drift yet much of their genome remained similar
to get a better look at the african grey parrots chromosomes the researchers painted them using a technique known as zoo-fish (fluorescence in-situ hybridization) this color codes a known genome-in this case the chickens genome-and compares it to a less understood genome such as the congo african grey parrot by painting the chromosomes with zoo-fish researchers can identify identical or similar sets of genes between species that get rearranged during the process of evolution for example genes that are all together on one chromosome of one species may appear on two different chromosomes in another species
zoo-fish or comparative chromosome painting allows comparison of chromosomes of different species at a molecular level and exchange genome sequence or gene mapping data between the species raudsepp said zoo-fish shows chromosomal correspondence between species but also allows indirect transfer of genetic information from well-studied species such as the chicken to species with no genome sequence information such as african grey parrots
although the genes locations on the chromosome dont greatly affect the animal the comparative location of these genes can give researchers clues about evolutionary relationships species with genes in similar chromosomal locations are generally more closely related than those with dissimilar genetic arrangements from the bodys point of view it doesnt matter whether a gene is on chromosome one or chromosome seven as long as its there tizard said
increased understanding of the congo african grey parrot also has conservation implications tizard said although parrots may look the same they might be genetically distinct and in some cases separate species were trying to dissect out these relationships and theyre proving to be a little bit more complex than expected he said
this is the third collaboration between raudsepps research group and researchers at the schubot center including sequencing the genome of the scarlet macaw more collaborations between the groups are expected in the future according to raudsepp tizard agreed and suggested that similar studies could be done on other exotic birds
college station texas – on march 2 the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and institute for infectious animal diseases a unit of texas a&m agrilife research co-hosted dr monique eloit director general of the world organisation for animal health (oie) eloits visit facilitated the exchange of ideas for how the university and oie can work together on global animal health challenges and built on texas a&m university and agrilifes numerous international collaborations joining eloit at the meeting were sujiro seam consul general of france at houston and his scientific attaché robin faideau the meeting was facilitated by dr jim butler an international livestock consultant
the visit began with an overview of oie and eloits work including opportunities for scientific partnership between the oie and universities eloit was then briefed on iiad by dr gerald parker interim director; dr melissa berquist associate director; and dr elizabeth parker chief veterinarian the institute was established in 2004 as a department of homeland security science and technology center of excellence and in 2014 was recognized by the oie as a collaborating centre in the specialty of biological threat reduction
dr allen roussel professor and department head of large animal clinical sciences provided an overview of the cvm and summarized the cvms various opportunities for collaboration additionally dr linda logan director of international programs informed eliot of the cvms programs outside of the united states
eloits visit concluded with a walking tour of the cvms facilities such as the cvm small and large animal hospitals and the diagnostic imaging & cancer treatment center
it was an honor and a pleasure to have the director general visit our college and discuss ways in which the texas a&m university system can participate in global animal health roussel said it was also wonderful to be able to show our facilities and capabilities to french diplomats from the consulate this meeting opened doors for iiad the cvm and the entire university to increase our participation in the global society and global one health
dr monique eloits visit was a fantastic opportunity to build a partnership between the cvm and oie said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine it was a pleasure for our team to hear about the oies efforts to protect animal health and to share how the cvm is serving every texan every day
oie was established in 1924 based on an international agreement between 28 countries to work collaboratively to stop zoonotic diseases that were devastating their livestock the oie was initially founded to stop infectious diseases of livestock such as rinderpest also known as cattle plague the organization promotes sharing scientific knowledge and best sanitation practices to combat animal and zoonotic diseases in 1994 the world trade organization adopted the oies guidelines on sanitation management and oies recommendations were designated as the international reference on animal and zoonotic diseases
college station texas – lieutenant governor of texas dan patrick visited the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) on feb 15 the cvm was honored to host lieutenant governor patricks first tour of the cvms facilities share with him the many ways the world-renowned veterinary college serves texas and impacts texans and learn more about his vision for texas
texas a&m is one of the great universities in our nation and arguably has the finest veterinary college in the world i really enjoyed my visit it was informative interesting and fun said lieutenant governor patrick
texas a&m university system chancellor john sharp texas a&m university president michael k young and dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine were present to host lieutenant governor patrick as he toured the cvm facilities
it is always a pleasure to welcome our state leaders to campus and to demonstrate the myriad of ways that the texas a&m university system is serving texans said chancellor sharp i am particularly proud of the cvm and its expanding mission as it celebrates its 100th year of service
lieutenant governor patrick was provided details of the cvms serving every texan every day initiative the initiative includes partnerships between the cvm and four texas a&m system universities: west texas a&m university prairie view a&m university texas a&m university-kingsville and tarleton state university these strategic partnerships will meet all of the veterinary needs of texas through education research outreach and undergraduate collaborations in these regions of the state
we greatly appreciated lt gov patrick giving us the opportunity to show him firsthand some of the splendid veterinary programs being conducted here at texas a&m benefitting both animals and humans said texas a&m president michael k young also we welcomed the opportunity to discuss with him what were doing around the state to serve the livestock industry as well as to aid those involved with other domesticated animals the strategic partnerships we are developing will comprise educational research and outreach components tailored to address the needs of the veterinary profession across the state
lieutenant governor patrick was also briefed on the scope of expertise in one health at texas a&m including the cvm and texas a&m agrilife research dr craig nessler director of texas a&m agrilife research and dr scott lillibridge professor at the texas a&m health science center discussed planned initiatives to address zika virus
our goal was to introduce lieutenant governor patrick to both the depth and breadth of what we do here at the cvm learn more about his vision for texas and determine how our work aligns with his vision for texas said dr green the serving every texan every day initiative is one area of obvious mutual benefit
college station texas – faculty and researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have turned the recent increase in chagas disease cases in texas into a learning opportunity by developing an online case study learning module the case study was one of only 15 selected for webpublication by the american association of veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) and the association for prevention teaching and researchs (aptr) joint one health interprofessional education initiative
chagas disease an infectious disease caused by the parasite trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted by the kissing bug has many texans concerned recent spread of chagas disease which affects humans and animals in the southern united states and latin america has made media headlines this increase in cases and growing concern over the disease led researchers to develop the chagas case study as an educational tool for health professionals
the module was created through a collaboration between faculty and researchers at the cvm baylor college of medicine and texas a&m health science center–mcallen the module was supported through funding from the texas a&m one health initiative
the modules content was developed by faculty and students at the cvm: associate professor dr ashley saunders expert in clinical cardiology in dogs as well as assistant professor dr sarah hamer phd student rachel curtis-robles and veterinary student trevor tenney experts in the ecology and epidemiology of the kissing bug and t cruzi additional content addressing public health was contributed by dr ann millard associate professor at the texas a&m health science center–mcallen and dr melissa garcia research associate at baylor college of medicine
the case was developed in collaboration with the center for educational technologies (cet) at the cvm including dr jodi korich and dr jordan tayce the web-based case study allows students to make a series of clinical decisions as they follow a real case from diagnosis through treatment and is supplemented with instructional video lectures diagnostic charts and other reference materials in an interactive and media-rich format
the case study turned out really cool and its interactive that is the beauty of working with the cet said saunders who was designated as an aavmc one health scholar as the principal investigator the whole point is that faculty at another university in other health professions could teach their students with a case study that was developed by experts from texas a&m
its all digitally interactive said tayce an instructional assistant professor at the cet a user can be in any location at any time and still go through this case thats what makes our case study unique
the case study features a dog diagnosed with chagas disease in texas but it is not limited to veterinary applications according to the researchers the chagas case highlights the one health initiative by focusing on important connections between humans animals and the environment therefore it can be used by students in a variety of disciplines including human and veterinary medicine
its not just veterinary tayce said its geared toward medical students public health students environmental science students and others
according to saunders the collaborations that built the case study are what make it so versatile the aavmc and aptr wanted the case study to not just be veterinary focused but they also wanted to include people from all disciplines she said i knew we had enough people and it was going to be a successful collaborative effort i knew we could do it so i started pulling people in from all different places to help us
the chagas disease case study learning module uses technology to enhance students knowledge and understanding of the disease including the clinical presentation and cardiac manifestations in dogs when to test for infectious diseases kissing bug ecology and epidemiology and client education on animal and human health aspects and kissing bug management
at the cet we work to make sure were using proven educational practices in all of the material we build tayce said we work with the faculty to make sure that from the beginning and all the way through to the end were using these established educational practices when we create content
saunders said this module is not only suited for veterinary students but also for students in other health-related disciplines she noted that as a veterinarian she could imagine the benefits of increased education one of the difficult things about chagas disease is the questions i receive from owners about how to save their dog she said we can definitely help the dogs but even more important is what goes on at home like where did they get exposed and who else can get infected so we brought in all these experts to build a case that was comprehensive and a really great collaborative effort
college station texas – dr dickson varner professor and pin oak stud chair of stallion reproductive studies in the department of large animal clinical sciences at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) at texas a&m university has been named the recipient of the david e bartlett lifetime achievement award from the society for theriogenology (sft) and the american college of theriogenologists (act)
established in 1971 and named after the acts first president the award honors excellence in theriogenology or animal reproduction and is presented to one person annually varner will receive the award at the sft/act annual conference this july in asheville north carolina
the award honors varners work in equine theriogenology which includes assisted reproduction stallion fertility and in-vitro preservation of stallion sperm he played a pivotal role in starting the stallion reproductive studies program at the cvm and his innovative research has helped position the cvm as one of the top research and clinical facilities for stallion reproduction in the world
varner was instrumental in developing the use of procedures and technologies used worldwide in the equine industry including new methods for examining and preserving sperm
i feel very honored varner said its no different than when a football player gets an award he never accepts it himself its a team effort its the same in academia its based on a team effort the recognition is for our group as opposed to me as an individual its definitely an honor-a humbling experience-to get a lifetime achievement award
as an avid horseman varner values working closely with those in the equine industry and considers it integral aspect of his research weve had a lot of contacts with people in the industry and thats one area that you have to really focus on to be successful you have to know the industry you have to immerse yourself in the industry he said
dickson has been a friend and colleague for over 30 years said dr katrin hinrichs regents professor and patsy link chair of mare reproductive studies at the cvm throughout that time i have marveled at his ability to juggle the demands of clinical practice academic leadership and his varied personal interests while still maintaining his enthusiasm and productivity in innovative research he is so deserving of this recognition!
dr varners pioneering work in theriogenology makes him particularly worthy of the david e bartlett lifetime achievement award said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the passion and dedication dr varner shows for his research is inspiring we are proud of this outstanding achievement
varner received his bachelors degree in agriculture at the university of missouri in 1976 he then went on to earn his dvm from the university of missouri in 1978 and a masters from texas a&m university in 1990 varner is a diplomate of the act an honor he earned in 1984
i thank the society of theriogenology immensely for bestowing upon me such an admired and respected award varner said my most enduring friendships emanate from my interactions with the society of theriogenology and the american college of theriogenologists while i have many outside interests and affiliations the discipline of theriogenology is my professional lifeblood and the pulse of the society and college beats within me each and every day!
dickson varner has been a faculty member at the cvm for over 30 years he said his research and clinical group is like family
college station texas february 15 2016 – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) recently initiated evaluation and assessment of the eyesight of a visually impaired steer donated to texas a&m university by the fort worth stock show & rodeo the steer which had been recently exhibited in the stock shows junior steer show was delivered to the cvm on february 13
junior exhibitors participating in 4-h and ffa livestock show programs at the fort worth stock show are engaged in a journey that provides them lessons on life and the importance of the livestock industry through immersive experiences they learn the responsibility and hard work required to take care of livestock which includes gaining knowledge about nutrition health and animal behavior they also learn how to compete and how to win and lose gracefully in the show ring the preparation is often an endeavor of the entire family bringing family members closer as they work together towards a common goal the monies gained from selling the animals during the show are often used to finance college educations
the fort worth stock show & rodeo provides exceptional opportunities for the young people of texas said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm the lessons learned follow them throughout their lives we support the mission of the stock show and are proud of the students who come through their programs
since the steers arrival at the cvm large animal hospital veterinarians staff and students have been working cooperatively to assess his status a board certified ophthalmologist conducted extensive eye exams to determine the steers level of sight it was established that the steer is not completely blind and does have partial vision although cataracts are present in both eyes he also has other congenital birth defects in his eyes which are untreatable making it unrealistic to consider surgery for the cataracts
two individuals johnny and jana trotter from hereford texas have offered to pay for the steers housing at the cvm they are prominent ranchers and feedlot owners in the industry we want to thank johnny and jana owners of the bar-g feedyard for offering financial assistance to care for this steer said green this proves once again how our industry leaders reach out to help in many different ways we are grateful to them for their support
the circumstances surrounding this steer were unique at texas a&m university he will prove beneficial to the education of our veterinary students he will not be used for research but will be helpful in training students about a steer with a visual impairment or other disability-how to best care for them and how to diagnose a problem because this steer was handled so well in preparation for the steer show he is very easy to handle here at the cvm
the cvm is committed to the care of animals the livestock industry and all of the texas livestock shows & rodeos green concluded we are happy to be able to help our friends at the fort worth livestock show which does much for the youth of texas
college station texas – the usda recently announced 35 food safety grants one of which was awarded to a team led by texas a&m professor dr h morgan scott from the department of veterinary pathobiology in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) based on its research on antimicrobial resistance the grant funding awarded to the team totaled $1 million
the food safety grants are administered by the usdas national institute of food and agriculture (nifa) and are designed to enable research that promotes safe and nutritious food as well as agricultural competitiveness
antimicrobials including antibiotics have been used for decades to successfully treat both humans and animals however strains of bacteria have evolved resistance to antibiotics leading to growing concern about aspects of food safety related to animal agriculture through this research scott and his team hope to address these concerns
scott will lead a team of researchers and extension faculty: mayukh dass and guy h loneragan of texas tech university yrjö t gröhn of cornell university ellen r jordan and jason sawyer of texas a&m agrilife extension alex w mcintosh of texas a&m university and gerald r midgley of the university of hull in the united kingdom the team will focus on designing and implementing science-based and stakeholder-informed stewardship programs for beef and dairy cattle systems
the overall goal of the project is to identify evaluate and implement practical and effective strategies for mitigating and preventing antimicrobial resistance to do this scott and his team seek to recruit and engage stakeholders in designing and implementing voluntary antimicrobial stewardship programs additionally the researchers will conduct field studies and develop models to better understand various aspects of this complex issue including economics microbiology and the social sciences
the research team aims to enhance environmental quality and food safety by reducing the burden of antibiotic resistance among enteric bacteria scotts research will lay the foundation by which decisions can be made by stakeholders to prevent and combat antimicrobial resistance this includes qualitative and quantitative modeling to test tools that support stakeholders decisions both in the short and long term
this project differs from previous attempts to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in animal agriculture because it focuses on voluntary stewardship programs rather than relying strictly on legislation or regulation
dr scotts research on antimicrobial resistance is truly exceptional said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine receiving this grant is a testament to dr scotts commitment to excellence in research and we are proud of him and the team he is leading
college station texas – dr leif andersson professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and at uppsala university in sweden received the royal swedish academy of forestry and agricultures nilsson-ehle gold medal for his research in animal genetics named after the pioneering geneticist dr herman nilsson-ehle the award honors those with outstanding contributions to the field of genetics with practical applications in agriculture
andersson a texas a&m institute for advanced studies faculty fellow was chosen for the nilsson-ehle gold medal based on his exceptional molecular genetics research which has important applications in animal breeding and veterinary medicine specifically he investigates how genetic mutations can affect gene function and regulation he also compares genomes from many species to uncover the importance of the molecular mechanisms and underlying genetic traits to human and veterinary medicine
it is great honor to receive this prestigious award as a recognition for my research andersson said and the ceremony in the stockholm city hall where the nobel prize banquet takes place in december every year was fabulous-a memory for life
anderssons work has garnered national and international attention both among scholars and in the media recently he discovered the gene that is responsible for the ability of some horse breeds such as the paso fino and tennessee walker to move with a smooth ambling gait additionally in his recent paper published in nature andersson determined the gene responsible for the variation in beak shape in darwins finches
andersson has also been uniquely elected to four major scientific royal societies in sweden (royal swedish society for agriculture and forestry the royal swedish academy of sciences royal society of sciences in uppsala and the royal physiographic society in lund) and was elected as a foreign member of the us national academy of sciences andersson has received numerous other prizes: the wolf prize the thureus prize in natural history and medicine from the royal society of sciences the linnaeus prize in zoology from the royal physiographic society in lund the hilda and alfred erikssons prize in medicine from the royal swedish academy of sciences and the olof rudbeck prize from upsala medical society
dr leif andersson has dedicated his career to molecular genetics and his research is truly exceptional said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr andersson has achieved international recognition for his outstanding research and we are proud of his accomplishments this award is a well-deserved recognition of his contributions to the fields of genetics agriculture and veterinary medicine
hexavalent chromium (crvi) a toxic form of the heavy metal chromium is widely used in more than 50 industries such as welding and painting due to increased usage and improper disposal crvi contaminates the environment including drinking water new research from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) indicates that despite its widespread use crvi can cause detrimental health effects particularly when it comes to fetal ovarian development
the study which appears on the cover of toxicology and applied pharmacology examined developing rat whole fetal ovaries in cell cultures to explain how early exposure to crvi causes cell death known as apoptosis in the female offsprings developing ovaries ultimately increased apoptosis during ovarian development can lead to premature ovarian failure and early menopause in the adult life
my main goal is to see what happens to the children if pregnant women are exposed to hexavalent chromium since it readily crosses the placenta and directly targets the fetal organs mainly the ovary said dr sakhila banu assistant professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences and the lead author of the study
banu and other texas a&m researchers studied the effect of crvi on rat ovaries grown in a cell culture in the earliest stages of development-as soon as cells began to develop into ovaries they looked at several genes and proteins that regulate the ovarys development and the onset of apoptosis in ovarian cells
although it is normal for cell death to occur in some cells during the development of the ovary accelerating apoptosis during early ovarian development can have consequences later in a womans life
many chemicals can cause cell death banu said if liver cells or intestinal cells are targeted they rejuvenate to a certain extent but every woman is born with a specific number of immature eggs called oocytes in the ovary if during early development the oocytes are exposed to chromium which particularly targets those cells and if chromium accelerates those molecular pathways that program cell death then you could end up with premature ovarian failure
additionally the researchers noted that this study creates a model in which the whole fetal ovaries can be grown in a organ culture for direct examination to determine harmful effects of chemicals on ovarian development thus future research can be done to better understand the effects of other chemicals such as drugs or environmental contaminants on ovarian development
currently the us environmental protection agency recommends 01 parts per million (ppm) as the safe limit for chromium in drinking water however banu and her team determined that this level was still high enough to cause ovarian damage suggesting that the regulatory limit of chromium be revisited
dr banu is a highly productive young scientist and a leader in the area of chromium toxicity mechanisms and remediation strategies through funding support from the national institute of environmental health sciences said dr robert burghardt associate dean for research and graduate studies at the cvm this is another outstanding example of one health research being conducted at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences that benefits animals humans and the environment
college station texas – dr kathryn meurs an alumnus of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was awarded the morris animal foundations mark l morris jr investigator award meurs received the award based on her work in the genetics of cardiac disease in companion animals as a leader in the field she has identified the genetic roots of a number of cardiac diseases in dogs and cats the award is the first of its kind and focuses on the most common source of canine heart disease-canine mitral valve disease
meurs who currently serves as professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies at north carolina state university said support from the award will help further her research teams efforts in identifying genetic variations that lead to mitral valve disorder in dogs additionally this research could be used to create genetically based treatments and preventions
i firmly believe that once you really understand a disease etiology you can most effectively develop treatments for the primary disease and gradually remove or at least reduce the disease prevalence in the population meurs said
meurs completed a phd in genetics and a cardiology residency at texas a&m university additionally she holds a dvm from the university of wisconsin-madison she also completed a small animal rotating internship at north carolina state
i think that mark would be both pleased and honored that dr meurs will be the first recipient of this award said dr bette morris morris animal foundation board trustee and wife of the late dr mark morris jr mark would recognize the importance of understanding the etiology of heart disease as a first step toward preventing the occurrence of the disease and improving treatment
as a graduate student kathryn combined high energy with high integrity being extremely productive without taking shortcuts said dr james womack distinguished professor at the cvm and meurs phd advisor she was the perfect person to bridge the basic science of genetics in my lab with the clinical sciences of dr matt miller and other clinical advisors it is obvious that she has continued to excel as a scholar and international leader in the study of cardiac diseases in companion animals i feel extremely honored to have perhaps played a small role in the early stages of her distinguished career
college station texas – culminating a seven-year plan the texas a&m university system today announced partnerships to expand veterinary education research and undergraduate outreach into several regions of the state through four a&m system universities
the system partnerships are between the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and west texas a&m university prairie view a&m university texas a&m university-kingsville and tarleton state university
in 2009 the texas higher education coordinating board reported there was no need for a second veterinary school but that cvm could increase enrollment to meet future state needs the study (http://wwwthecbstatetxus/reports/pdf/1701pdf) focused on the need to increase the number of underrepresented minorities entering the profession as well as enlarging the pipeline of rural-based veterinarians to better serve the livestock industry as well as deer and wildlife interests
in response the texas a&m system began beefing up its agriculture programs at the four universities while planning a state-of-the-art veterinary teaching complex at college station with no state appropriation available for construction during the recession texas a&m invested $120 million from the permanent university fund
the teaching complex which opens this fall allows cvm to accept more veterinary students and create the partnerships to encourage more underrepresented minorities and rural students who are more likely to return to their home regions to work as veterinarians in the states agricultural economy
texas agriculture feeds and clothes the country said chancellor john sharp we will always need small-animal veterinarians to take care of our pets but we also need more large-animal veterinarians helping to protect our states agricultural economy
all four of the a&m system partnership universities have significant underrepresented minority student populations as well as unique animal science programs and ties to the livestock or wildlife industries in their regions:
this initiative is ultimately about service to our state said texas a&m university president michael young it extends the reach of our highly-ranked college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences while also putting the prospect of a veterinary education on the radar of more students throughout texas
opening the new cvm teaching complex is key to extending the reach of veterinary education and research beyond college station while the states population has boomed the size of the veterinary school remained virtually flat due to older cramped facilities the new facility will allow the cvm to meet the need for both the veterinary and livestock industries as the demand for veterinarians grows
the new education complex will easily accommodate an initial increased class size of 20 to 30 new veterinary students each year by providing new learning opportunities for students who attend the four a&m system partnership universities the cvm hopes to increase the number of applicants from those regions
toward that goal the cvm intends to hire veterinary faculty initially to teach undergraduate courses strengthen the curriculum and explore research partnerships with industry in each region eventually as demand increases the cvm will evaluate the need to offer some veterinary courses at sites other than college station
the cvm is in the process of hiring two faculty members to teach and conduct research at west texas a&m it also will be seeking appropriations to duplicate those efforts at tarleton state prairie view a&m and texas a&m-kingsville
this cost-effective graduated approach to expanding veterinary education leverages the states assets to their highest and best use while being mindful of texas taxpayers and following the guidance of the coordinating board study
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has served animal owners in texas and beyond for 100 years said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we intend to expand our ability to respond to the needs of our diverse populations and to the needs of the veterinary profession by linking the vast strengths of texas a&m across the state this program puts boots on the ground where they are needed as they are needed
about the texas a&m university system the texas a&m university system is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation with a budget of $42 billion through a statewide network of 11 universities seven state agencies two service units and a comprehensive health science center the a&m system educates more than 140 000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year system-wide externally funded research expenditures exceed $932 million and help drive the states economy
about texas a&m university
texas a&m university – the flagship campus of the texas a&m university system – is a tier one research institution committed to the values of its land-grant heritage texas a&m ensures accessible education for the people of texas and the world its faculty-led research advances innovation for societys challenges and yields over $854 million in annual expenditures texas a&m is developing educated leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good
about the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
established in 1916 the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is one of only 30 colleges of veterinary medicine in the united states the college has graduated more than 7 600 veterinarians since it was created today the college has over 500 dvm students another 2 300 undergraduate students in the biomedical sciences program and 170 graduate students involved in research among veterinary colleges texas a&m is ranked third in the nation and sixth in the world
contact information:
megan palsaexecutive director of communicationscollege of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciencesmpalsa@cvmtamuedu979-862-4216979-421-3121 (cell)
terry mcdevittvice chancellor for marketing and communicationsthe texas a&m university systemtmcdevitt@tamusedu979-458-6018210-232-5759 (cell)
college station texas – research scientists at texas a&m university and pontifícia universidade católica do rio grande do sul in brazil have moved a step closer to understanding the rich evolutionary history of the cat family in a paper featured on the cover of genome research the researchers constructed extensive family trees of the 38 cat species which illustrated maternal paternal and biparental lineages within the cat family however they found that lineages are not completely linear instead this study revealed that feline ancestry has been shaped throughout its evolutionary history by hybridization
for this study researchers used genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) data-which identifies differences in individual base pairs-with genes from both the x and y chromosomes and autosomal or non-sex chromosomes in addition to sequencing complete mitochondrial genomes which indicate maternal lineage this data was complemented by new whole genome sequencing data from the closest species to the domestic cat as well analysis of the tiger snow leopard and lion genomes
our results finally resolve much of the discrepancies in the literature over the past two decades as to how cats are related and the cause for many of the conflicts between different scientific publications said dr william murphy professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and an author of the study
the results also highlight an emerging trend in the literature that hybridization between different species is common and may actually be adaptive one novelty of our study is the illustration as to how common this process is across a broader phylogenetic scale-within an entire family of mammals-than previously has been shown in isolated pairs of species
dr murphy is an extremely meticulous investigator whose prior work helped create the field of phylogenomics which uses genome analysis to establish evolutionary relationships of species said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni department head of vibs this new work will contribute greatly to our understanding of hybridization as a force that has shaped and is shaping speciation in cats
the researchers found that there were nine differences between the maternal and biparental trees for example the maternal tree indicated that the puma lineage was more closely related to the lynx/bay cat group whereas the biparental tree showed the puma lineage as more closely related to the asian leopard cat/domestic cat group researchers concluded that the most likely cause of this and other discrepancies between family trees based on different modes of inheritance is due to ancient hybridizations hybrids may have then mated with non-hybrids introducing variations back into the species
additional factors influencing feline evolution include the fact than male hybrids are more often sterile than female hybrids and the males are often more geographically dispersed than females
we identified traces of hybridization within the genomes of more than half of the eight cat lineages where stretches of dna sequences are far more closely related between pairs of non-sister species than would be expected by random processes murphy said in several of these cases the evidence for hybridization in the nuclear genome which is inherited from both parents is matched by similar patterns in the mitochondrial dna which is only inherited from the mother
ancient hybridization may have led to the discrepancies between the biparental and maternal lineages of the snow leopard specifically genes on the x chromosomes of lions and snow leopards were shown to have diverged at a more recent date than did genes on autosomal chromosomes additionally snow leopards retained a mitochondrial genome that is more similar to the lions mitochondrial dna when compared to other parts of its genome the study suggested that these results are likely due to early hybridization between the ancestors of the two species
we know that ancient hybridization in the wild is consistent with extensive evidence for hybridization that has occurred between many distantly related cat species in captivity such as the liger-a male lion crossed with a female tiger murphy said one of the worlds most popular cat breeds the bengal is a hybrid between the domestic cat and the asian leopard cat and several other increasingly common cat breeds are of hybrid origin
the researchers also note that while hybridization is a natural part of evolution factors such as poaching loss of habitat and climate change have the capacity to affect future feline evolution particularly in endangered species they also emphasize the importance of understanding natural versus human-caused hybridization
college station texas – today horses come in a variety of coat colors but most lack the camouflaging coat of their ancestors however a trace of that legacy remains in horses with the dun pattern which characterized by pale hair covering most of the body a dark stripe along the back and zebra-like stripes on the legs a recent study published in nature genetics reveals a new mechanism that explains the genetic roots of the dun pattern and uncovers why the pattern does not appear in most domesticated horses
the study is the work of an international team of scientists led by texas a&m university institute for advanced study (tias) scholar dr leif andersson and is the result of a collaboration between groups at texas a&m university uppsala university in uppsala sweden and the hudsonalpha institute of biotechnology in huntsville alabama
the dun pattern camouflaged ancient wild horses protecting them from predators however domestic horses like other domestic animals have been selected over many generations to appear different from their wild counterparts as a result of selective breeding most domestic horses today are not dun and have coat colors that are more intensely pigmentation and uniformly distributed across the body
dun is clearly one of the most interesting coat color variants in domestic animals because it does not just change the color but the color pattern andersson stated we were really curious to understand the underlying molecular mechanism of why the dun pigment dilution does not affect all parts of the body
unlike the hair of most well-studied mammals the dilute-colored hairs from dun horses are not evenly pigmented explained freyja imsland a phd student in anderssons group they have a section of intense pigmentation along the length of the hair on the side that faces out from the body of the horse whilst the rest of the hair has more or less no pigment the hairs from the dark areas of dun horses are in contrast intensely pigmented all around each individual hair in spite of scientists having studied hair pigmentation in detail for a very long time this kind of pigmentation is novel to science and quite unlike that seen in rodents primates and carnivores
genetic analysis and dna sequencing revealed that the dun color is determined by a single gene which codes for the t-box 3 (tbx3) transcription factor previous studies in humans and laboratory mice show that tbx3 controls several critical processes in development that affect bones breast tissue and cardiac conduction explained dr greg barsh whose group at hudsonalpha led the tissue analysis we were surprised to find that tbx3 also plays a critical role in skin and hair development
researchers measured tbx3 distribution in individual hairs relative to other molecules known to regulate pigmentation the researchers suggest that the signals governing where tbx3 is expressed could help to explain zebra stripes in horses that have lost their dun color tbx3 mutations do not inactivate tbx3 protein function and instead only affect where both on the individual hair and on the horses body the gene is expressed
in growing hairs tbx3 mirrors the distribution of melanocytes the cells that produce pigment explained kelly mcgowan a senior scientist in barshs lab our results suggest that tbx3 affects differentiation of specific cells in the hair creating a microenvironment that inhibits melanocytes from living in the ‘inner half of the hair
the team also discovered that there are two forms of dark non-dun color: non-dun1 and non-dun2 which are caused by different mutations non-dun1 horses differ from dun horses in that they have a darker coat and less contrast between the stripes and the rest of the body on the other hand non-dun2 horses show no stripes at all
non-dun horses have much more vibrant color than dun horses non-dun1 horses tend to show primitive markings similar to dun horses whereas non-dun2 horses generally dont show primitive markings imsland stated these primitive markings in non-dun1 horses can sometimes lead horse owners to think that their intensely pigmented non-dun1 horses are dun
the study indicates that the non-dun2 variant occurred recently-most likely after domestication in contrast the dun and non-dun1 variants predate domestication evidence of this conclusion can be found in the dna of a horse that lived about 43 000 years ago long before horses were domesticated which carried both dun and non-dun1 variants
this demonstrates that horse domestication involved two different color morphs-dun and non-dun1-and future studies of ancient dna will be able to reveal the geographic distribution and the abundance of the two morphs andersson said
college station texas – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) announced the recognition of dr james womack distinguished professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology with the american association of veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) 2016 excellence in research award
this award recognizes womacks efforts in advancing the fundamental boundaries of knowledge in the veterinary profession and for facilitating the research careers of veterinarians the excellence in research award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the aavmc and is given to the outstanding researcher of the year
as a leader in genomic research womack has a tradition of excellence in research having won the bush excellence award for faculty in international research (2008) and the wolf prize in agriculture (2001) among others in addition he earned recognition from the national academy of sciences in 1999 and was named a fellow of the american association for the advancement of science that same year
womacks research in genomics and genome mapping has led to discoveries impacting cattle chickens horses and humans his comparative studies between animal genomes and the human genome are paving the way for an improved understanding of gene function and expression
dr james womack has a distinguished history of research excellence said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his past discoveries and future research endeavors are unlocking the mysteries of the genome in different species which are leading to novel approaches in diagnosing and treating genetic disorders in animals and humans dr womacks commitment to promoting research careers for veterinarians is a legacy that will define our profession and ensure it is prepared to meet the needs of both human and veterinary medicine in the future
womack was selected to receive this honor by a committee of peer veterinarians within the aavmc and will be presented with the award at the aavmc annual conference held march 4-6 2016 in washington d c
college station texas-the texas a&m association of former students (afs) recently honored two outstanding texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty members in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) dr audrey cook associate professor and dr ashley saunders associate professor received afs college-level teaching awards during a department meeting on dec 7 2015 the award recognizes cook and saunders for their excellence in teaching and devotion to their students
this award recognizes the important contribution dr cook and dr saunders make to the lives of so many here at texas a&m university said kathryn greenwade 88 vice president for communications and human resources at the association of former students texas a&m is fortunate to have many outstanding classroom teachers across our campus and the association is proud to recognize the best of the best annually with this meaningful award
wed like to thank them for the work they do to increase learning said dr blanca lupiani interim dean of faculties and associate provost as well as the work they do for the students and for the good work they do in research teaching and service
drs cook and saunders are truly outstanding clinicians and educators said dr jonathan levine department head and helen mcwhorter chair in vscs it is an honor to work with them as our department continues to prioritize excellence in student learning
cook works with both the internal medicine service and the feline internal medicine service at the small animal hospital and has been with the cvm since 2007 she is also a diplomate of both the american college of veterinary internal medicine and the european college of veterinary internal medicine and is recognized as a specialist in feline practice by the american board of veterinary practitioners with interests in endoscopy gastroenterology and endocrinology cook works diligently with veterinary students in a clinical setting to prepare them for their future work in the veterinary profession this is her first teaching award while serving on the faculty at the cvm
it is a real thrill to receive this award and i am very grateful to all those who made it happen cook said it is such a privilege to be part of this college and to help our students follow their dreams i have the best job in the world!
dr cook is an exceptional clinician and teacher said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the enthusiasm she brings to work each day makes her a delight to work with and the care she shows her patients and students is outstanding she provides students with unique educational experiences and we are proud that she is being recognized with this prestigious award
saunders has been with the cvm since joining the faculty in 2005 as a clinical assistant professor where she focuses on cardiac issues in small animals including congenital heart disease and heart failure management in the small animal cardiology service saunders works closely with veterinary students in the hospital to prepare them for difficult and complex cases she is also a diplomate of the american college of veterinary internal medicine (subspecialty cardiology) and has been widely recognized for her teaching having won several other awards her teaching awards include the bridges teaching and service award in 2011 and the richard h davis teaching award in 2010 and she was named a montague center for teaching excellence scholar in 2009 additionally she is the assistant department head for teaching in vscs
every interaction in the classroom or on the clinical cardiology service is an opportunity for me to get the students excited about cardiology and to teach them the fundamentals to be successful when they graduate said saunders i am honored to receive this award
dr saunders passion for patient care and complete devotion to her students make her so worthy of this award green said we congratulate dr saunders on this well-deserved honor that recognizes her exceptional contributions to the education of veterinary students that begin in the clinic and make long-lasting impacts on the profession
every year faculty and students select the honorees of the afs college-level teaching award and they are presented with a plaque and a stipend the awards begun in 1955 and recognize outstanding members of texas a&ms faculty and staff for their commitment performance and positive impact on aggie students texas citizens and the world around them
dr dana johnson developed a fascination with animals during visits to her grandmothers small farm while growing up in lubbock texas i loved collecting eggs and just being around animals [my grandmother] was the same way and said that if she had lived in a different time she would want to be a veterinarian johnson said i asked her what that was and she told me i kind of felt like i was geared to do that because of her influence


johnsons grandmother wasnt the only person who inspired her as a child the local veterinarian dr john key also encouraged her to pursue a career in veterinary medicine
the veterinarian in lubbock who took care of our animals was very influential too johnson said he was a very good person and whenever we would take our pets in he knew that i was interested and he would take the time to show me x-rays and ask me what i thought i remember that vividly and that piqued my interest even more to want to do this
meanwhile across the country in sudbury massachusetts dr cleveland manley grew up in a rural neighborhood raising animals including rabbits chickens and dogs
being around animals was a natural thing for me manley said i had really passionate advanced biology teachers i was lucky enough to have a teacher to inspire me and really fascinate me with science and anatomy and physiology
manley grew up in a working class family and he wanted to do well in his undergraduate program so that his transition to professional school would be smooth texas a&m university had a well-respected undergraduate animal science program and offered him a scholarship so he came to texas
manleys transition to college station was not easy it was a pretty big culture shock to go from the northeast to a university that culturally and ethnically was very different in 1978 he said i adapted by finding people that were receptive of my differences i made friends here that were like my family
in the 1980s johnsons and manleys paths converged at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) as the only african-americans in the college they supported each other while navigating the rigorous academic challenges and the unique social challenges due to their ethnicity
we spent a lot of time together thats how our courtship kind of grew johnson recalls wherever he was i was wherever i was he was
one of their biggest influencers at the cvm was the college dean dr george c shelton the dean had an open-door policy and any time we needed to talk if we were having a hard time or feeling stressed out for various reasons we could go and talk to him manley said he was there to listen to us
i think he played matchmaker too johnson said i remember after my interview a lady came to me and said ‘dean shelton would like to see you i was wondering why and i soon realized that he was wanting me to meet cleveland manley
the relationship blossomed into marriage for the two young veterinarians in 1990 three years after they both received their veterinary medicine degrees johnson was the first african-american woman to graduate with a dvm from texas a&m now living in wiley texas a northern suburb of dallas both doctors are respected veterans in their field and are raising three sons isaiah elias and xavier ages 16 to 23
we feed off each other and we come home and talk about cases and new ideas johnson said i realize now that the dean had a plan he was a good man the dean


johnson works at a full-service clinic east plano murphy pet hospital in the dallas suburb of murphy texas seeing primarily dogs and cats manley is medical director for the vca pet doctor animal hospital in richardson texas a position that involves not only staying abreast of the latest veterinary medicine practices but mentoring associate doctors
manley remembers the support he received from dr alice wolf now retired from the cvm who encouraged him to continue learning and not become complacent she made me feel like okay she wants me to succeed so im going to do my best to succeed he said
dr mike herron who is now a veterinarian at the wellborn road veterinary medical center and dr gregory troy were other important influences who left a positive lasting impression on the two there are people like them who stand out johnson said professors who made you feel welcome like a real person
i have always thought that students deserve respect and i have always attempted to treat them as future colleagues said troy now a professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at the virginia–maryland college of veterinary medicine i hope i had a small part in providing an inclusive environment for dana and cleveland during their time at texas a&m
even though we had some bad experiences the good far outweighed the bad johnson said its just that sometimes those things stick with you a little bit longer but when you think about the whole realm of things it was a good place to come to school we enjoyed it here; we met here there are lots of good people in that class there were lots of good professors here that did make us feel welcome
growing up in a house with two veterinarians the manley boys have learned a lot about veterinary medicine from spending time at clinics listening to their parents discussions and even helping care for the occasional pet patient that their parents have brought home for short stays they talk about work all the time think about work all the time xavier said they have a passion for what they do and its apparent
manley and johnson are happy for their children to follow their own interests where their passion takes them is the most important thing to us manley said youve got to do what you love and hope everything works out xavier studied journalism at texas tech university elias is enrolled in the college of architecture at texas a&m while isaiah is still in high school
both johnson and manley are happy that elias gave texas a&m a chance i have a lot of clients that come in and ask me ‘what school did you go to' johnson said a lot of times they went to a&m and theyre like ‘whoop! theyve still got that atmosphere and pride of being here
college station tx – in november the board of regents for the texas a&m university system designated 12 faculty members as regents professors dr katrin hinrichs professor and patsy link chair in mare reproductive studies in the department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences was one of seven faculty members from texas a&m university to be honored with the award
these individuals exemplify the commitment to excellence in research and service that sets texas a&m system employees apart said john sharp chancellor of the texas a&m system our system is made up of outstanding people who do incredible work on behalf of the people and the state of texas i am grateful to all of them every day and particularly to this group that really represents the best of the best
hinrichs is internationally recognized for her research in equine reproductive physiology among her achievements are producing the first cloned horse in north america named paris texas and developing methods for effective intracytoplasmic sperm injection (icsi) for embryo development in horses a process that has now become the standard in assisted reproduction in horses
the board of regents established the regents professor awards program in 1996 and the regents fellow service awards program in 1998 to recognize employees who have made exemplary contributions to their university or agency and to the people of texas
dr hinrichs and her research efforts have made an indelible impact on the equine industry said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr hinrichs is internationally recognized for her work in equine reproduction and her laboratory is one of only a few in the world capable of performing icsi we are pleased to see her achievements recognized across the texas a&m university system and are excited to celebrate this special honor with her
the selection process for the awards begins with a call for nominations from the chancellor after which an internal selection committee is formed within each institution or agency final nominations are put forth to the chief executive officer of each respective entity they are then subject to a system-level review consisting of academic vice chancellors and past recipients of the awards finally nominations are forwarded to the chancellor and the board for final approval
i am exceptionally honored to be named a texas a&m university system regents professor said hinrichs those who were recognized this year and in the years prior are some of the leading minds in their respective disciplines it is a tremendous privilege to be included among them
to date 201 texas a&m system faculty members have been recognized with the regents professor award and 118 agency professionals have received the regents fellow service award
one of dr orlando garzas greatest career rewards is knowing how far hes come: he started his practice in 1986 when he converted an empty laundromat into a veterinary clinic his one employee at the time worked as both secretary and veterinary assistant-and both garza and his employee cleaned the kennels
garza recently opened a new veterinary clinic and hospital in el paso texas with a glittering two-story glass front and a warm interior with stone accents and tiled floors the new building is quite impressive now he employs 25 staff members and five veterinarians in his new facility to see your practice blossom to see what youve created he said is extremely rewarding
growing up in east el paso garza had many pets: dogs cats reptiles and some exotic animals but he didnt consider becoming a veterinarian until he began spending time with his father after school while helping to care for his fathers racehorses by his freshman or sophomore year in high school garza knew that he wanted to be a veterinarian he earned his bachelors degree in biomedical sciences and veterinary science at texas a&m university and then applied to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
however garza wasnt offered an interview when he first applied to veterinary school more than forty years later garza still vividly remembers sitting in his undergraduate genetics class when he opened the rejection letter with tears streaming down his face garza thought to himself they will never say ‘no to me again he increased his gre scores applied again and was accepted into the program if its really in your heart youll take that ‘no as a challenge and do what you need to get it done he said
after graduating with his doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) degree in 1982 garza began his veterinary career in hobbs new mexico in a practice that predominantly treated small animals although he enjoyed his work and was grateful for the experience he always knew that he wished to return to el paso el paso is just home he said my family lives here after one year in new mexico garza returned to el paso to work as an associate in a mixed practice that emphasized dairy work while he enjoyed working with cows he still wanted to maintain practice with small animals garza worked evenings in an emergency care center so that he could practice [small animal medicine] on a daily basis hitting veins and performing surgeries if you dont use it you lose it
in el paso garza planned to begin his own practice luckily his mother and son found the perfect location for his clinic while visiting dairy queen for ice cream treats called blizzards they spotted an empty laundromat garza bought the building and converted the interior into a veterinary clinic for the first two years garza had one employee; he later hired a veterinary technician he also continued to renovate his clinic adding to the building until it reached 3000 square feet two years ago he had the building torn down to make room for his new practice he and his staff worked out of a doublewide trailer during construction the new facility is 5000 square feet this is a veterinary clinic and hospital garza said the previous place was a building that had been converted into a clinic-theres a big big difference
garzas greatest challenge now that he owns his own clinic and hospital is staff management when hiring a veterinarian garza looks for hardworking individuals who are also gifted communicators you can be the worlds best doctor but if you dont communicate it doesnt matter he said i think the biggest problem with clients who arent satisfied is just lack of communication but strong communication doesnt end at the clinic door: garza has called clients within 48 hours after a visit to check up on a patient often clients are pleasantly surprised by this considerate action and thank garza telling him thank you so much for calling my own physician would never do that
whats most important to remember when communicating with a client smile no matter how bad your day was garza recommends when you walk into that exam room have the biggest smile on your face that you possibly can although clients may be concerned and worried for their pets seeing a big smile instantly breaks the ice and fosters trust
another aspect of strong communication is being able to speak in the clients native language practicing in el paso garza finds being bilingual tremendously useful especially because he is the only veterinarian in his clinic who speaks spanish while speaking spanish isnt critical he says its certainly a big help: if hispanic clients can speak to you in their native tongue they automatically trust you more just because they can communicate with you
as a hispanic veterinarian in texas garza is in a significant minority: of the 5 728 practicing veterinarians in this state only 84 are hispanic as of 2010 according to the texas tribune diversity in the profession is important garza says because the profession should mirror the demographics of its clients however medical-minded minority students tend to favor human medicine rather than veterinary medicine-possibly because of a lack of hispanic role models to promote the profession as more hispanics become veterinarians garza says perhaps more students will choose to pursue veterinary medicine
however not all hispanic students choose human medicine because of a lack of role models one of garzas two daughters recently started her pediatric residency in charleston south carolina but garzas not disappointed even though her career choice is an ongoing joke in the family if youre going to work with little animals who dont want to talk to you garza told her then you should have become a veterinarian instead of a pediatrician
for garza who previously served as president of the texas veterinary medical association service is a key component of the veterinary profession we live as individuals but when we speak as a community we have a lot more power-whether at a local state or national level he said he also encourages his employees to give back to the profession and is proud that one of his associates is now president of the el paso veterinary medical association
garza also gives back to his profession by mentoring the next generation of veterinarians im at a point right now in my life where its about paying it forward he said he enjoys giving students opportunities to engage in veterinary work in his practice in spite of all that success that ive personally had seeing these young adults work for me having me guide them a bit then seeing them get into professional school-for me thats amazing
college station texas – courtney smith a first-year veterinary student and phd student in veterinary pathobiology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was recently awarded the richard walker bacteriology award the award acknowledges the best student presentation at the american association of veterinary laboratory diagnostics (aavld) annual meeting held this year on oct 24 in providence rhode island
smiths oral presentation highlighted her work on a diagnostic tool that identifies fungal pathogens through dna sequencing in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens a common technique to preserve samples we believe this tool will aid in the proper identification of fungal infections and subsequently aid in selection of anti-fungal therapeutics thereby reducing the development of resistance in fungi and improving patient prognosis said smith
courtney has always done a fabulous job in all her presentations and this definitely speaks to all the hard work she puts into her research projects said dr aline rodrigues hoffmann assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm and smiths advisor we are really proud of her and are glad to have her as part of our research team!
smith said the experience was both exciting and humbling and she credits her richard walker bacteriology award in part to the support of her advisor surely none of this would be possible without dr rodrigues hoffmanns mentoring she said
courtney is an amazing student said dr roger smith professor and interim head in the department of veterinary pathobiology i cant tell you how many times i hear faculty members tell me that when they see courtney they just smile she is such a good student and an even better person
college station texas – texas a&m agrilife research announced that the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the institute for infectious animal diseases (iiad) a department of homeland security (dhs) science and technology center of excellence have been awarded a $12 million contract (under contract number d15pc00280) by the dhs science and technology directorate to develop and implement a nationwide scientific business development and management educational program the successfully funded proposal is titled from the bench to the shop: creation and implementation of a scientific business development and management program to transition high consequence livestock disease research and development technologies for commercialization
dhs invited the submission of proposals with innovative approaches to develop training programs for preparing next-generation transboundary animal disease (tad) scientists to respond against these diseases awarded proposals support preparation for the united states national bio and agro-defense facility (nbaf)s new state-of-the-art biocontainment facility which will study emerging transboundary animal diseases (tad) that threaten united states animal agriculture and public health this new facility will replace dhss plum island animal disease center – the primary facility conducting tad research in the us – in 2022
texas a&ms project will develop a novel training curriculum to equip next generation scientific professionals with the skill sets required to transition research discoveries (for example vaccines or diagnostics) to the marketplace the lead team includes: principal investigator angela arenas dvm phd dip acvp assistant professor in the cvm department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb); co-principal investigator rosina c krecek frssaf phd mba visiting professor in the cvm vtpb and interim assistant dean of one health; and co-principal investigator heather simmons dvm msvph iiad education program manager
the training curriculum will include skills needed to take a scientific discovery successfully to the marketplace the course includes a three-week international experiential short course and a capstone project the business plan portion of the program will also recruit three texas a&m dual degree dvm-mba md-mba and/or mbe-mba students to work with a mentor at the texas a&m mays business school
the contract was officially awarded on september 25 2015 and recruitment of trainees will begin immediately a competitive national search to attract trainees who are early career scientists post-doctoral candidates and graduate students will take place from october to december 2015 land-grant institutions minority-serving institutions dhs-sponsored educational programs and other institutions with next-generation work force candidates who will benefit from this training are invited to apply
as a whole this program will be vital to workforce development in the us-particularly for the new nbaf said gerald parker dvm phd ms iiad interim director it will truly focus on soft skill sets and commercialization teaching researchers how to take their product where it needs to go for widespread commercial adoption and success the program is being developed using a large-scale national and international consortium of federal partners industry international groups and academia development of such a program requires a multidisciplinary partnership from multiple groups and organizations for trainees to understand the entire skill set required to take a research and development product to commercialization
this program will be based at texas a&m university in college station texas and involves a wide team of partners which includes colorado state university university of texas medical branch in galveston kansas state university and agricultural research council-onderstepoort veterinary institute in south africa texas a&m partners include: texas a&m agrilife research; texas a&m agrilife extension service; texas a&m one health initiative; mays business school; texas a&m college of medicine (health science center); research compliance and biosafety industry partners include: biomarc caliber biotherapeutics bänziger consultants and safevet united states government partners include: dhss plum island animal disease center; centers for disease control and prevention; food and drug administration; and the department of health and human services
this is the first contract of its kind for the cvm and no other educational program to our knowledge exists with these capabilities high-consequence tad threaten our livestock wildlife and human populations and the environment facilitates transmission of these diseases globally tad is a societal need and this awarded program embraces the one health approach through collaborative multidisciplinary teams seeking solutions this program also dovetails into the biocorridor research valley training in its commercialization of discoveries said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine
this project is a major undertaking and promises to be successful because of its collaborative multidisciplinary nature this is a first of its kind and has brought together a team with the proven track records skills and commitment this project supports the goals of texas a&m agrilife research said craig nessler phd agrilife research director
for more information visit the bench to shop website or email benchtoshop@tamuedu
although its never pleasant to make final arrangements for the end of ones life perhaps the toughest aspect of such planning is realizing there will be those left behind that still require care wills are made endowments are established guardians are appointed-but what if those who remain are not children or spouses but cherished pets that have been loyal companions


kaye and steve horn of houston have peace of mind knowing that their daughter marcella and their three other children winston buffett and diego-officially dogs but also beloved members of the family will be cared for in the event of their passing
if something happens to the horns their pets will live out their days at texas a&ms stevenson companion animal life-care center the privately funded state-of-the-art animal care program that provides personalized compassionate care in an environment that is very similar to the homes the animals must leave
i remember we were about to have our wills done we have only one daughter marcella and she was still a little girl then weve always had at least three dogs and weve had as many as four were whats known as ‘dog crazy because they are like members of our family it troubled me to think that we could be on a trip and be in a plane crash or whatever happens and we have this little girl who would be left with four dogs to take care of-which is a lot for a little person! said kaye
marcella would live with her godmother mary sue in omaha nebraska but no one seemed to know what would happen with the pups mary sue doesnt care for dogs kaye said since she had been bitten in the face as a girl she tolerates our dogs but she doesnt like them
one day the horns read about the stevenson center in texas aggie magazine a texas a&m university former students publication and were charmed and impressed when they visited the center we actually dropped in unannounced on [aggie football] game day several years ago and banged on the door kaye continued a vet student came to let us in the dogs and cats were all very happy and no one knew we were coming that tells you something
the most appealing [thing to me] was that the animals live in a home a very nice brick home similar to where they live with us i love the fact that the veterinary students live with them at night because a lot of the animals there are elderly and they need special care
that special care is important to the horns because some of their animals have needs that might not be respected in a less caring setting we take very good care of our pets kaye said it makes me feel guilty sometimes because winston gets allergy shots every week i mean he gets better medical care then most humans my pets are members of our family and we have to take good care of them
kaye was drawn to the obvious love the students and staff at the stevenson center have for their four-legged friends noting that whenever a pet does die they post a notice in the magazine or other publication expressing their grief theyre genuinely sad the pet has passed away because they get attached just like we get attached to any pet that we love kaye said thats what i like about stevenson: they do care about who lives there
she noted the center is far enough away from the busiest part of college station that the animals have land on which to run that the whole facility is extremely clean and all the food is kept separately catering to the specific needs of each kind of animal and each individual pet
kaye is relieved she doesnt have to rely on loved ones to continue her pets care in some cases those inheriting an estate may not be as dedicated to animals as the deceased owners it can be a burden just to say ‘oh youre my best friend…here take care of my kitty cats its better to go ahead and provide for them to go to stevenson center because as i tell my friends its just a problem solved and you dont have to worry about it


the horns were both academically excellent students steve is a 1979 summa cum laude petroleum engineering graduate from texas a&m and kaye received her bachelors degree in business administration from texas christian university even though she is not an aggie graduate kaye has a great love of aggie traditions and they share a special affinity for aggie football
we both went to college on scholarship kaye said i think now were paying it back but also paying it forward anything we give to the texas a&m foundation helps all classes of texans get an education
she noted that although requirements for admission to texas a&m are getting increasingly stringent students do get accepted graduate and pursue careers in veterinary medicine she also noted the strong and large aggie alumni base in houston aggie former students in houston take care of each other and so we hope to sponsor more students in the next 20 to 25 years and well always be involved with the stevenson center
kaye found making arrangements with the stevenson center extremely stress-free the texas a&m foundation coordinated and provided the necessary forms to their estate-planning lawyer the completed forms were attached to their will providing peace of mind that no matter who manages the estate the animals care is predetermined their attorneys will contact the stevenson center and help the dogs make a very easy transition
the horns know the quality of their pets lives will continue to be top-notch the stevenson center is like home and thats where they deserve to live if something happens to us kaye said
the stevenson companion animal life-care center was established by the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine in 1993 at the suggestion of dr ew ned ellett former head of the small animal clinic at texas a&m dr elletts dream was realized due to 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 she died in september 2000 leaving behind four cats seven dogs a pony and a llama all of which were re-homed at the center
kenita rogers calls herself a west virginian through and through she was born in huntington and grew up in milton west virginia spending many days volunteering in the local community with her mother her mothers passion to give back and assist those less fortunate provided a solid foundation for rogers future goals she has passed that same passion on to her own two daughters hayley and callie (see pages 58 and 60) rogers earned her undergraduate degree from west virginia university (wvu) in 1979 but before her college years an event occurred that set her on a path to college station: her mother married a game warden
i was 10 years old and my younger brother [dr gary brown] was eight when our biological father died rogers said a few years later our mother was remarried to a gentleman who happened to be a game warden and was interested in farming thats when we started learning about cattle horses dogs cats and wildlife we had a farm and raised polled hereford cattle lived on a game preserve in the summer and rode horses all day and took in every stray and orphaned animal that showed up
rogers and her brother were surrounded with animals of all shapes and sizes so it seemed natural for her to go off to college after her high school graduation and study animal science at wvu two years later her brother joined her there-even though he thought he was headed in a different direction
he wanted to be a truck driver he loved mechanical things he still does he rides motorcycles has a helicopter and a plane but growing up all he ever talked about was wanting to drive a big rig he didnt really want to go to college our mother basically made him go said rogers i filled out his registration forms and told him what classes to take and so today hes a veterinarian too
today brown owns two practices one in southern west virginia and one in virginia he has been vice president of the american veterinary medical association and currently serves on the organizations executive board i take great credit for his success as a veterinarian his sister said with obvious affection
her own post-graduate path led to louisiana state university (lsu) and she admits that the climate was a big factor in her decision i may be the only person in the whole world who chose where to go to veterinary school based upon not enjoying cold weather at that time west virginia had contracts with ohio state university and lsu for its residents to attend veterinary school i chose to go south i was at lsu for four years and absolutely loved it i loved the people i loved the food i loved the warm weather: i loved everything about it
rogers graduated first in her class and accepted a rotating internship at the university of georgia with plans to pursue a residency in small animal surgery during this internship she met a mentor that was pivotal in shaping her career plans dr jeanne barsanti dr barsanti was not only a wonderful small animal internist she was an extraordinarily kind and patient teacher who was always true to herself i wanted to be just like her and during that year shifted my career emphasis to internal medicine rogers husband had already accepted a position in houston so she was only able to apply for one internal medicine residency at texas a&m university i was so lucky to get this residency opportunity i arrived in the middle of august in 1983 and i just never left she said
during kenita rogers residency she acquired a passion for veterinary oncology while working alongside dr claudia barton the only veterinary oncologist in the state of texas at that time
she was an unbelievable mentor rogers said adding that barton got every consult in texas as this was the era before computers and e-mail she communicated with colleagues via telephone rogers remembers her mentors white lab coat with both pockets filled to the brim with pink notes carrying the contact information that she would need to reach her veterinary colleagues that were requesting consultations rogers saw the opportunity to help dr barton in her work she taught me and i ended up staying on as an internist and oncologist mainly because of her rogers said we were the only two oncologists here for 27 years
rogers passed her internal medicine boards and then took the oncology board examination in only the second year that it was offered since coming to texas a&m in 1983 she has completed a three-year internal medicine residency was in a lecturer position for one year then went through each rank in the tenure-track process as an internist and oncologist she came to the deans office in 2006 where she has spent the last nine years as the associate dean for professional programs
she handed off to two great oncologists who now serve in the hospital alongside barton dr heather wilson-robles and dr jesse grayton i have said many times that i was really unhappy when dr debbie kochevar currently dean at tufts university left texas a&m rogers said in retrospect i can now see that this event allowed me to move into the deans office and make way for the hire of dr wilson-robles who has made a huge impact on texas a&m oncology i give kudos to all three of the current oncologists; they are not only wonderful people but really talented doctors quite adept at utilizing the diagnostic tools imaging and treatments that define an outstanding cancer center including chemotherapy surgery radiation therapy and experimental treatments through clinical trials she noted the diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment center at texas a&m is a state-of-the-art facility with diagnostic and treatment capabilities never before possible in one location the center is outstanding and i believe that dr mike deveau who oversees the center is one of the best radiation oncologists in the country
kenita rogers has been in the deans office for almost nine years and her responsibilities have increased over that time something of which she is proud she oversees everything that pertains to veterinary students from admissions to graduation we are in the midst of a substantial curriculum review are continuously upgrading our selections process and have our next accreditation visit in the fall she said life is busy exciting overwhelming and fun all at the same time
there were some impactful personal attitude shifts as she transitioned from faculty to administration as a faculty member she was certainly mindful of her students needs but she also had to keep her own career progress moving forward as an administrator however her focus has altered
i believe the best administrators switch totally away from that; it cant be about my career anymore it needs to be about everybody that im working with-it needs to be about their careers not mine
she said she tries to make sure her main goal every day is to elevate everyone around her i have been so lucky to work with an incredible team in the professional programs office they are truly dedicated to serving the college and are some of the most creative kind and hard-working folks that i know rogers said
i am often asked if i miss working in the clinic kenita rogers said i really love what i do now but i do miss some very specific things: the level and intensity of the teaching working with really gifted colleagues in the hospital both faculty and staff and the truly wonderful clients that appreciate everything
rogers still contributes directly to the education of texas a&m veterinary students; she taught the oncology elective until this year and she continues to lecture on a variety of topics she recalled a time last year when she and barton put together a three-day cytology wet lab for the first time in a decade it was a lot of fun to revisit that she said noting that it all came back like riding a bicycle
as much as i am drawn to oncology however my main focus at this point is looking at the 10 000-foot view of our curriculum and making sure that it prepares our students to be some of the best veterinarians in the world she said we are so fortunate to be able to provide our students with hands-on opportunities that are unique to our program including rotations at the houston spca and texas department of criminal justice being open to new teaching opportunities is one of the best parts of my job
although kenita rogers serves in an administrative capacity now she does occasionally see clinical patients-and some are vips rogers is still the veterinarian for president george and barbara bushs dogs
more serendipity was involved
in the old days we did not have an emergency service all of the internal medicine services were responsible for one friday per month [the bushes] happened to have an emergency with one of their dogs on a friday and it happened to be my friday thats how i met them
that dog was the bushs last springer spaniel they now have two smaller dogs which they bring in for their annual physical examinations vaccinations and other healthcare needs with the help of her colleagues in the small animal hospital rogers still cares for them and she wouldnt want it any other way
a major curricular review is currently underway in parallel with the accreditation process that will culminate just after thanksgiving the entire focus is ensuring that our curriculum is second to none in preparing students to be excellent veterinarians with strong day one skills regardless of their chosen career path kenita rogers said our curriculum committee has developed a thoughtful and dynamic set of new graduate outcomes that are customized for texas a&m and are being mapped throughout the entire curriculum were really looking at how we teach what we are teaching and how to take advantage of the exciting opportunities that the new teaching complex will bring to the college in 2016 i think that we are instituting some very cutting-edge improvements to the curriculum right now and this is an extremely exciting time to be a faculty member in a program that is so dedicated to teaching and learning
as for honors associated with her current position she feels really fortunate she was thrilled when she was chosen as a fish camp namesake in the summer of 2014 in what became doctor rogers neighborhood #rogerthat it was truly a fantastic once in a lifetime experience! she said led by upperclassmen for incoming freshmen fish camp is a four-day orientation program with a goal of making their first year at texas a&m a success she said she was honored to be included in the incredible aggie tradition she was also honored in 2013 with the association of former students university-level outstanding achievement award for student relations finally she and her daughter hayley received their aggie rings on the same day i earned my ms degree in 1986 but was waiting for just the right moment to get my aggie ring it was really special to share that moment with her rogers said
she also served on the search committee to select the next reveille and noted that it was quite a process all of the dogs were wonderful she said but the decision makers were looking for a specific personality it had to be a dog with a special outlook one that loved people and would be comfortable and happy in this environment we saw some really cool beautiful dogs including the dog chosen to be reveille ix she said
kenita rogers devoted to fostering servant leadership in her students looks forward to continuing on the board of directors for the veterinary leadership institute (vli) the group that runs vle (veterinary leadership experience) a camp for dvm students and faculty in idaho each year that rogers calls truly impactful through her work with the vli and other organizations shes had the opportunity to make change be creative and have a real impact on the profession something that she would like to continue
rogers said the cvm has an ongoing focus on developing student leaders both by providing great role models such as dean eleanor green and other faculty and staff and also by providing the climate and culture for being an authentic leader and being the person that people want to look up to and follow
shes also been appointed the director for climate and diversity for the college a focus that has escalated in recent years the campus decided in very meaningful ways to show that diversity climate and equity were really important to texas a&m every college and unit has been tasked with emphasizing and improving in this area on a yearly basis each year we provide a report and every other year we do a presentation on what has been accomplished at our college or unit
she said the university has backed the program financially and because of that support the opportunities for progress in diversity have been many
also unique to this campus is its broader definition of diversity
we think about race and gender but its so much more rogers said its about experience its about socioeconomic status its a lot of different attributes and parameters its about visible and invisible disabilities how do we handle all of that and make sure that everyone is successful
also key is the emphasis on university climate does everyone feel welcome here is this an environment where everybody looks forward to coming in to work every day whether they are faculty staff or students
do we tolerate things that shouldnt be happening or do we address them how do we role model ‘doing the right thing i think weve done really well with the climate because of the intentional leadership of the college and the strong belief at all levels in fairness and respect
another concept receiving appropriate focus rogers said is equity a lot of people think that just means salary we have worked hard on salary so that were competitive and can get the very best faculty and staff but equity also means opportunity is there opportunity for advancement opportunity to grow weve really provided a great deal of support for faculty staff and students in this area one of the initiatives that she is most proud of is the ongoing mediation training within the college we now have a total of 53 individuals that have completed the 40-hour mediation course i am so proud of the faculty and staff that have fully engaged in this training and grown in their ability to manage and address conflict
she said part of managing the campus climate is knowing how to handle conflict noting that there will always be conflict she said she and her colleagues are working to have a common language for dealing with any issues that arise including the ability to listen to both sides of any story and be respectful to differing viewpoints
kenita rogers jokes that shes not very good at anything in terms of sports or physical activity but she has embraced kayaking and owns a hot pink kayak shes also taken up cycling and participated with 16 others in a bike trip to northern italy in september they flew into venice and ended up in verona taking in the beautiful countryside and weather as they pedaled a total of 53 miles on the last day i may never be able to ride that far again she said but i would sure like to try
she also considers herself a voracious reader and nurtured the love of books in her two daughters hayley and callie i am not sure that i did this in the right way but every time that they would behave well in times of stress such as getting a vaccination or other medical procedure i would buy them any book that they wanted at barnes & noble i have probably spent thousands of dollars at barnes & noble but it was worth it she said (for more about rogers daughters see pages 58 and 60)
of course the family owns dogs; an old-and-gray golden retriever named hank a standard poodle named niko and harriet an italian greyhound
while it is hard to predict what the future will hold for now she is happy to be contributing to the student and patient experience at cvm i just think its a very positive place to be a place where people look to the future and think we can do anything rogers said there is an atmosphere of looking for opportunities for possibilities dreaming and then accomplishing
college station texas – the ruff is a eurasian shorebird that has a spectacular lekking behavior where highly ornamented males gather in a single location and compete for females now two groups one led by researchers at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and uppsala university report that males with alternative reproductive strategies carry a chromosomal rearrangement that has been maintained as a balanced genetic polymorphism leading to three types of ruff males for about 4 million years the two studies are published today in nature genetics
three different types of ruff males occur at the leks of this species independent males show colorful ruffs and head tufts and fight vigorously for territories satellite males are slightly smaller than independents do not defend territories and have white ruffs and head tufts faeder is the third body type or morph; these are disguised males that mimic females by their small size and lack of ornamental feathers the independent and satellite males show a remarkable interaction where the satellite males allow independent males to dominate them on the leks
both independents and satellites benefit from the interaction because it increases their mating success by attracting females that are ready to mate explained dr fredrik widemo who did his phd on ruff lekking behavior widemo also noted that fighting over territories and females is both energetically costly and risky this created an opportunity for the evolution of alternative male mating strategies in which males spend less energy on fighting
previous studies have indicated that these remarkable differences between male morphs are under strict genetic control and are determined by a single genetic region these most recent studies represent an explanation for how such complex differences in behavior size and plumage have a simple genetic basis to arrive at the answer the research teams sequenced the entire ruff genome
this is a fascinating study that exemplifies the power of modern genomics to unravel a seemingly complex behavioral and morphological phenotype surprisingly the alternative male morphs found in the ruff are the product of a single yet strongly differentiated locus that was dramatically altered in just a few million years the authors provide an additional illustration of the increasing role that structural mutations play in evolution and disease said dr william murphy professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm
we discovered that both satellite and faeder males carry a ‘supergene which is not a gene with superpower but a cluster of about 90 genes kept together by a chromosomal inversion indicating that there is no genetic exchange between the three different morphs said sangeet lamichhaney one of the phd students involved in the study the simple answer is that the ‘supergene contains both genes like hsd17b2 affecting the metabolism of sex hormones and the mc1r gene controlling pigmentation
the group reports that the sequence difference between the chromosome variants is as large as 14 percent-higher than the average sequence difference between human and chimpanzee chromosomes the scientists estimate that the chromosome inversion happened about 4 million years ago
the satellite and faeder male morphs are the result of an evolutionary process over million of years and involve many genetic changes among the 90 genes in this ‘supergene ' explained dr leif andersson who led the study at uppsala university and also served as a texas a&m institute for advanced study fellow the ‘supergene contains five genes that have a role in the metabolism of steroid hormones it is particularly interesting that we see an enrichment of genetic changes in the vicinity of a gene hsd17b2 which determines an enzyme that converts active testosterone to a more inactive form independents have a significantly higher level of testosterone than satellite and faeder males and we think this is the reason that in turn leads to an altered behavior
there are many examples of associations between behavior and pigmentation in animals but the underlying causal relationships have rarely been revealed the present study now provides insights into why there is such a strong association between altered behavior and white color in satellite males
we think that this evolutionary process started with the occurrence of the inversion about 4 million years ago and that the inversion in itself altered the regulation of one or more genes affecting the metabolism of sex hormones added andersson this created a primitive alternative male morph which has been further improved step by step by the accumulation of many genetic changes
nature has certainly ‘experimented a lot on sex determination sexual development and reproduction said terje raudsepp associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the cvm but only excellent research and researchers can reveal its full beauty and complexity i applaud the researchers for this fascinating discovery-and also ruff faeder males for their effortless reproductive success
dr andersson has a distinguished history of elegant discoveries in the field of genetics and evolution said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni professor and vibs department head this is an example of his creative non-invasive way of unraveling how a species has evolved successfully by maintaining males with diverse behaviors and appearances
no one knows for sure but experts estimate there are between a couple of thousand and a couple of tens of thousands of commodity chemicals in the environment these chemicals satisfy global markets they are mass produced to manufacture a myriad of end-use products such as clothes laundry detergents and plastics commodity chemicals are ubiquitous in the environment and exposures to some of them have clear effects on human health the vast majority of the chemicals that we encounter in our daily life have not been tested for safety said dr ivan rusyn professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and member of the texas a&m university interdisciplinary faculty of toxicology
moreover until recently even chemicals already tested for possible adverse health effects have been studied only from a chemical perspective that means studies generally have left out the factor of human genetic variability but these chemicals in the environment only function in the context of genetics said dr david w threadgill a professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm a professor and the holder of the tom and jean mcmullin chair of genetics in the department of molecular & cellular medicine at the texas a&m health science center college of medicine the director of the texas a&m institute for genome sciences and society and a recently named university distinguished professor
in light of possible health risks due to commodity chemicals and genetic variability rusyn and threadgill collaborate to study how genetics influence health effects related to exposures to single chemicals and other mixtures like pesticides or petroleum-based substances by understanding how the genetics and the environment are interacting we should have a much better understanding of what actually drives disease processes threadgill said
rusyn and threadgill also work with vibs professor dr weihsueh a chiu a quantitative risk scientist and former branch chief at the us environmental protection agency (epa) chiu integrates experimental data to provide quantitative risk assessments that can be then used for better regulatory decision making this partnership between understanding genetics and understanding toxicology is really how the science should be done today-its interdisciplinary rusyn said the data that [threadgill] and my lab generate are exactly what [chiu] needs to inform regulators much better about human health risks and environmental exposures


rusyn a toxicologist by training focuses on peoples variability in their response to chemicals that means studying not only how exposures to chemicals in the environment can lead to human disease but also how different individuals might respond differently when exposed to the same chemicals rusyn says understanding variability is a key question in regulatory decision making especially given the lack of experimental evidence when youre trying to protect humans from exposure to a chemical he said you need to be protecting not just an average person but also some of the most vulnerable or genetically susceptible
rusyn explained that the epa establishes safe exposure levels to chemicals typically these are the highest exposures to which a person could be exposed during their lifetime without adverse health effects the epa establishes these parameters using laboratory animals that have been exposed to various doses of a particular chemical however this approach uses default assumptions to account for individual variability what [threadgill and i] are trying to do in the lab is provide scientific information for each chemical rusyn said then what [chiu] is trying to do is create new ways in which these data can be incorporated into quantitative risk assessment for regulatory decision making
to shed light on how human variability affects adverse responses to chemicals in the environment rusyn formerly at university of north carolina–chapel hill collaborated with scientists from the national institutes of health and geneticists at unc–chapel hill they conducted the first large-scale experiment to test effects of environmental exposures on cells from a wide range of human populations in the study they tried to capture as much genetic diversity as exists in human population over 1 000 individuals provided cell lines representing populations from asia africa latin america europe and the united states then these cells were exposed to 180 chemicals
we wanted to really combine these two dimensions: genetic variability and chemical variability rusyn said one of the practical applications of this study was that it showed for the first time on such a large scale the limitations of using default assumptions in assessing chemicals effects on human health the study also showed that more experiments could be done to provide chemical-specific information in the nexus between chemistry genetics and the environment right now we are regulated by ‘one size fits all ' rusyn said however some chemicals might need stricter regulations while for other chemicals the same protection could be provided with less regulation we cannot eliminate chemicals he said this is important so we can help the chemical industry regulators and the public to live in the chemical world
severity and frequency of health effects due to chemicals in the environment vary from individual to individual numerous factors including heritable traits life stage age health history nutrition and psychosocial stress affect human variability and different responses to the environment result from the interactions of these and other factors so how can scientists begin to understand the connection between human variability and adverse health effects due to chemical exposures
threadgill said the first step is to validate the models he has been developing in collaboration with rusyn so that the scientific community begins using them these models will allow scientists to better understand how mammalian systems are programmed ultimately this will determine how genetic networks drive or prevent disease processes how genetic variations alter these networks and the role of the environment in altering them
threadgill a geneticist by training creates animal- and cell-based models to understand how human genetic variability intersects with disease processes influenced by chemicals in the environment his models are then exposed to chemicals to determine toxicity considering genetic variability as a new parameter we can clearly show-and have shown-that the variability in response to toxicants or drugs is far greater than what studies with a lack of a genetics angle have shown his studies with rusyn on the toxicological effects of acetaminophen the active ingredient in tylenol have shown that individuals respond differently to it even at recommended daily dosing threadgill explained some individuals develop clinical indicators of potential liver damage due to their genotype


results from basic discoveries in mouse genetics and experiments in toxicology must be translated to humans before they affect regulation and public health protection to do that chiu uses data generated in rusyn and threadgills labs to estimate possible adverse health effects under various scenarios
chiu specializes in dose response assessment quantitative statistical modeling and pharmacokinetics the science of a chemicals fate as it enters and eventually leaves the organism the body breaks down chemicals into different compounds analyzing those breakdowns is important chiu explained because those breakdown products might be more toxic than the chemicals to which an individual was originally exposed to study that chiu uses physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling a mathematical model that allows him to understand how blood carries chemicals throughout different tissues in the body
computer-based models allow chiu to learn what happens to chemicals inside the body and to study what chemicals are doing to cells in the body animal-based and cell-based experiments like those by rusyn and threadgill are helpful these experiments together help to measure different biomedical parameters like whether an organ is being damaged by certain chemical exposures i dont actually do the experiments but i take those data and i analyze them mathematically to see what the increase in severity of effects is as you increase exposure chiu said
for example chiu and rusyn have studied chemicals like trichloroethylene an industrial solvent commonly used in the electronics industry and detectable in over a dr david w threadgill thousand superfund and hazardous waste sites across the united states they also have studied perchloroethylene the main chemical used for dry cleaning in their studies they concluded that trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene both ubiquitous environmental pollutants are likely to be carcinogenic to humans threadgill who reached similar conclusions about trichloroethylene in collaboration with rusyn followed up with another study to analyze why some individuals seem to be uniquely sensitive to the chemical that information threadgill said can ultimately be used to help inform other human studies and regulators

communicating those health-related risks to the public and decision-makers isnt always an easy task one of the big challenges chiu said is incorporating new data and modern animal- and cell-based techniques rusyn agreed because it is impossible to test thousands of chemicals on all human variations he said non-traditional techniques are the only way to understand human variation and safety of chemicals therefore chius role is critical since regulators typically struggle to digest this kind of information i take those [data] into computational analysis and translate them into something that a regulator or someone in a state agency can use to help inform their decisions he said its translating data into something that actually will have an impact in society at large to improve protection and public health
another challenge according to threadgill is to encourage the public and decision-makers to appreciate the power of modern techniques in genomics to improve health its a challenge in a day and age when there seems to be a lot of public resistance to scientific education and really making decisions on scientific facts rather than beliefs or presumptions he said
further regulatory decision making faces an urgent need for modernization united states laws classify chemicals as drugs pesticides and commodity chemicals the us food and drug administration and the epa have strict regulations for the first two classifications but commodity chemicals-which make up most of the chemicals in the environment-are a different story those chemicals are regulated under the outdated toxic substances control act (tsca) of 1976 chemicals are chemicals in all of those three categories rusyn said because of how laws are written the regulatory environments are completely different even though it could be the same structure if its a drug a pesticide or something that will be used in a plastic
under tsca chemical companies arent required to provide detailed information sets about a chemicals safety that is unless the epa requires them to do so in which case the epa needs to explain why chemical companies need to provide more data thus the burden of proof is on the regulators on the contrary other laws like the european unions registration evaluation authorisation and restriction of chemicals enacted in 2006 require manufacturers to prove their chemicals safe for humans and the environment in other words the burden of proof is on the chemical company
rusyn threadgill and chius research aims to contribute to a nationwide collaboration to modernize united states regulations the epa and the national institutes of health alone screen thousands of chemicals in this massive effort rusyn threadgill and chius research on human variability will be crucial we are the only ones trying to fill this very critical step in the regulatory process which is understanding or defining how much variability there is in individuals rusyn said
with this interdisciplinary research in toxicology genetics and quantitative health risk assessment threadgill believes texas a&m is poised to become an international player in the fields of toxicology and risk assessment rusyn who also emphasizes their collaborations importance said they rely on each other to tackle this highly complex problem in public health protection and environmental health thats the concept of the one health initiative where you really build a team across different spaces to then solve complex problems rusyn said chiu said working across disciplines is an opportunity to make a different kind of impact on public policy from academia you can make an impact by providing new methods and data that can be disseminated and used more widely he also highlighted the potential for training future practitioners whether it is in the epa or a state agency in industry or in consulting-its important to give people a firm foundation not only on fundamental research but also on how to translate that into actionable information
rusyn threadgill and chiu recently joined the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences as high-profile faculty hires supported by the presidents senior hires initiative and the chancellors research initiative to learn more about them visit /about-us/crih
college station tx – on oct 12 more than 20 donors who helped to make the thomas g hildebrand dvm 56 equine complex a reality were recognized for their support of this premier facility dedicated to equine research education teaching and outreach representatives from the texas a&m university system texas a&m university texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences texas a&m college of agriculture and life sciences and texas a&m equine initiative were on hand to thank the donors for there generosity in supporting the first phase in a multi-phase effort to construct cutting-edge equine facilities at texas a&m
the enthusiasm by the donors here today to support this initiative has exceeded even my expectations said dr mark hussey dean and vice chancellor of the college of agriculture and life sciences we have set a high bar for others to reach by working synergistically-the college of agriculture and life sciences and the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences-to bring us all here today
the first phase of the complex serves as the home of the nationally ranked texas a&m equestrian team and also houses classrooms faculty space and meeting facilities
because of the generosity of our friends and donors and the support of the texas a&m university leaders we are well on our way to creating the finest equine program in the world said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine how better to recognize our donors than to have supportive comments presented to them by our texas a&m leaders by craig huffhines executive vice president of the american quarter horse association the largest breed organization in the world and by d wayne lukas the iconic hall of fame racehorse trainer
the importance of this facility is not only the impact it has on students but also the impact it will make on the equine industry through innovative research and collaborative outreach programs
there is an opportunity to do things here that have so much magnitude said d wayne lukas hall of fame racehorse trainer everyone honored here tonight has made an investment in the youth of america-that is priceless it is unbelievable what your gift will do for people for years to come
in addition to lukas huffhines executive vice president of the american quarter horse association spoke to the tremendous impact aggies have through programs like the equine initiative
its a proud day in aggieland said huffhines texas a&m is known for its tradition of selfless service and these donors and the facilities they have supported exemplify that tradition
dr jim heird the glenn blodgett chair and executive professor and coordinator of the equine initiative provided individual recognition of the many donors involved in making the complex a reality
the reason we are here said heird is because we want to say a heartfelt thank you to the donors who have made this possible it was a tremendous group effort-everyone here today has given of themselves as well as their time and resources we appreciate the support of so many
in addition to the 12th man foundation and the many departments and divisions within texas a&m that collaborated on the hildebrand equine complex those who were honored at the ceremony included:
see the full report
see the fact sheet
see the faq
washington dc october 29 2015–the association of public and land-grant universities (aplu) | association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) task force on antibiotic resistance in production agriculture today unveiled a much-anticipated report that outlines a comprehensive national strategy for diminishing the role antibiotics used in food animal production systems play in the broader antimicrobial resistance (amr) problem
the task force comprised of leaders from us agriculture colleges/land grant universities and veterinary colleges as well as key representatives from the production animal agriculture community and the pharmaceutical industry detailed a comprehensive research and educational agenda along with plans on how it intends to implement it
the reports agenda is designed to explore and describe the nature and implications of the problem and educate producers healthcare providers and the public about best practices it also calls for a series of national summits to elevate the issue of antibiotic resistance to the top of the national agenda
formed last fall the 14-member task force has been working closely with federal government agencies to develop an action plan that will leverage the collective strengths and expertise of north american universities to address what the obama administration has termed a national security priority
we know that antibiotic resistance is biologically complex and poorly understood said dr lonnie king a former dean of the ohio state university college of veterinary medicine and former senior centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) official who co-chaired the task force with university of illinois president emeritus robert easter we also know that the scope and scale of the problem threatens human animal and environmental health nationally and globally the committee has accomplished some important work but now we need to take action solving this problem is going to require focus resources collaboration and sustained effort
the task force report also contains a detailed strategy for implementing their educational outreach and research program recommendations a full-time program manager has been hired to provide administrative leadership and management the aplu and aavmc will work to identify a national consortium of faculty experts within their member institutions to build out the programs and collaborate with federal agency personnel
a centralized university research organization (uro) is envisioned to serve as a coordinating center for the educational and research programs that need to be created and operated the uro would engage the full complement of stakeholders in a public-private partnership that would serve as the focal point for a sustained consolidated research and educational effort though physically housed within a single academic institution the uro would have a supra-organizational governing body scientific advisory council and subscription membership available for pharmaceutical companies commodity organizations and others engaged in the fight against antibiotic resistance
pilot projects focused on combating antibiotic resistance will be created at several large universities with substantial human medical veterinary medical and agricultural centers
a series of educational workshops and leadership forums uniting personnel from federal agencies industry ngos and academic institutions will be convened to explain and advance the task force recommendations other strategies designed to support the successful implementation of the task force recommendations include:
antibiotic-resistant bacteria according to the cdc cause at least 2 million illnesses and 23 000 deaths in the united states every year infections caused by these pathogens cost an estimated $20 billion a year in direct health care costs and up to $35 billion in lost productivity as a result of hospitalizations and sick days the growing public health threat has prompted action on a number of fronts
following the combating antibiotic resistance report published in september 2014 by the presidents council on advisors on science and technology an executive order was issued by the administration to create a five-year national action plan critical features of the plan include 1) slowing the spread of resistant infections 2) strengthening one health surveillance efforts 3) developing improved diagnostic tests 4) accelerating research and development and 5) improving international collaboration
the aavmc | aplu task force report will be broadly disseminated among the vast array of stakeholders involved with the issue kings recent appointment to co-lead the presidential advisory council on combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria will help ensure that the aplu/aavmc task force recommendations are fully considered as elements of the official national action plan
to develop the report task force members convened with federal government officials in washington several times the report outlines the benefits of leveraging the research and development capabilities of the nations universities as well as the working relationships maintained by faculty members at the nations land-grant universities with members of the production animal community through the usdas cooperative extension service
solving problems through the production and application of knowledge is a key role of colleges and universities in society said peter mcpherson president of aplu this is a big challenge with global implications but it is one our land-grant and public universities are well-qualified to address our universities can conduct the research that must be undertaken and transmit the information that must be shared i think weve taken a significant step forward and we look forward to building on this progress
veterinarians play a critical role in the success of the effort because of their expertise in both animal and public health their role in animal agricultural production has become even more important following the food & drug administrations recently issued guidance(s) 209 and 213 and the veterinary feed directive which enhance veterinary oversight of antibiotics used in animal production most of the nations colleges of veterinary medicine are located at land-grant universities
our task force has focused on the role animal agriculture is playing in this problem and our colleges of veterinary medicine play an instrumental role in those agricultural production systems said dr andrew t maccabe executive director of the aavmc effective solutions are going to require a collaborative approach and one of the great strengths of this task force report is that it includes perspectives and contributions from government academia and industry
aplu is a research policy and advocacy organization representing 237 public research universities land-grant institutions state university systems and affiliated organizations founded in 1887 aplu is north americas oldest higher education association with member institutions in all 50 us states the district of columbia four us territories canada and mexico annually aplu member campuses enroll 47 million undergraduates and 13 million graduate students award 11 million degrees employ 13 million faculty and staff and conduct $41 billion in university-based research
the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals people and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine members include 49 accredited veterinary medical colleges in the united states canada europe and australia as well as 23 affiliate members
texas is not only the largest of the 48 contiguous united states but also the nations leading producer of beef in 2012 the beef cattle industry accounted for just over half of the $20 billion in americas agricultural cash receipts at $105 billion beef cattle production also accounted for $855 million in exports to foreign countries in the same year protecting and ensuring the health and welfare of beef cattle as part of the food supply and as an economic driver in texas presents a challenge and an opportunity for the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) the only college of veterinary medicine in the state




cognizant of their responsibility to educate the next generation of veterinary practitioners to serve the state of texas and the animal agriculture industry faculty members at the cvm began developing new and innovative ways to expose interested students to production veterinary medicine one of the ongoing challenges in providing new experiences for students is the constraints of an already packed four-year curriculum in 2008 dr virgina fajt clinical associate professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology and dr dan posey director of student affairs and clinical associate professor in the department of large animal medicine found a solution that extended the reach of the cvm across texas and helped form partnerships that directly influence the animal agriculture industry that effort the food animal production tour a one-credit elective for first and second-year veterinary students has been critical in demonstrating career options that students may not have known were available
we recognized that there are populations of food animals that are close to the veterinary school the students get to see like cow/calf and some stocker operations a few small swine operations and certainly harvest facilities said fajt however the majority of the large operations are in the texas panhandle we are trying to look for ways to attract students who have an interest in food animal but arent getting exposed to those types of production units in the local area
the elective tour takes 10–11 students with two faculty members to the texas panhandle and into oklahoma over the course of the week-long trip the group visits veterinary practices in the region that service the production industry these veterinarians also host the students at their clients enterprises demonstrating to the students the relationship between the producer and the producers veterinarian
we have worked every year with practices focused on food animal said fajt these are production-oriented practices we have in the past showered into a swine facility and learned about biosecurity from their perspective we try to visit a harvest facility of some kind we have also had the opportunity to visit with the texas cattle feeders association in amarillo so the students get to see the organized industry side of things in addition to just the production side of things students get the full breadth of where veterinarians get involved and what food animal production looks like from the beginning to the end
recent data have shown that while there may not a shortage of food animal veterinarians there will always be a need to develop the next generation of veterinarians who have the passion and skills for working in the production industry posey noted that the average age of veterinarians working in production medicine is between the mid-50s to early 60s indicating a need for a whole new group of veterinarians to serve the food animal industry however one of the most interesting opportunities from poseys perspective is watching the progression of students from the classroom to the feedlot consultation
its really interesting said posey when you start looking at most of the veterinarians who are in the feedlot industry they actually start out as mixed animal practitioners and some of them still have those practices in addition to serving the large producers in their area their careers actually started here in the college and they end up in industry because of what they have learned in rural practice and then they go on so it often has to be a progression from practice to production because it takes a really deep skill set to be a feedlot veterinarian
the food animal production tour elective is able to accommodate only 10–11 students due to cost and to avoid disrupting the operations and practices they visit at the end of the elective the students have to do a project that enables them to extend what they learned on the tour and to share it with the rest of their class of veterinary students posey and fajt said these projects have taken the form of posters presentations and even workshops with guest speakers the projects are not necessarily large but they emphasize to the students on the tour the importance of sharing knowledge and providing insight into the production industry that others may not have
we had one group of students who attended a presentation at a feedlot on low-stress handling of cattle said posey tom noffsinger a veterinarian in nebraska was presenting a seminar to feedlot employees our students turned around and had him come to texas a&m to expose all the other students to his message about how we need to handle cattle differently than the way most of us were trained
close to 132 students attended that seminar to watch him talk about how cattle think when moving in a structure how to keep them in a chute and how to handle them in a safe and stress-free way in conjunction with this presentation the students organized a beef quality assurance workshop for those that attended
over the years the number of students who have expressed interest in food animal medicine has been relatively low posey stated that out of a class of veterinary students at texas a&m only about 35–40 students will choose to go into mixed animal practice with the majority of those being companion animal oriented practices versus food animal practices the food animal production tour helps to show these students who are leaning toward mixed or food animal practice that there are a number of career options available

in addition to being an important educational opportunity for students the tour has become a significant part of the cvms outreach efforts to provide ongoing and improved support of the animal agricultural industry these efforts have created valuable partnerships that reach across the state
we continue to develop relationships across the entire state of texas said fajt veterinary medicine covers the entire state of texas we may be some distance away from the large production facilities but we want to address whatever their needs are; we want to know what they need we continue to talk to each other about issues we cant do things in isolation so we need to continue the conversations
one of the partners that has contributed to the tour is texas cattle feeders association (tcfa) fajt and posey acknowledged that many students even those interested in food animal medicine are not aware of this organization or of how they support the production industry the kind of education they provide for members and the legislative agenda they advocate on behalf of the beef industry
we actually take our students to tcfa so they see the things that tcfa does for the industry like the welfare audits offered to their members said posey its a really really important part in the beef industry to understand that part of it because most of our students have never been exposed to that side the non-medical side and its opening their eyes to the possibility of a job somewhere to serve the state of texas
the relationship between the cvm and the food production industry began over 100 years ago as the cvm was born out of the texas cattle industry the food animal production tour helps maintain that relationship while enriching the cvm curriculum the faculty within the food animal section of the cvm recognize the need to include more information about production medicine into already established courses
we have faculty members who are both members of and serve on committees and boards of organizations like the national cattlemans beef association the texas and southwestern cattle raisers texas cattle feeders association and similar organizations said dr meredyth jones assistant professor in food animal field service at the cvm their meetings and conferences are centered around dealing with the most current issues that are impacting their industry by having a presence at these meetings and serving on these committees we are aware of those issues most important to the producer and to the beef industry as a whole we can then bring this back to share with other faculty and our students so they become more aware of what is happening in this field that could potentially impact them as practitioners
jones noted that producers have often viewed veterinarians as doctors who fix broken animals and who are concerned only with sick animals by engaging producers and industry leaders jones said the cvm can be a leader in changing that opinion and showing that veterinarians possess the skills to understand production animal health concerns and contribute to solutions in individual operations and the entire industry
we as a faculty feel its very important not only to expose our students to the current trends in the food animal industry but also to let industry know that we are interested in more than just the individual animal said jones we do understand that there is a population out there and an industry that goes along with that ‘sick cow that weve traditionally dealt with
as part of growing the relationship with the food animal industry the faculty within the cvm have committed to being leaders in addition to attending industry meetings jones said it is important for the cvm to take a lead role in bringing information back to producers that impacts the way they do business and in disseminating information to students producers and ranchers
while students are still here in college said jones they tend to focus on their own veterinary world its our job to keep reminding them of the end goal-that we are going to teach you a lot of anatomy physiology and treatment but you need to understand the industry you are going to serve
according to jones the food animal production tour has been a great step in building that understanding for students it provides that opportunity to take students out of this geographic area and show them the industries that have the largest impact on the texas economy however she also notes that students would benefit more from longer-term educational opportunities and that is what the cvm is working to develop
other things we have looked at and are working on are more long-term educational experiences where we would be able to send students to other parts of the state to work in large-scale production facilities for a longer period of time said jones an example would be sending a student to live in the panhandle anywhere from a few weeks to perhaps the whole summer this would allow them to experience the different areas of working within the production industry from merchandising to feeding to feed manufacturing to animal health they could also interact with the veterinary diagnostic lab located in amarillo and experience the different aspects of that operation
although the food animal production tour and these additional educational experiences have been valuable to both students and the industry they come at a cost the expense to provide students with these opportunities is not insignificant the faculty work continuously to identify partners and funding sources from industry and the veterinary profession that are able to offer this type of programming
we have some unique opportunities here said jones weve got a lot of diversity in texas and a lot of different agriculture groups that we can serve were interested in finding ways to identify students who are most likely to serve those industries and get them involved as early as possible so theyre picking up really practical knowledge we want them to have a real understanding of the industry to enhance what we believe is a really outstanding veterinary education


without dr leslie easterwood and the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences large animal hospital (lah) the success story of one horse and a ten-year-old girl named codybelle wouldnt have happened


charley is one of those horses we run across every now and then thats just different said terry smith of the horse charley he definitely has some quirks but with those come extraordinary abilities that you dont see too often
charley who belonged to smiths brother-in-law at the time badly injured his eye in the pasture one day with the eye in terrible condition and a fear that vision might be lost smith and his brother loaded charley up in the trailer and took him to a veterinarian in seguin texas
when we originally took him to the veterinarian in seguin he said they would need to take the eyeball out it was in really bad condition and they didnt think they could save it said smith when i asked what other options we had the veterinarian said to take him to dr easterwood at texas a&m
smith kept charley at his place to try and treat the eye some more before taking him to the lah when charley arrived to see dr easterwood smith feared there was no hope in saving charleys eye or vision
after dr easterwood examined the eye i asked her ‘so what do you think she responded ‘oh i think were going to save this one ' said smith thats when i knew we had made the right choice
when i first saw charley his pupil was constricted tightly and there were inflammatory proteins in the eye that might have kept the pupil from dilating if they had remained there said easterwood who is a clinical assistant professor at the college despite appropriate diagnosis and treatment by the referring dvm from seguin his eye needed medication to get that fibrin out of the anterior chamber so that the pupil could dilate
easterwood performed the necessary procedure and charleys eye responded well within 24 hours of his hospitalization the pupil began to dilate
we continued topical treatments for the original fungal infection that was present within the layers of his cornea and he has had a complete recovery said easterwood weve rechecked him several times and his eye has recovered very well!
smith was nothing less than ecstatic that the procedure was so effective i know the hospital does tons of surgeries but that was the best i had ever been associated with said smith without the help from dr easterwood and her team charley wouldnt be where he is today it sure made me a believer
before his eye injury charley had been trained for barrel racing by kay blanford a friend of smiths who has been at the national finals rodeo (nfr) several times and is well known throughout the area with a loss of vision in his eye barrel racing would have been difficult for charley and he would never have met codybelle
i have this strange thing that i dont like selling any of my horses but i end up giving them away because i like the people said smith this is essentially how he came into codybelles hands
friends of smiths called one day explaining that one of their horses got hurt and they were in need of another for their daughter codybelle to ride and run barrels with
this adorable little ten-year-old comes over and asks me ‘can we be partners she was as cute as can be said smith of course i said yes but i explained that i had never seen this horse run barrels in my life
smith unsure if charley was right for codybelle was hesitant to give him up however the two formed an immediate bond
the very first time codybelle rode him charley just absolutely fell in love with her said smith she even took the saddle and reins off of him in the yard and charley just followed her around; everywhere codybelle went charley went
it wasnt long before codybelle and charley were winning everything placing in the top three or four at almost every barrel racing competition the two were a match made in heaven
if dr easterwood hadnt saved his eye this would be a completely different story and charley wouldnt be the way he is today said smith you can tell that dr easterwood has a passion for what she does and loves these animals that means everything in the world to us






college station – dr charles w doc graham 53 will be inducted as a 2016 texas cowboy hall of fame member – the highest honor bestowed on individuals who have shown excellence in competition business and support of rodeo and western lifestyle in texas
graham a graduate of texas a&m universitys colleges of agriculture and life sciences and veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences received the news of his induction on september 6 before a football game in college station
texas a&m university system chancellor john sharp said his long-time friend could be inducted into the texas cowboy hall of fame on his professional credentials alone but his character and work ethic set him apart
hes an early riser a hard worker good company and a steady hand not prone to panic when the herd turns against you as it sometimes does in life chancellor sharp said who else would you want riding beside you
dr graham exemplifies what it means to be a texas cowboy said dr mark hussey vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences hes a legend among those in the equine industry having established equine veterinarian facilities that are recognized among the nations most prominent he also has successful cattle and feedlot operations in addition to other agricultural interests
graham is the only individual to serve as president for both the texas quarter horse association and the texas thoroughbred breeders association he is also the only person to be selected as horseman of the year by both associations
grahams other honors include the 2013 texas a&m agrilife distinguished texas in agriculture award the 2010 college of agriculture and life sciences outstanding alumni award and the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences outstanding alumnus award
he was also inducted into the american quarter horse association hall of fame in 2009 the texas rodeo cowboy hall of famer in 2008 and the texas horse racing hall of fame in 2002
dr graham demonstrates the qualities and successes of an inductee to the texas cowboy hall of fame to the people of texas the nation and the world he has had more impact on texas a&m university the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences the college of agriculture & life sciences the youth of texas and the texas cattle and equine industry than any other person i know said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr graham is a role model and an ambassador i have known that for over three decades and from four different states and now i see it here in texas
graham earned his bachelor of science degree in animal husbandry in 1953 his bachelor of science degree in animal science in 1954 and his doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1961 all from texas a&m
in the early 1960s graham and dr w h cardwell built the elgin veterinary hospital and grew the practice into one of the largest equine veterinary facilities in the nation graham is now owner of a number of other businesses including the 1 300-acre southwest stallion station in elgin which has bred some of the top stallions and broodmares in the quarter horse industry
graham will be officially inducted into the texas cowboy hall of fame at a ceremony in 2016
college station texas – when billions of songbirds make their yearly trip from their winter homes in south and central america to north america they are not alone some migratory songbirds pick up hitchhikers-specifically ticks according to a study from researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the smithsonian conservation biology institutes migratory bird center
researchers screened songbirds in the springs of 2013 and 2014 at stopover sites along the gulf of mexicos northern coast where birds rest and feed during their northward migration from this sampling the studys investigators estimated the number of neotropical ticks from south and central america making their way into north america on songbirds as well as which birds were more likely to carry ticks
the study published in applied and environmental microbiology found 356 percent of the 3 844 birds sampled carried ticks the majority of which were neotropical tick species while this percentage may seem small when extrapolated to all migratory songbirds making their way into north america annually the researchers estimate over 19 million neotropical ticks are imported each spring
even though birds carrying exotic ticks into texas was a rare event-about 3 percent of the birds we sampled-this equates to a really large number of ticks when you consider that billions of birds move along this migratory path each spring said dr sarah hamer assistant professor in veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm and an author on the study
these ticks were not picky about which bird species they used as hosts in fact 36 of the 85 bird species sampled were tick carriers these ticks are generalists as larvae and nymphs said hamer they can feed on a lot of different types of birds
birds that were more likely to pick up ticks were those that foraged closer to the ground according to the study ticks often drop onto the ground to enter their next life stage-from larva to nymph or from nymph to adult this is when ticks seek a new host making birds closer to the ground become more susceptible to becoming infected said hamer
this tick transport could be cause for concern because of the pathogens ticks can carry of the ticks found of migratory birds 29 percent carried one or more species of the bacteria rickettsia including some responsible for diseases such as rocky mountain spotted fever
what we found is that there are lots of diverse rickettsia species found in ticks removed from migratory birds said hamer some are endosymbionts that are not known to have a negative impact on the tick or a human or an animal but others are recognized pathogens like spotted fever grouprickettsia species that certainly can cause disease in people and animals if they get the opportunity to infect them
additionally researchers point out that many of the tick species found in the study are not native to the united states most of these species are not typically found in the us except one- ambylomma maculatum the gulf coast tick said lisa auckland a research associate at the cvm and an author on the study
currently most of the tick species found in this study do not have known established populations in the united states however researchers caution that ticks could establish populations in the united states in the future given an ever-shifting environment and climate change
its good to be aware of this because our environment is constantly changing said hamer maybe some of those changes may result in an environment thats warmer and more receptive to the establishment of these exotic ticks then we may have new medical problems on our hands further research is also needed to understand what happens after neotropical ticks make their way to the united states she said
###
contact information: megan palsa mpalsa@cvmtamuedu 979-862-4216 979-421-3121 (cell)
veterinary students mike mcentire and caitlin conner are the senior and junior texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) delegates respectively to the student american veterinary medical association (savma) due to their dedication and willingness to tackle a challenge texas a&m will be the host campus of the 2017 savma national symposium

pride in their campus and the new education building played a huge role in their pursuit they cant wait to extend a howdy to the 1 200 students likely to attend the conference
the successful bid began with ricci karkula cvm 15 karkula was the president of the national savma organization and on the board of the american veterinary medical association (avma) when she was the junior delegate she approached dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine about hosting the savma national symposium although green and other members of the administration were in favor of hosting they wanted to wait until the opening of our new veterinary & biomedical education complex
dr green approached me at the 2014 symposium and said they wanted us to put in a bid for 2017 mcentire said they wanted us to host the symposium in the new building the new building was actually a big part of our bid and a big part of why we got it were really excited about it
mcentire and conner will be in charge of event planning but theyll have a lot of help we will oversee most of it conner said there are general manager positions a treasurer and a fundraising chair…theyll be doing most of the planning work organizing everything but we will oversee it
knowing texas a&m will be the host this far in advance has its advantages both cvm students are on the savma symposium committee and are working with those who planned the last symposium which should make for a smooth transition the 2016 symposium will be in iowa and theyll be involved with planning that event as well
opening cvms doors
at this point in the planning process mcentire and conner are meeting with professors and studying the new building plans this will be a departure from previous symposia that were not held on the host schools campus when you go to symposium you want to experience the school but most of the time you dont get to mcentire noted adding that with the exception of the occasional campus-hosted wet lab events are usually held in a convention center or large hotel the size and layout of the new facilities will lend themselves however to multiple activities being held right in the heart of texas a&m
describing the finished space and how it may be utilized for the symposium mcentire said that upon entering the main front building there will be four large lecture halls that seat 250 people each collapsible walls can be removed to combine two of the rooms into one large exhibit hall which will give us the room we need to accommodate everyone
the other two will be our equine lectures and our small animal lectures mcentire said there are also three smaller classrooms that seat about 100 students each theyll probably be our food animal and wildlife exotics lecture locations one of them will host the house of delegates
experience texas
the second building will have offices and multiple smaller classrooms small lectures for special-team medicine groups on topics such as crisis management and research opportunities will likely be held there the third building is the lab building where up to nine wet labs can be hosted simultaneously
the size of the group will necessitate alternate locations for some of the larger gatherings such as the gala and social events theyre considering the memorial student center or even the zone at kyle field for the welcoming friday night event mcentire and conner are working on a gathering theyll call experience texas thats going to be out in the thomas g hildebrand dvm 56 equine complex conner said were hoping to contact all the local barbecue vendors to have a ‘bbq taste-off everybody will get a good taste of texas barbecue-you dont get that everywhere! there may also be a mechanical bull; another activity probably not offered at other host campuses
green suggested the symposium include a formation performance by a&ms mounted cavalry unit and the aggie wranglers country-and-western dance team may perform and teach lessons so that people from new york can learn how to two-step! conner said thats probably the thing im most looking forward to
aggie pride
although the two veterinary students have a lot of work ahead of them as the 2017 savma national symposium approaches theyre ready and motivated to share the cvm texas a&m and college station with the country
im so proud of this school and im so proud of my place in this school conner said im just excited for people from other universities to be able to come here and experience that the amazing new facilities were going to have and the world-class education that we can provide
about the delegates
mcentire is from sandy utah and came to veterinary school because of his long-time love of animals hes worked at zoos and aquariums and likes the idea of combining medicine with conservation working with the veterinarians at the zoos and aquariums has been really rewarding mcentire said hed like to continue in that field after graduation
conner is from forney texas east of dallas she has always wanted to be a veterinarian and grew up around animals her grandmother owned horses and was a chairperson for dfw lab rescue a major labrador retriever rescue group where her passion originated
college station texas – researchers at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) are a step closer to understanding how blood vessels form in a study published in molecular biology of the cell and highlighted on the journals cover drs sankar p chaki rola barhoumi and gonzalo rivera identified the contribution of nck to morphological changes involved in early steps of blood vessel formation the findings suggest nck a molecule that integrates key cues from the tissue microenvironment plays an important role in coordinating the behavior of the endothelial cells that line blood vessels
although nck was known to influence the development of the vascular network its specific role in the molecular and cellular processes involved in blood vessel formation had remained undetermined this study showed that nck promotes the organization of endothelial cells into a well-connected network of tubes resembling the vascular tree results from this investigation highlight that nck plays a critical role in the establishment of cell-to-cell contacts and the polarized organization of endothelial cells
polarity in animal cells is evidenced by the asymmetrical distribution of organelles and molecular components and by virtue of such polarity cells can perform specialized functions not surprisingly loss of cell polarity is associated with various disease states polarity of endothelial cells is critical for the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and the removal of metabolic waste explained chaki the lead author in this publication he added highlighting the molecular and cellular processes underlying vascular formation is important not only from a development standpoint–the complex body plan of an animal just would not develop without a robust functional vascular network–but also to understand key processes in well-being such as wound healing and tissue repair
as expected the analysis of important biological problems at the cellular and molecular levels presents significant technical challenges we combined a three-dimensional tissue culture system that recreates key features of the tissue microenvironment with state-of-the-art optical imaging techniques that enable the capture of cellular and molecular processes with high spatial and temporal resolution emphasized dr rola barhoumi co-author in the study and associate director of the image analysis laboratory
by understanding the fundamental processes involved in blood vessel formation researchers may also be able to develop safe and effective treatments to regulate blood vessel formation in disease for example this is very relevant to cancer therapy once solid tumors reach one to two millimeters in size they begin secreting factors that stimulate the development of infiltrating blood vessels rivera said the newly formed vasculature provides nutrients and factors that in turn promote tumor growth additionally blood vessels in tumors are often dysfunctional and leaky which can allow cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body therefore effective treatments would work to repair existing vessels as well as stop blood new blood vessels from reaching the tumor
the article and journal cover are a tribute to drs rivera chaki and barhoumi who have combined sophisticated molecular biology approaches and advanced imaging tools to investigate the formation of endothelial tubes that mimic blood vessel formation said dr robert burghardt associate dean for research and graduate studies this work is very significant because of its translational potential since these findings suggest that targeting key molecular pathways regulating the cytoskeleton is an emerging approach to therapies that require the control of blood vessel formation
angela harrington and erin black dvm students at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) are leaders in the organization veterinary students as one in culture and ethnicity (voice) they were both elected to their current posts at the student american veterinary medical association (savma) symposium in march 2015 what follows is an edited conversation about the group their roles in it and what they hope to accomplish
what is voice
voice is a student-run organization that focuses on different ways of raising awareness about culture and ethnicity and we have different events that are free and open to veterinary students just to bring some education and as i said awareness
voice started at cornell in the early 2000s and the various schools opened their own chapters i became involved because i realized that the veterinary profession was lacking diversity so i found organizations here that were working to improve that
how do we improve inclusiveness in the veterinary profession
i think practicing veterinarians actually have the most influence on who is applying to veterinary school because students are inspired by working with veterinarians or going to veterinarians when they were little so just branching out to families and having that inclusive environment and being open to everyone thats whats going to change the field the most we the students are already here so were not going to be able to change the enrollment statistics in our class all we can do here is raise our awareness and thats something that i want all the students to do as professionals we need to have that level of awareness and be open to everyone in our communities because we are part of businesses and we are serving the public and we need to be leaders in that aspect i think having that cultural competency awareness is just necessary not only to be a successful veterinarian but also to be a successful human being
what attracted you to become a veterinarian
my mother is a veterinarian so i grew up in the profession so thats how ive always known but i know thats not how it is for everyone
how can we advance voice
i think one of the things we need to do with voice at texas a&m is bring in more alumni because after you graduate there are not a lot of organizations one of the biggest issues with voice is students dont realize that they are already automatically members they dont have to pay dues they feel like i cant come to the events or they dont know that it exists even so thats one of the biggest things were trying to do at texas a&m and on the national level-just to say who we are what we do and get people involved and to come to our events and raise that awareness
where do you get support for voice
zoetis does a lot of funding for us so students dont have to pay dues and the deans office they help fund us too we dont want to forget to thank them also dr kenita rogers and dr dan posey have been very supportive of texas a&m voice and the lgbt group the ideas they come up with are so exciting and they love coming to our events and meetings so its nice to have that support
are we advancing our mission to recruit diverse populations of students
i went to the iverson bell symposium in washington dc this year and it was amazing to hear about all the steps that texas a&m is actually taking compared to other veterinary schools to improve the diversity problem even just with how they do the multiple mini-interview format now and how they try to be aware of all the issues that can come up and focus on making things better for all students and a lot of schools havent even done that a lot of schools dont have things like voice and having the diversity-cultural competencies that we have in our curriculum so texas a&m is doing a lot in that respect and it has a lot to do with the work of dr rogers and dean eleanor green
what do we need to do to advance diversity initiatives
at the savma symposium we had a forum and it focused on seeing what everybody thought that diversity meant and a lot of people had different perceptions of what it was they thought it was only about ethnicity not disabilities or different backgrounds and so first of all we need education on what diversity encompasses and then go from there
how many voice chapters are there in the us
the voice chapter at texas a&m started about three years ago now and there are only about 16 active chapters at the other veterinary schools although some are in the process of starting new voice chapters they just need help to do so so the national organization is trying to help them
what are some of your voice goals
coming from the african-american background i know the percentage of us in veterinary school is not representative of the countrys population so i would like to improve that and also allow people who often dont feel included in things to feel included i think thats important at our school and also nationally where were trying to push all of the different student-run organizations across the veterinary schools keep everybody on track and see what everybody is doing and where we are struggling and how we can get better this year we are focusing on getting diversity pushed to the forefront of issues within the veterinary profession and we will be working closely with the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) and also with the american veterinary medical association (avma) were really excited about that ive already made contacts with dr andrew maccabe of aavmc hes willing to help along with the avma
what more can we do as individuals to increase diversity
if you come from a diverse cultural background it is so important to be able to affect the younger generation its not starting at the undergraduate level or even necessarily the high school level but elementary and middle school level if youre asian or black or have a disability or whatever and the kids see you and think oh wow they can be veterinarians! that didnt hinder them so it shouldnt hinder me we just need to reach out and have a bigger influence on our communities
what influenced you to become a veterinarian and how do you hope to inspire others
i grew up going to the boys & girls club of collin county as a young child and they always brought in speakers they never brought in actual veterinarians but they brought in lots of people who dealt with animals and ive always loved animals so the most logical step was to become a veterinarian from there i realized the lack of diversity and how it is not as common for african-americans to go to veterinary school so i have found veterinarians who mentored me some with backgrounds similar to mine some with other backgrounds i do see the importance of reaching out especially to the younger kids and we have started doing that we went to neal elementary in bryan which-although we did not realize it before we visited-is mostly underrepresented minorities and a lot of them were just like whoa weve never had anything like this before! you could just see the excitement we talked to them about rabies and animals-not necessarily trying to get them all to become veterinarians but just to expose them to some of these ideas
what are some of the steps we can take to increase awareness
right now rachel caesar who works with the usda aphis animal care is in the midst of forming a professional group and hopefully well help build something for people to continue on and have affiliations and be working on the issues where you can easily find something to join and stay in touch have speakers and find more information i hope to be able to influence-or at least connect with people who have more influence-making people more aware i think the first steps are awareness and education from there we could increase awareness of barriers known or unforeseen in our application process i know dr kenita rogers and i and ashton richardson have worked together to figure out some of the barriers in admissions at texas a&m were reaching out to a&m university prairie view to try to prepare them for texas a&ms rigorous application process and things that always slipped through the cracks thats where a lot of my efforts are focused right now
is support key to your organizations success
some schools might be held back by the deans office not being supportive but we have a huge supportive team i think texas a&m at the veterinary college especially is very much aware of the lack of diversity and i feel like we are trying to take steps that way its a long hard road and right now we are not representative of our diverse population but we have efforts in place as we attempt to improve that join! join voice!
at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) modern medical imaging technology and techniques have transformed how researchers and doctors view and interpret cells and tissues the cvm has assembled an unparalleled collection of advanced imaging technologies that are being used in basic clinical and translational research as well as diagnostic imaging and therapeutic intervention the high resolution images generated from these technologies range from single molecules at the nanometer-size scale to whole organ functional imaging on the meter scale these images in turn have advanced research and treatment of a number of diseases and conditions especially cancer
microscopy started with two pieces of glass in a dutch spectacle-makers workshop in the 1590s hans jansen and his son zacharias experimented with lenses in a tube and found their invention created a magnified image of any object viewed through it the invention a compound microscope was used by robert hooke to view and draw various life specimens for his book micrographia published in 1665 inspired by hookes drawings and observations anton van leeuwenhoek later known as the father of microbiology improved the microscope to pursue his own studies his improvements allowed him to be the first person to see and write about single-celled organisms blood vessels bacteria and other microscopic biological entities
innovation in microscopy technology stalled for two centuries then in the 1850s carl zeiss an engineer who manufactured microscopes began tweaking the lenses he employed glass specialist otto schott to improve the lens quality and ernst abbe to refine the manufacturing process the collaboration of the three men produced the modern compound microscope found in labs and classrooms around the world today
other forms of viewing patients and their biological samples were developed later x-rays were discovered in 1895 and contrast agents followed a decade later by the 1950s radiation technology had been sufficiently developed for the initial uses of nuclear medicine to begin computed tomography (ct) and magnetic resonance imaging (mri) techniques became available in the 1970s
over time these innovative technologies have revolutionized how physicians and researchers are able to study diagnose and treat conditions in the modern era all of these medical imaging modalities and more have found a place at the cvm and continue to improve medical science and research
the image analysis laboratory (ial) began as an electron microscope (em) facility in 1987 em continues to be an important tool for research and diagnostics this aspect of the laboratory is managed by dr ross payne associate research scientist in veterinary pathobiology who provides a wide range of em techniques data analysis and training for cvm scientists
the first confocal microscope joined the ranks in 1990 around this time there was a renaissance in light microscopy technology due to the integration of laser light sources computers and sensitive camera systems with microscopes along with the new field of biophotonics said dr robert burghardt director of the ial and associate dean for research and graduate studies
the development of biophotonics a set of optical techniques for studying biological samples gave the lab even more ways to examine cells
this technology when it was integrated allowed us to ask new questions and look into cells in a noninvasive way to eavesdrop on a variety of different functions cell behaviors and basic homeostatic mechanisms said burghardt we could ask questions about how cells respond to an incredible number of environmental factors such as exposure to hormones growth factors mechanical forces and environmental chemicals
with these advancements in the available technology burghardt realized having someone with an engineering background would bring much needed scientific knowledge and mathematics expertise and a fresh viewpoint to ial he hired dr roula mouneimne associate director of ial in 1990 to bring those attributes to the lab
he had a vision mouneimne said of burghardt hiring her in 1990 not many people were looking to integrate engineering principles in biological applications
with her expertise as an engineer she can help investigators from many disciplines to integrate the acquisition and processing of the data with high-end computational methods and statistical approaches burghardt said
ial grew further the lab now supports the texas a&m system as an advanced imaging core facility for the center for translational environmental health research (ctehr) funding for the ctehr is provided by the national institute of environmental health science (niehs) in this role the core supports the centers goal to improve human environmental health by integrating advances in basic biomedical and engineering research across translational boundaries from the laboratory to the clinic and to the community and back in addition ial acts as a core for the center for organ and cell biotechnology a joint effort of the texas heart institute (thi) and the cvm that seeks to create and eventually market disruptive cell and organ biotechnologies and molecular tools for the next generation of medicine
we also provide services to a large cross-section of the campus said burghardt our lab has been a core facility for interdisciplinary grants there have been people working on reproductive biology toxicology biochemistry neuroscience chemical biology cell signaling and cancer biology we support scientists with experimental design data collection and analysis that lead to new knowledge in their particular disciplines acting in so many capacities requires the laboratory to have adapted to the many interdisciplinary needs of the groups that utilize it the labs imaging capabilities have grown from electron microscopy to noninvasive live-cell imaging tools that can visualize processes at the tissue and cell level to the single molecule level the wide range of microscopic technologies acquired by the lab are available to researchers allowing them visualize cells in greater detail and investigate new research areas
over the last 30 years we have been able to ask more complex questions said burghardt neuroscientists reproductive biologists toxicologists and scientists from other disciplines of modern biology are realizing that functional imaging is a way to understand basic biological phenomena and processes
one example of a major imaging technique used in ial is multiphoton fluorescence microscopy with the application of a special laser select molecules can be illuminated based on the spectral pattern fluoresced by the sample one class of common lipid soluble carcinogenic molecules produced in grilled food and other products of combustion can be identified as they are forming in living cells identification of these molecules has led to development of treatments that eliminate the formation of these carcinogenic molecules besides cellular imaging research support graduate training in the theory and practice of optical microscopy technologies is a major emphasis of the ial
for example students are trained to use different microscopes while applying techniques such as co-localization of two molecules or transient protein-protein interactions and image processing students learn how to apply computational approaches to determine with confidence the outcomes of their experiments workshops and individual consultations provide additional avenues for students and faculty members to utilize the expertise of the lab as well as its tools
the diagnostic imaging & cancer treatment center (dictc) was formed in 2011 when the cvm gained a 3-tesla mri this powerful tool allowed researchers and clinicians at the cvm to quickly capture detailed images of tissues and cells in small and large animals
when the mri was commissioned for clinical use it was one of three in all of texas that includes human facilities said dr michael deveau clinical assistant professor in oncology we have a veterinary facility with technology that most of the state of texas didnt have access to at the time including human patients and clinicians
the centers capabilities are not limited to mri other imaging modalities include small and large animal radiology small animal ultrasound ct scans and nuclear medicine utilizing multiple types of imaging technology improves the ability of the clinicians to provide an accurate diagnosis and create a treatment plan
the literature supports no single modality as superior to any of the others deveau said of the various imaging options available at the center they all have their strengths and weaknesses when you put the information that you acquire from all of them together thats when you see a tremendous benefit as compared to any single modality by itself
dictc has two primary goals first it aims to advance veterinary healthcare by providing options and solutions for conditions that animal patients face second it fulfills part of the one health initiative
the facility was built in part to answer the initiative said deveau it was a huge intellectual and financial investment by texas a&m university the cvm and the donors the facility helps utilize veterinary companion animals as representative translational models for human conditions both goals are broad and cover a wide range of fields and research studies
i think imaging is quite a large topic it has its fingers in practically every aspect in medicine said deveau of the breadth of the centers abilities
one example deveau gave of how the centers equipment can be applied involved creating a 3-d model of a patients gut the virtual model constructed from ct scans of the patients digestive system can be used to understand how a piece of food travels through and is processed by the patients gut such a model of any system or organ or even a section of tissue can have multiple applications for both research and clinical practice
additional imaging technologies can also be utilized for the same patient to add greater depth to the diagnostic picture but at a cost in addition to the financial expense associated with testing animal patients also have special considerations as many types of imaging require the animal to be under general anesthesia to ensure they remain motionless
when you start talking about doing multi-modality imaging it adds up quickly explained deveau even if you combine it all under one round of anesthesia you still have the cost that comes out of pocket for the tests and the anesthesia
still being able to use multiple tests to develop a comprehensive understanding of a patients unique needs can be invaluable for conditions such as cancer precise imaging is particularly important when using targeted radiation therapy as it is essential to know exactly where the cancer cells are before you can attack them in addition to revealing location imaging also allows doctors to monitor tumors during therapy being aware of changes in a tumors size or the presence of additional tumors can help doctors know if a therapy is working or if it needs to be modified
the more modalities you use the more information you get said deveau having more information will potentially set you up for a more optimal therapy
just as the ial supports researchers who apply imaging techniques at the cellular and subcellular level the texas a&m institute for preclinical studies (tips) performs imaging studies on whole animals involved in research projects established by the texas a&m board of regents in 2007 and opened in 2009 tips is an administrative unit of the cvm research at tips is done in collaboration with texas a&m faculty and investigators from private companies who wish to establish efficacy of new drugs or medical devices before moving them to human use
from its inception tips has heavily emphasized biomedical imaging indeed imaging methods and equipment at tips-extending from conventional radiography to a 3-tesla mri machine-largely parallel those used through the dictc dr joe kornegay tips director said the availability of similar instrumentation in the hospital and at tips provides a remarkable opportunity for collaboration whereby studies done in each unit can inform and complement the other one such example is a specialized imaging technique at tips called positron emission tomography–computed tomography (pet-ct) this combines the anatomical detail gained by ct with information on organ function provided by pet scans through a collaboration involving deveau and a veterinary oncologist dr heather wilson-robles tips is conducting pet-ct scans on animal cancer patients to determine the extent of tumor metastasis this allows oncologists to better plan treatment for the affected animal and at the same time give owners a more accurate prognosis
kornegay has used specialized imaging in his own research involving a canine model of duchenne muscular dystrophy in fact when he relocated to texas a&m from the university of north carolina–chapel hill three years ago kornegay immediately started working with the tips imaging group to conduct mris on dystrophic dogs involved in research studies a veterinary neurologist by training kornegay began using ct and mri in the 1980s to diagnose disease in animal patients while on the faculty at north carolina state university these initial studies were done at duke university medical center before ct and mri were widely available in veterinary schools
its not an overstatement to say that sophisticated imaging modalities have truly revolutionized medicine kornegay stressed for the diagnosis of brain disease much of the guesswork inherent to other imaging methods is removed by the anatomical detail provided first by ct and later by mri kornegay sees many of the same advantages when these techniques are applied in a research setting by definition imaging is largely noninvasive and beyond the ‘pretty pictures themselves provides quantitative data that can be collected at multiple time points and compared statistically he said this is extremely powerful from a research perspective
weve come a long way since robert hooke peered through an early version of the microscope and observed tiny organisms in detail previously unavailable to scientific inquiry how imaging will continue to evolve and adapt is uncertain but it will continue to affect how we view perceive and respond to conditions not visible to the naked eye
imaging serves different purposes depending on whom you speak to said deveau i think the biggest thing from a discovery perspective is that with the level of technology we have it is bringing to life different changes in the information that we get from imaging and that dictates or directs how we manage the patient
when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer the first questions that often come to mind are why did this happen to them and what can i do faced with this very situation dr ivan ivanov clinical associate professor in bioinformatics at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) began a journey helping advance research that one day may be able to answer those questions


to create new knowledge in this multidisciplinary environment requires the ability to ask questions and design
studies that are based on scientific principles and communicating that complexity requires a common foundation-a foundation ivanov is helping to build however it was more than an interest in collaboration and complex systems that led ivanov to his research in cancer biology; it was a series of life events
when ivanov was a middle school student in the former communist country of bulgaria his teacher suggested he apply to a national high school that specialized in mathematics after speaking with his mother he decided to apply and was accepted after taking two required entrance exams
from there i went to the university and i was successful because the teachers i had at the high school were not ordinary teachers ivanov said they were sofia university professors they ignited ones curiosity and that was very exciting
while still a mathematics student at the university ivanovs former father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and he deteriorated quickly i was thinking how he could be such a great man a nonsmoker a good father and husband a hard worker-he does everything right and then hes hit by this disease said ivanov he died after two months i carried him around in my hands because he lost 50 percent of his weight i wondered how this could be helped i was just a mathematician a mathematics student i didnt know anything about biology and it was very complicated to me
years passed after his former father-in-laws death and ivanov left bulgaria finished his phd in mathematics at the university of south florida and after a one-year postdoctoral position at syracuse university arrived at texas a&m university for a postdoctoral fellowship in the mathematics department
once at texas a&m dr edward r dougherty a distinguished professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering asked ivanov if he would be interested in doing some work in cancer biology still asking himself why did this happen to my father-in-law and what can i do about it ivonov began his journey with dougherty
dougherty who also has a phd in mathematics explained some of the problems that cancer investigators were working to solve he asked ivanov to write a brief paper involving the probabilistic boolean network modeling of genomic regulation as a result ivanov earned a postdoctoral position in the training program in biostatistics bioinformatics nutrition and cancer led by dr raymond j carroll-a distinguished professor in the statistics department at texas a&m
for the next two and a half years ivanov began to learn more and more about biology and biological systems it was during this time he was invited to work on a project with dr robert chapkin-a distinguished professor in the department of nutrition and food science through that collaborative effort ivanov was soon invited to consider a position at the cvm after giving a talk to the faculty of the interdisciplinary program in toxicology ivanov spoke with dr glen laine former head of the veterinary physiology and pharmacology department
dr laine who has a background in physics understood the importance of the mathematics behind my presentation and he offered me a position said ivanov totally by accident or by fate i ended up in the veterinary school and then things started blossoming i began collaborating with people from the college and other places now in collaboration with the fred hutchinson cancer research center in seattle washington we are taking part in a human trial about the potential benefit of lignan food supplementation in promoting colon health that may have direct application to cancer prevention so by coincidence all of this is one big circle supported by the foundation of mathematics


engineers according to ivanov have long examined mathematical models to help control complex systems like airplanes cars and computers following in the footsteps of other disciplines such as physics and chemistry these advances underline the importance of the scientific approach: from experimental design to developing a predictive mathematical model validating the model with additional experiments and ultimately controlling or influencing the system in question
it is now time when biology begins to evolve into a mathematically founded discipline said ivanov every time
you investigate areas like molecular biology and cancer you begin to see complex systems gene (dis)regulation for example is a current focus in cancer research in many aspects this process could be modeled after a computers architecture and logic it [gene regulation] is a network a computer is essentially what is known as a turing machine so things that are developed already by mathematicians and engineers-like logical gates and circuits-could be applied directly to biology especially in cases where complex biological systems are faced with choices and decisions are made by their regulatory elements
from ivanovs perspective without having a systems approach to biology there would be less progress because scientists would be missing a great part of the picture where many would see a wall between the sciences ivanov sees opportunity mathematical modeling for him has gone beyond just a discipline it is becoming that common foundation that common language that brings disciplines together if we dont speak a common language we will never do anything together said ivanov engineers will keep working on circuits and computers and biologists will just do what darwin used to do which is categorizing all the different observed cases and trying to comprehend and explain huge degrees of variation this is impossible for a human brain to do without a proper foundation
the current understanding is that cancer is a molecular disease which means its based on genes and their regulatory interactions within the cell these genes are not alone they communicate via different pathways with other genes and external to the cell stimuli explained ivanov in this way they form a communication network focusing on an individual gene might not lead to the desired result because if you hit that gene with a drug the cancer cell often has the capability to re-route its regulatory activity and still reach a proliferative state that causes the cancer to metastasize
what is needed is to model the entire network or pathway of how the genes are communicating with each other said ivanov using these models we can predict which genes are ‘turned on or highly expressed or ‘turned off or down regulated you have to look beyond just the one gene and target the network if you want to control cancer
ivanov explains that using mathematical models in biology has led to the concept of master-slave gene regulatory networks where one master gene controls the activity of a large number of slave genes the thought is that if you can control the masters or some of the intermediate genes you actually control the entire system but this can be a tricky and difficult task you have to discover them [the master genes] and usually they are well-hidden because they are not usually highly up or down regulated said ivanov what is highly up or down regulated are the slave genes because they are controlled by the masters you have to figure out which one of the entire section is the master gene and then develop a model-based strategy to control it
ivanov is quick to admit that the potential of this approach is not going to immediately result in a cure for cancer but it could lead to the ability to control the cancer and stop it from spreading in the body in addition to his ongoing work in developing mathematical models for cancer biology ivanov also continues to collaborate with his colleagues in the food and nutrition sciences department a recent study that used his mathematical models involved examining the microbiota that naturally live in the digestive tract and how they react with gut epithelial cells the study found that babies fed a certain type of formula develop genetic signatures similar to babies born prematurely
this is an exciting finding and is important because people know if a baby is premature it has a much higher risk of developing some kind of immunological problem in the future; therefore babies who are fed that particular type of formula might have that same risk said ivanov babies who are breastfed showed the same kind of gene expression variations we would expect in a normal population
the research team determined that such gene expression signatures are strongly related to the composition of the gut microbiome which suggests that there exists a certain epigenetic programming through the interactions of the nutrients microbiota and the epithelial cells in the digestive tract
these interactions represent a very complex system said ivanov we have so many microbes naturally living in our digestive system and many different cell types we had to develop a way to model that interaction thats very exciting ivanovs expertise in abstract mathematics and mathematical modeling of complex systems enables him to serve as a bridge among diverse scientific fields he aids leading edge research by developing theoretical approaches to controlling complex systems finding applied methods for controlling cancer initiation and progression and understanding how microbes in the digestive system influence human development from a very early stage of an infants life
ivanov engages investigators through his work in the center for translational environmental health research (ctehr) the ctehr a collaboration among texas a&m university baylor college of medicine and the university of houston has a mission to improve human environmental health by integrating advances in basic biomedical and engineering research across translational boundaries from the laboratory to the clinic and to the community and back here ivanov directs the ctehrs quantitative biology core which provides investigators with genomic bioinformatics and statistical and computational biological support services for their studies this also includes helping to develop mathematical models
even though ivanov has played an integral role in bridging the gap between scientific disciplines he says his greatest accomplishment is the success of the graduate students he mentors
one of my best students jason knight just successfully defended his doctoral dissertation and im very proud of him said ivanov his work was focused on developing modelbased frameworks for classification finding gene signatures for any kind of condition-not just cancer in mentoring students like jason i can bring in colleagues from many different fields experts to create a unique and meaningful graduate experience
in addition to his work with colleagues and mentoring graduate students ivanov is passionate about his work and the potential it has to impact cancer prevention and treatment and perhaps other chronic conditions i am trying to find ways to reduce the complexity of these mathematical models of gene regulation said ivanov we know that we can never model a thirty thousand gene network it might be possible only with a supercomputer but even then the computations that predict the dynamic behavior of the system would not be finished until after human beings are long gone im trying to figure out how we can start with a large gene regulatory network model and reduce it to the most important twenty to fifty genes of course we lose information but maybe the larger regulatory system or a portion of it can still be controlled sufficiently well so that a new drug or other treatment can be developed to control cancer or some other chronic condition in other words the goal is to prevent or control a complex disease and keep it from progressing
consequently ivanov views his work through the lens of complex systems when asked the best part of his job ivanov replied its getting my hands on a model and finding a way to simplify it its watching students develop that understanding of the complexity of the world around them and its learning from my colleagues its all of the above those things in a way form a network that induces my curiosity i learn from my students and i learn from my colleagues because they have different perspectives then i go into my own world and i rethink all of those interactions and what i learn from them what i take from them shows me how i should proceed its great
college station may 18 2015 – dr louise abbott of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been named a recipient of the 2015 piper professor award a prestigious faculty honor bestowed by the minnie stevens piper foundation
ten piper professor awards of $5 000 each are made annually to professors for superior teaching at the college level selection is made on the basis of nominations submitted by each college or university in texas begun in 1958 the roster of piper professors includes outstanding professors from two- and four-year colleges and universities public and private candidates must be nominated through the university presidents office
abbott a professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences who joined the university in 1994 is an internationally renowned scholar in developmental toxicology with special focus on the effects of mercury on the developing nervous system she received a bachelors degree in biology from whitman college a phd in zoology from the university of washington and a dvm degree from washington state university in 2014 she received the presidential professor for teaching excellence award the most prestigious faculty honor bestowed by texas a&m university
her superior ability to teach while engaging her students and her zest for innovative and collaborative teaching methods have created a dynamic learning environment for our students said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr abbott excels in all she does whether it be transformative research in neuroscience and neuroanatomy or serving as the creator of fun interesting and productive learning environments she is most deserving of this recognition
widely regarded as an expert in developmental neuroanatomy abbott has received numerous professional awards and honors including most recently the 2013 american association of veterinary anatomists outstanding anatomist award the college of veterinary medicine john h milliff teaching award in 2013 and the college of veterinary medicine outstanding graduate student mentor award in 2012
dr abbott is one of the very few individuals within our college that has meaningful teaching assignments at the undergraduate professional and graduate student levels said dr kenita rogers associate dean for professional programs this is particularly remarkable because of the ease at which she moves between these very different groups of students she is able to maintain appropriate expectations a kind demeanor and truly relate to the needs of each and every student
with teaching and mentoring students as top priorities abbott has served as major professor for eight doctoral students four masters degree students and numerous undergraduate students during her career
our students are fortunate to have a professor with such a strong passion for teaching and service said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni professor and head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences where dr abbott truly distinguishes herself is her effectiveness in using teaching strategies that encourage synthesis of information and active participation in the learning process she is an exceptional teacher who finds ways to connect with students so that they can understand how to learn for themselves
complementing her outstanding in-class teaching abbott also maintains an active research laboratory in developmental neuroscience she supervises both graduate and undergraduate research and publishes two or three papers per year in peer-reviewed research journals with trainees as co-authors
the minnie stevens piper foundation was organized in 1950 and incorporated in the state of texas as a non-profit charitable corporation its purpose is to support charitable scientific or educational undertakings by providing for or contributing toward the education of financially limited but worthy students; by assisting young men and women residents of texas attending or wishing to attend colleges and universities in the state of texas to complete their education and obtain degrees; by contributing to community chests and supporting any other non-profit organization or activity dedicated to the furtherance of the general welfare within the state of texas randall gordon piper and his wife minnie stevens piper were the principal donors
when the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences moves into its new complex in 2016 the space will be larger modern and full of light more importantly it will fundamentally change the way professors teach and students learn the new facilities will foster learning rather than constraining it

we spend a lot of time and energy trying to work around our facilities right now said dr shannon washburn who teaches physiology courses now well have the freedom to think how we can use our facilities instead of having to work around them
washburn also mentioned that those little distractions that can impede learning-such as poor lighting and acoustics unpredictable temperature and uncomfortable seats-will all be greatly alleviated in the new building every little thing that we can do to make learning easier for the students is good she said
the classrooms intended for lectures will each be large enough to comfortably accommodate a class of 250 people and their laptop computers which is especially important as more and more classes move to computerized testing
the classrooms also will have a flexible layout several professors mentioned their excitement about this aspect dr virginia fajt who currently teaches a lecture-based pharmacology course in a classroom with stadium seating said that the aisles keep students from interacting with each other and with her in the new classrooms she can arrange the seating without aisles-or in any other configuration that suits her
washburn agreed that it can be challenging to engage with students when teaching a large class in traditional lecture-style seats youre standing up there talking she said we want to teach not just talk
the possibilities that exist in the new building include the option to include more collaborative and team-based approaches to teaching in a classroom fajt continued the new building is going to really let us do that because some of the physical spaces are different from what we have now
those physical spaces include collapsible seating in which the lecture-type seats can be folded up into the wall with the touch of a button chairs and tables can then be brought out of the adjoining closet and arranged in clusters for small group discussion with room for the instructor to walk around and interact with each group this sort of peer-topeer learning is extremely useful for helping students engage with the material and with each other and the more they engage the better they learn washburn said
fajt agreed that the new approaches help focus the educational process on the students themselves instead of talking about teaching she sad were talking about learning

space for small groups to gather will be available during laboratory time as well
that will give the basic science instructors myself included the ability to do more small group discussion and more case studies where its not practical to do it in the big laboratories right now said dr anton hoffman who teaches anatomy its definitely preparatory for their transition into third and fourth year where theyre always working in small groups as theyre on their rotations
the teaching laboratories themselves will be larger with room for 100 students this would allow for future growth for decades to come currently there are two lab sections but the students in each section are in two adjoining rooms and the instructor must run back and forth between them the new building will have labs large enough for all of the students in a section to be together which will allow for more student engagement with their classmates and interaction with the instructor
for dr tamy frank-cannon who also teaches anatomy a major advantage will be storage space in the current building she moves anatomic models into the laboratories to show the students and then moves them out again after the class or lab time is over there is no designated space to store the items for the next time theyre needed we see whats happened to my office here she said gesturing to the models scattered on every spare surface of the room
dr louise abbott whose teaching includes large-animal gross anatomy is also excited about the increased storage capacity what we currently have now is really haphazard she said we have stuff stored wherever we can fit it and its often very inaccessible
the new building has storage and other support facilities built specifically for each major teaching lab the storage
space will allow for more efficient use of class time now the students have to go get their microscopes bring them to the table get them set up get them plugged in and get everything organized hoffman said in the new building he said the microscopes will be on a hidden rail system so they can slide into place for use


in the new building frank-cannon looks forward to more use of models on which students can practice clinical procedures she currently is reengineering a stuffed animal for this purpose right now hes just got stuffing and a fake bladder in him she said what i want to do is put in other organs so that the students have to try to sort out what theyre feeling to make sure that theyve actually got bladder before they actually shove the needle into them
frank-cannon uses different types of silicone to simulate muscles bones skin and other organs she said the process entails a good deal of trial and error as she tries to make each model anatomically correct there are a number of drafts involved as you go step-by-step trying to get the feel as close to the real thing as you can frank-cannon said for me i take all of my anatomy skills and try to incorporate that into the models
with the new building one of the things thats going to be really nice is dedicated space or a space thats really set up for this type of teaching frank-cannon continued right now were just making do with where we can find things to fit
both frank-cannon and abbott are excited about having a lab in the new building where they can make plastinated models in these models the tissue in specimens is replaced with polymers resulting in long-lasting versions to use for study they get used after a number of years and they eventually fall apart because the students handle them so much abbott said we need to replace specimens and we need to add specimens thats something thats going to be very useful in this new building that we really dont have the capability of doing right now
the new building will also allow students to study and practice on both plastinated and silicone models outside of class time for which there isnt currently space right now students have access when i bring them to use in teaching
frank-cannon said they dont have access to practice or study or doing anything outside of class she said she hopes that in the dedicated space in the new building the students can use the models outside of class time and perhaps even check them out to take home
abbott agreed that it would be extremely helpful for students to use the models outside of the official class or laboratory sessions i know in small animal [anatomy] they get a box of bones they can carry around with them but they dont have that capability in large animal because the bones are too big she said they have to actually do their studying from the specimens that are in the laboratory again i think having good models they can take home will allow them a lot more flexibility for accessing information

instructors are also excited about other planned technology in the new classrooms and labs better computers and
projection systems will allow for more multi-media use in lectures which professors agree will facilitate demonstrating dynamic processes in real time some are also excited about the ability to expand digital testing capabilities especially for laboratory portions of an exam
labs themselves will have more technology as well right now in our current anatomy lab if you need to make an announcement or talk to the students youre yelling hoffman said theres no microphone theres no pa the new labs however will have built-in sound systems the labs will also have monitors scattered at the various workstations so that students can access information
those screens will also be able to project images from a mobile camera planned for the anatomy lab if we see something really awesome its just going to be a matter of wheeling the camera over and saying to the students ‘hey take a look at your monitors and in two or three minutes everybody gets it at the same time hoffman continued its going to be a much more efficient use of laboratory time than it is now
abbott looks forward to the anatomy labs having tablet computers on which students can consult dissection guides and access other information while theyre working with specimens i see that as sort of an adjunct to the computer screens that will be there she said
the professors also recognize that the spaces flexibility will give them options that they havent even considered yet especially as they start to work in the new building and discover its capacities were now going to have the freedom to try new things washburn said
fajt finds that the new building has served as an impetus for discussions among professors about new ideas and possibilities its on everyones mind how we can improve she said
hoffman is excited about how he can put his teaching ideas into practice in the new building without being confined by the physical space being here 25-plus years you get to the point where you get a little stifled hoffman said in the new building i think were going to be able to dream to imagine new ways of doing things its like i can do whatever i want now im looking forward to it
a disease most people have never heard of which has come to the americas only in the last year may soon become a major public health issue in the united states chikungunya (pronunciation: chik-en-gun-ye) virus has been recognized as the cause of periodic epidemics in africa and asia since the 1950s and has now spread to all but six countries in the americas with over 14 million suspected cases since first arriving in the caribbean in late 2013 there have been 11 cases thus far reported in florida where the patient had not reported any recent travel
we have local transmission in the united states said dr rosina tammi krecek a visiting professor and interim assistant dean of one health at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) we also have imported transmission an example of local transmission is ‘i didnt leave home a mosquito bit me and i became infected imported transmission is ‘i flew to an endemic country a mosquito bit me and i became infected and returned with the infection'
the chikungunya virus is spread among humans by the bite of either of two species of mosquitoes: aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) and less commonly aedes albopictus (tiger mosquito) when the mosquito bites an infected person and then subsequently bites a healthy individual the virus can be transferred to that second person aedes aegypti can be found in the southeastern united states from texas to south carolina while aedes albopictus can be found as far north as new york city
in some parts of the country theres really no risk of initiating transmission but anywhere in the southeast there is a risk especially during the summer said dr scott c weaver director of the institute for human infections and immunity at the university of texas medical branch at galveston who collaborates with krecek and others at texas a&m on this disease
one worry the scientists have is that if the virus were to mutate to make it more easily spread by aedes albopictus mosquitoes a much larger percentage of the united states population could be affected
health officials in the caribbean are urging businesses and individuals to eliminate standing water and take other precautionary measures against mosquitoes unfortunately these kinds of mosquitoes tend to thrive in urban areas including inside buildings so simply fumigating the outside areas with insecticide is unlikely to have much effect therefore travelers must take it upon themselves to exercise reasonable precautions including wearing mosquito repellent and sleeping in rooms with screened windows air conditioning or mosquito netting as there is no treatment or vaccine for the chikungunya virus preventing mosquito bites remains the only defense
chikungunya virus comprises a clear example of one health defined as the inextricable link between animal human and environmental health because animals and the environment are considered important factors in human disease the best way to combat a virus like chikungunya is a one health approach furthermore humans are not the only ones who can become infected there is some evidence that animals-including non-human primates small mammals and birds-may act as reservoirs for the virus said dr christine budke an associate professor at the cvm however because its a new virus to this part of the world theres very little information on non-human reservoirs in the americas
there is a risk that the virus could use non-human reservoirs in south and central america where there are plenty of wild primates but we simply dont know if those species are competent to serve as reservoir hosts weaver said we also dont know if the mosquitoes that are present in the forest habitats where those monkeys live would be competent to transmit in a monkey/mosquito cycle like exists in africa
other factors affecting the transmission of the virus may include movement of people and animals as well as changes in climate but how that works is also largely unknown we dont fully understand the role of the mosquito or the role of climate in the disease cycle krecek said we dont know how the mosquito is influenced by the environment for example what leads to a more or less hospitable habitat for the vector
as of january 1 2015 chikungunya is a reportable disease meaning doctors must tell the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) of any cases although this move demonstrates the cdcs concern about this virus experts say it is unlikely to result in increased numbers of cases reported as doctors already generally report any cases they see of this unusual virus
an issue is that this disease mimics other more common diseases symptoms typically begin three to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito with a sudden high fever and joint pain often followed by headaches muscle pain coughing joint swelling and/or a rash although the disease is rarely life threatening and symptoms subside in many people within a few weeks for some of those with the disease (estimated at up to 60 percent by some studies) the joint pain may last for months or even years and can be so debilitating they are unable to go about their normal lives
ive received emails from a lot of people here in the united states who have become infected travelers mostly weaver said theyre a month or two out after their infection and theyre still experiencing severe arthralgia and asking about experimental treatments or anything else that they can do unfortunately theres not much other than our typical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that you would take for pain and swelling for people with chikungunya
it has shown me that everything influences health said katelyn franck an animal science major at texas a&m university she was talking about the one health learning community a non-credit course experience for first-year students majoring in any of a variety of fields it introduces them to the concept of one health: the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally nationally and globally to attain sustainable optimal health for the ecosystem
holub who earned a bachelors and masters degree from texas a&m was hired in part to develop educational programs in one health including the learning community students dont pay or get academic credit for participating but the course does appear on their transcriptsthe goal of the one health learning community is to allow students to have the opportunity to see one health in action said merrideth holub the one health program coordinator this community which is for college freshmen and occasional sophomores at texas a&m is being offered for the third time since its inception this community has hosted over 50 students lectures field trips and other activities show how humans animals and the environment are interdependent
the learning experiences for the community cover a diverse array of topics illustrating one health these topics include antimicrobial resistance zoonotic diseases and architecture influencing health students visit the clinical learning resource center at the texas a&m health science center to see the birthing station and participate in taking vital signs they also talk with the veterinary emergency team about field preparation and deployment these hands-on experiences help solidify relationships between the students said dr christine budke associate professor in veterinary integrative biosciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences the students are inquisitive and engaged its after normal class hours; they really want to be there
students learn the importance of the environment through a variety of case studies for example in a neighborhood just east of downtown austin people can walk from their homes to destinations such as grocery stores theaters and shopping areas therefore the design of the community helps to ensure residents incorporate exercise into their daily routines the area is reclaimed from the site of the old austin airport in a sustainable economically viable way said dr xuemei zhu associate professor of architecture at texas a&m
the first event for spring 2015 was a panel of experts discussing antimicrobial resistance students dressed professionally because they were interacting with members of the panel ashley vargas a member of the learning community said it was a little intimidating but it was really neat to be exposed to that right off the bat franck another community member said it was really cool to see professors enthusiastic and so into their work
students from the learning community are challenged to incorporate one health throughout their education holub said previous learning community members have said they plan to apply the principles of one health in their careers melodie raese in the texas a&m corps of cadets hopes to become a military veterinarian and take the one health initiative with her when she accepts a commission
beyond the weekly meetings community members are talking with one another and other students taylor states the students have a willingness and excitement to talk to their cohort members and classmates about these issues outside the learning community vargas said if i see a face i know then im like ‘oh! hi i know you youre in my community i can start conversations that way
holub publicizes the learning community to students in a variety of ways for example the entire texas a&m first-year class is emailed about it in addition holub speaks to introductory classes in architecture biomedical sciences environmental sciences and geosciences both holub and dr matthew taylor associate professor of animal science and the faculty advisor for the one health learning community talk about the community in animal science courses
the learning community is still growing and developing eventually it may be offered to multiple groups of freshmen and sophomores in addition a more intense experience may be offered to juniors and seniors including those previously in the learning community it would be a wonderful way to reconnect with the students and find out where they have gone taylor said
students indicate that being in the one health learning community has transformed their perspective about their career plans for example franck said she has learned there are other ways to use a veterinary medicine degree besides clinical work being in the learning community has really shown me different options that are out there
dr heather wilson-robles has known since she was a young child that she wanted to work with animals in kindergarten she said i had the teacher help me spell ‘veterinarian ive never wanted to do anything else born and raised in memphis it was only natural that wilson-robles journey to fulfill her dreams would begin at the university of tennessee where she received her doctorate in veterinary medicine (dvm) with her dvm in hand she accepted an internship at the university of minnesota following her internship wilson-robles went on to complete a residency in veterinary oncology at the university of wisconsin-madison (uwm) while at uwm she met the love of her life dr juan carlos (jc) robles emanuelli in 2007 they both accepted positions at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and shortly thereafter married we decided that after minnesota and wisconsin anything below the mason-dixon line would be fine with us joked wilson-robles
wilson-robles has since made a name for herself as one of the major players in veterinary oncology she currently serves as associate professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) and has been named the first dr fred a and vola n palmer chair in comparative oncology her husband jc recently lost his battle with cancer
along with her life-long desire to work with animals wilson- robles was also inspired to study medicine during her early days in catholic grade school in memphis my school had a connection with le bonheur the childrens cancer center in memphis wilson-robles explained a lot of kids would come from all over the world and they were able to go to school there free of tuition while they were undergoing treatment at le bonheur having many classmates undergo cancer treatments gave wilson-robles early insight into cancer and terminal illness with first-hand exposure to pediatric oncology wilson-robles became interested in the various treatments her classmates underwent i watched what a lot of the kids in my class went through-and some of them died-and i thought theres got to be something better we can do despite her interest in improving oncology care for children wilson-robles knew she was better suited to a career in veterinary medicine i knew i could never do pediatric oncology she said i just dont have the stomach for it it takes a special kind of person
notwithstanding her reluctance to pursue a career in pediatric oncology wilson-robles would embark on a career that would provide invaluable research and medical discoveries to those children suffering from pediatric cancers she would go about it in an unorthodox way but would come to realize that her patients-the canine ones-were immensely useful in the treatment of children with cancer
in her research at texas a&m wilson-robles draws a distinction between the two different foci of her work splitting her time between benchtop and clinical research she is able to work on both sides of veterinary medical research she describes her benchtop research as working with cell lines working with mice signaling pathways and a lot of work with genetics largely responsible for creating proofs-of-concept for a variety of drug therapies and genetic studies wilson-robles benchtop research often consists of cells growing in a flask in media so it looks like pink soup theyre growing in there and ill throw some drug in there and see what happens
despite her cavalier description wilson-robles benchtop work is exacting and crucially important to the success of her clinical trials she is ever aware that the pink soup shes testing for genetic anomalies may hold the key for a new treatment for a type of cancer
constantly vigilant and on the lookout for potential new uses for drugs wilson-robles works with drugs and drug companies to test pharmaceuticals in various clinical situations to deter- mine their effectiveness in animals her benchtop research informs the clinical research having experience in both types of investigative techniques makes wilson-robles a premier scientist of veterinary oncology with an exceptionally comprehensive research background
expounding on the differences between benchtop research and clinical research wilson-robles explained that laboratory work allows the researcher to tweak experiments and try new approaches based on results but in a clinical protocol she cautioned you follow it to a t the strictness of clinical protocol leaves very little room for experimentation or improvisation which is why scientists like wilson- robles who are experienced in both benchtop and clinical research are particularly valuable there is always a place for discovery wilson-robles said addressing the importance of benchtop research she went on to say there are tons of people doing discovery on the human side and veterinary side but there arent many people-a handful of us nationally-that do the clinical trials to the level that we do here at texas a&m
this combination of research skills allows for a more cohesive research study and perhaps a more successful clinical trial it is important to wilson-robles that her research at either end of the spectrum informs the rest of her work i do the initial benchtop work to figure out if a certain drug will block a pathway to make a difference wilson-robles explained and if it does the next step is a clinical patient
the patients wilson-robles uses for her clinical trials are nearly all client-owned dogs with naturally occurring cancers and the research aims to treat their disease and prolong their lives much of wilson-robles work focuses on tumor-initiating cells she describes tumor-initiating cells as the worst of the worst by explaining that all cancer cells are not created equal
the tumor-initiating cells are those that survive chemotherapy and radiation and continue to proliferate
it is these cells and their uniqueness that make cancers so difficult to treat these cells are drug resistant radiation resistant and they dont replicate as quickly as the other cells do so theyre much less sensitive to other factors wilson-robles explained
her work in dogs harkens back to her early interest in pediatric oncology because as she said dogs get pediatric cancers working with dogs in clinical trials has allowed wilson-robles to contribute to important research in the human pediatric oncology field as well
heather is an amazing scientist and clinician whose work will change the way oncologic diseases are treated in domestic animals and people said dr jonathan levine head of vscs more importantly she is an amazing person who understands that excellence is about character and perseverance

focused on a course of study in veterinary medicine wilson-robles met dr alfred legendre professor of medicine in the department of small animal clinical sciences in the college of veterinary medicine at the university of tennessee during her senior year there legendre quickly became a mentor for wilson- robles and offered important advice when it came time for her to choose her next step he helped me set the path i needed to take and i helped him with some research projects wilson- robles recalled he introduced me to clinical research and thats really where it started still working at the university of tennessee despite being retired legendre remains an important influence in wilson-robles career hes one of the loveliest men youll ever meet she said hes supposed to be retired now but he can still be found wandering the halls and helping out at the university of tennessee
though most of what she has accomplished in the veterinary oncology field is due to hard work and dedication wilson-robles does acknowledge the importance of serendipity in her career one of the best things that ever happened to me was the match at the uwm for an oncology residency wilson-robles stated through that match she met dr david vail professor of medical oncology at the university of wisconsin school of veterinary medicine one of the father figures of modern veterinary oncology through vail wilson-robles was introduced to clinical trials and gained an understanding of how the research and discovery in these trials could translate to human medicine hes a mentor but hes also a very good friend said wilson-robles of vail the two still keep in touch and wilson-robles noted that even after she left the uwm she continually asks vail for advice on upcoming clinical trials he and my husband played basketball together wilson-robles said of vail underscoring their close connection and mutual respect and support another important influence on wilson-robles while at uwm was dr david argyle the william dick chair of veterinary clinical studies and the head of the school and dean of veterinary medicine at the university of edinburgh in scotland he mentored her in laboratory research and taught her how to take new targets from the benchtop to the bedside
he was instrumental in my decision to be an academician wilson-robles said
it has been a great privilege in my career to train and mentor the next generation of academicians argyle said i knew when heather joined my team all those years ago that she would go on to have a great career as an academic oncologist

understanding the ways in which dogs contract and react to cancer cells and clinical drug trials gives wilson-robles a greater understanding-and hope for-future treatment across the patient spectrum were all mammals she said explaining that the more species that react positively to a treatment the more likely it is that the treatment will be a successful therapy for humans its not just a dog thing
wilson-robles explained if i can show that a treatment works in a mouse and a dog and a rat then it probably also works in a human the more species it works for the more valuable your results
because of the complexity of cancer cells and cell growth dogs are an excellent metric for trials of possible pediatric cancer treatments certain breeds of dogs have extremely high likelihoods of developing cancer golden retrievers have an 80 percent chance of developing cancer in their lifetimes while boxers have an 86 percent chance in fact cancer is the number one cause of death in dogs over three years of age and 25 percent of all dogs will get cancer at some point while numbers like these are staggering they are useful to wilson-robles who through her research has been given the opportunity to perform clinical trials with a number of different breeds of dogs such broad research bodes well for eventual human cancer treatment cancer in dogs tends to be akin to the most aggressive form of pediatric disease and so wilson-robles explained if we can get something to work on dogs it will probably work on kids
however wilson-robles cautioned there is a danger in treating cancer-regardless of the species-as a singular disease as far as the future is concerned i think the biggest thing is to acknowledge that theres never going to be a magic bullet for cancer she said theres never going to be one thing that cures cancer cancer is a group of diseases and it is a genetic disease underscoring the importance of personalized medicine wilson- robles has praise for institutions like baylor college of medicine that run genetic profiles on tumors in order to better understand and treat specific cases using personalized drug and treatment recommendations chemotherapy the current catch all method for cancer treatment is fighting fire with fire
wilson-robles warned of the indiscriminate nature of some forms of treatment but said in many cases this is still the best option for treatment available
ultimately the goal for wilson-robles and her colleagues in veterinary oncology is to perform research on dogs with an eye toward informing treatment of human subjects
however wilson-robles finds her work with animals rewarding on its own merits now she explained were in negotiations with t-gen colorado state ohio state and the national institutes of health (nih) to do a large national multi-institutional trial looking at drugs given to dogs with osteosarcoma which would hopefully then lead to approval for the drug for humans
ever passionate about her research and clinical work wilson- robles has found a home at texas a&m at the top of her profession- and leading the way in research for veterinary oncology and veterinary medicine- she stands poised to make important perhaps groundbreaking discoveries in the years to come
college station texas – researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have developed a highly effective vaccine against a lethal virus disease of captive parrots the disease called proventricular dilatation disease (pdd) results in blindness heart failure or intestinal blockage it is caused by a virus called avian bornavirus use of the vaccine against this virus prevented the development of disease in captive birds with no obvious adverse effects
the investigators-drs ian tizard jianhua guo susan payne and samer hameed-work at the schubot exotic bird health center at the cvm the research was supported by the schubot center and the college the center is dedicated to conducting research that will improve the health and quality of life of both captive and wild birds while currently focusing on diseases of parrots investigators at the center are also studying diseases of water birds quail and cranes
proventricular dilatation disease is an especially nasty infection that kills large numbers of captive birds each year said dr ian tizard the project leader parrot owners are naturally very distressed when their beloved pet dies in such a manner the new vaccine is expected to stop the development of this disease and prevent much suffering
the next step in the development of this vaccine will be to seek usda licensure and then to manufacture the vaccine commercially this will require extensive field-testing to ensure that the vaccine is safe and that it is effective in many species of pet birds thus it will take some time before the vaccine becomes available to parrot owners current plans are to market the vaccine through avian veterinarians
the pace of the additional studies will naturally depend upon the resources available current resources are limited so it is difficult to state when this vaccine will be available to parrot owners
college station texas – a new avian health complex will be formally opened thursday (aug 13) at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) which hosts one of the top avian medicine programs in the nation the ceremony will begin at 1:00 pm


the new climate-controlled aviary which is located at 701 farm service road in college station will provide a comfortable and safe environment for a variety of birds in various conditions cvm officials note the original complex was founded in 1987 with an endowment established by the late richard m schubot and matching funds provided by the university this commitment to avian medicine demonstrates texas a&ms understanding of the important role birds play in ecosystems and disease transmission across all species
containing approximately 11 000 square feet of floor space the state-of-the-art complex includes a functional hospital receiving area with quarantine capabilities three isolation rooms a biosafety level 2 laboratory for infectious disease research and separate areas for infected and healthy birds along with teaching classroom and office space
the center conducts research into all aspects of diseases in wild and captive birds as well as avian genetics genomics nutrition and behavior the results of research at the center are already being applied to improve the health of birds kept by zoos aviculturists and individual pet owners as well as conserving threatened avian species in the wild
this is a beautiful facility that exemplifies the colleges commitment to exotic species and to conservation in general said dr ian tizard it enhances our programs in environmental health and will be a magnificent resource for the whole college
the new center provides better teaching facilities not only for undergraduates and veterinary medical students but also for continuing education and other courses – all the while promoting an understanding of avian diseases husbandry and conservation among current and future veterinarians the enlarged and enhanced facilities also provide space for specialized birds such as raptors for which the students can learn appropriate handling care and treatment
our faculty have made substantial contributions to the health and welfare of birds and to the avian industry in terms of educating future and current veterinarians said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine as leaders in avian medicine we train the next generation of veterinarians and scientists to continue this important mission this facility provides the laboratory avian housing and classroom space that will allow this program to continue to thrive
scientists face many uncertainties about ebola and dogs although most agree that there is not evidence dogs develop clinical disease in the united states the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) say no cases have been reported of dogs becoming infected and shedding ebola to humans-even in west africa however a study in the march 2005 issue of the journal emerging infectious diseases suggests dogs can contract the virus and do develop antibodies due to their fear of the virus spreading throughout europe madrid authorities euthanized the dog of madrid ebola patient teresa romero ramos


a week after the events in madrid nurse nina pham contracted ebola while caring for a patient in dallas and authorities in texas had to decide what to do with phams dog a cavalier king charles spaniel named bentley experts came together to make decisions and assemble the right team dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university was part of a collaboration that included the cdc the texas department of state health services (dshs) texas animal health commission (tahc) the american veterinary medical association (avma) the emergency operations center (eoc) the governors texas task force on infectious disease preparedness and response dallas animal services the city of dallas and the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and its veterinary emergency team (vet)
the decision was made to have the vet deploy to dallas to care for bentley during his 21-day isolation-the incubation period of ebola dr tammy beckham who at the time was director of the institute for infectious animal diseases or iiad a department of homeland security center of excellence took the first shift caring for bentley until members of the vet arrived dr wesley bissett founder and director of the vet and dr deb zoran vet chief medical officer left for dallas without hesitation they knew caring for bentley would be stressful and complicated but as leaders of the largest and most sophisticated veterinary medical disaster response team in the country they were confident they could do the job safely
the support bissett and zoran received from colleagues in the vet the cvm and texas a&m epitomized aggie spirit when bissett first discussed the deployment with green her first reaction was to ask him about his wifes opinion im 53 years old and ive done a lot of different things said bissett who used to work in the oil field away from home and doing dangerous work but i have not once had anybody that was sending me into those situations ask me ‘what did your wife say and to me that was a big deal
the team worked inside a small room of an empty 1920s-era house in a decommissioned military complex near dallas zoran was covered head to toe wearing a bright yellow hazmat suit a powered air-purifying respirator and protective boots and gloves in the room plastic wrapping protected the floor reporters filmed and shot pictures through a glass window but the members of the vet were among the few who entered the house
we are an all hazard response team and we have the equipment the training and the expertise bissett said we can build a very powerful response in a community affected by disaster- whether thats an ebola case a fertilizer plant explosion a historic wildfire a tornado or a hurricane
still before seeing bentley bissett and zoran knew little about ebola in dogs our testing protocol was totally based on the human protocol because we dont know what happens with dogs zoran said getting infected was a potential risk had [bentley] been positive when we came back we would have been in quarantine- and that was going to have an impact zoran continued
bissett and zoran had arrived at the house-turned quarantinefacility on october 16 they stayed there for about two weeks collecting and sending blood urine and stool samples twice (on days eight and 16) to a laboratory for diagnostic tests to reduce stress due to isolation zoran often played with bentley
bentley stayed in a room that was previously the kitchen of the house that room was designated the hot zone or the zone with most potential for exposure zoran said a door connected with the dining room which was designated the warm zone where bissett and zoran removed their personal protective equipment going in and out of the hot zone they both checked each other to ensure all equipment was properly worn and the protocol was strictly followed without cutting corners or taking shortcuts i depended on her and she depended on me bissett said
bissett and zoran were concerned with the possibility of bentley testing positive i dont know what the decision would have been bissett said certainly euthanasia was one of the things on the table he explained however he would have proposed continuing testing until clearing the disease zoran nodded in full agreement: there would have been a huge opportunity to answer some questions but we had no idea of what would have happened because there was a lot of pressure different arguments for risk and all kinds of issues
although bentley tested negative for the virus unanswered questions remain about ebola in dogs it would have been nice to learn more but maybe bentley was not even exposed bissett said he added maybe he was exposed and dogs dont shed the virus-or maybe he was exposed and he shed the virus at an earlier time further studying bentley would have required extremely secure biosafety level (bsl) 4 facilities and once an animal enters a bsl 4 facility it can never leave zoran explained
despite the complexity of bentleys case bissett and zoran said the most important aspect was reuniting bentley with pham the number of days we were away the amount of time we got behind in our jobs the number of people we disappointed because we werent at their defenses or at their lectures-those were the downsides zoran said still they both said it was well worth it
pham left the hospital on october 24 both virus-free bentley and pham reunited on november 1 2014 pham grinned from cheek to cheek as she hugged bentley and he jumped and wagged his tail in excitement it feels like christmas literally pham said in an interview with abc news its just such a joyous occasion and one step closer to my feeling whole again during this recovery process
this has really been quite an extraordinary deployment said bissett in all honesty this is one that i would have never imagined i know there are only two of us who are physically here but the reality is that we are all here we have all worked toward this very point where we are today we are all standing behind nina and bentley
boston –dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has begun her term as president of the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc)
its an honor for me to have this opportunity to lead the aavmc and im very excited about it said dr green were fortunate to have so many talented and dedicated educators working in our member institutions and i look forward to working closely with them as we continue our efforts to create opportunity and progress in veterinary medicine
she assumed the presidency at the annual meeting of aavmc in boston she was elected president-elect at the organizations annual meeting last year
dr green earned her dvm from auburn university and is a diplomate in the american college of veterinary internal medicine (acvim) and the american board of veterinary practitioners (abvp) she has previously served as president of the american association of equine practitioners (aaep) the american association of veterinary clinicians (aavc) and the abvp
dr douglas freeman dean of the western college of veterinary medicine at the university of saskatchewan was elected president-elect freeman earned his dvm degree from the university of minnesota and a phd degree from the university of idaho and is a diplomate in the american college of theriogenologists
other newly elected board members for the 2015-2016 year include:
remaining members of the board for the year include:
in other action aavmc liaison to the council on education dr cyril clarke dean of the virginia-maryland college of veterinary medicine updated members on recent activities associated with the council on education and aavmc president dr trevor ames discussed recent action undertaken by the american college of veterinary surgeons to assess an administrative fee on all surgical residency-training programs members also heard an update on avma activities from avma vice-president dr rebecca stinson-dixon
associate director for research integrity jennifer ryan jd of harvard universitys office for academic and research integrity presented an interactive session that examined conflicts of interest in medical research and education
the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals people and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine members include all 35 veterinary medical colleges in the united states and canada 14 international colleges of veterinary medicine and 23 affiliate members
college station texas – a team of faculty members from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and college of agriculture and life sciences (coals) left for china on july 11 to participate in the us–china scientific cooperation one health exchange program the objective of the collaborative effort is to provide an opportunity for leading researchers from both countries to establish new and strengthen existing collaborations between texas a&m and institutions in china which will lead to the development of future mutually beneficial projects in the fields of veterinary epidemiology and swine production and health
as a result of chinas expanding economy the production and export of pork and pork products have become an area of increased focus with increased production comes the opportunity for pathogens to enter the food supply participants in the program will have the opportunity to share experiences related to effective surveillance prevention and control of these pathogens particularly those of a one health and zoonotic nature-meaning they have the potential to adversely impact both human and animal health
china is an ancient civilization with the one health concept embedded as an ancient wisdom said dr r c (tammi) krecek visiting professor at the cvm and interim assistant dean for one health i look forward to the opportunity to meet with colleagues in china identify areas of mutual research and one health interest strengthen current partnerships and identify new collaborations between texas a&m university and chinese institutions both china and the united states are aware of the importance of combining training and research skills to ready the next generation one health workforce we are ‘oceans apart but one world together when transboundary and zoonotic diseases cross boundaries and threaten our animal health and human health this visit to china is a great first step to leverage our mutual strengths in these areas
through exchanging ideas and best practices the team hopes the relationships formed will assist china in building capacity and expanding markets for pork as well as support the countrys growing agricultural enterprise
as our global village continues to expand bringing us closer together international collaboration will be essential to ensuring global health and quality of life for everyone and everything said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the foundation of one health is the inextricable link between animal human and environmental health
representatives from texas a&m include christine m budke dvm phd associate professor of epidemiology at the cvm; rosina c (tammi) krecek phd mba interim assistant dean of one health office of the dean and visiting professor of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm; clay ashley dvm director of the veterinary medical park and chair of the international program advisory committee at the cvm; brandon dominguez dvm ms clinical assistant professor department of large animal clinical sciences at the cvm; and chad paulk ms phd assistant professor of animal nutrition department of animal science coals
meetings will be held at the following institutions: college of veterinary medicine china agricultural university (beijing); school of public health peking university (beijing); lanzhou veterinary research institute (lanzhou); college of veterinary medicine sichuan agricultural university (chengdu campus); sichuan center for disease control and prevention (chengdu); and chinese center for disease control and prevention (beijing)
through their own initiative both dylan ritter-a sophomore at the university of mississippi-and kathleen nelson-a high school senior from illinois-discovered dr scott dindots genomics lab while their friends took off for vacation and summer fun they chose to come to texas a&m university to work on autism research with dindot in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences their passion is to advance the knowledge of autistic disorders so that others may benefit in the future
according to the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) 1 in 68 individuals have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder most children are diagnosed when they see a physician typically they miss their developmental milestones but often their parents and other caregivers notice social deficits since autism is a spectrum disorder it varies considerably from individual to individual but primary signals include social communication deficits learning disability and repetitive behaviors
ritter and nelson are interested in autism research because ritters younger brother has chromosome 15q duplication syndrome (dup15q) and nelsons older brother has angelman syndrome both forms of autism and intellectual disability recognizing that both of these young students are exceptional and possess a drive for advancing research in the disorders that have affected their families dindot welcomed them into his lab he was impressed by the drive that brought both students to college station-away from friends family and everyone they know-to help others who have experienced a similar diagnosis
dylan could be doing anything dindot said but hes here he was awarded a grant from the autism science foundation that supports undergraduate student research this is an extremely prestigious award and students from all around the country compete for these funds the other recipients this year are from stanford yale and the university of california santa barbara these students are the cream of the crop this is a national competition its a very competitive very prestigious award its a credit to dylans drive that he received the grant
ritter – a sophomore at the university of mississippi – has no connection to dindot other than the fact that he saw a press release about dindots lab developing a dup15q mouse model he contacted dindot saying that his brother had dup15q syndrome and that he wanted to come help and be involved in the research however he could
nelson similar to ritter found dindot through the foundation for angelman syndrome therapeutics which funds two autism research projects in dindots lab kathleen wants to be a physician and was looking for things to do that will help her achieve that goal because of her brothers condition she asked her family if she could work in dindots lab and learn about what theyre doing
both of these students are very similar in terms of the emotional connection to this work dindot said its a very personal extremely important topic theyve chosen to pursue this with that in mind they could be doing anything during their summer break but they are here at a&m researching the conditions that affect their siblings i cant think of anything more commendable or inspirational
college station texas – the environmental protection agency (epa) has awarded a $6 million grant to fund a multi-institutional collaboration between the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the bioinformatics research center at north carolina state university (ncsu) investigating the effects of environmental toxicants on human health with a focus on the potential adverse effects on the heart
the large project is led by dr ivan rusyn professor of veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm he and his team will develop and validate a novel approach to studies of chemical safety in both human cells and in mice
i am very pleased with the support that the environmental protection agency has extended to the areas of in vitro and computational toxicology rusyn said research and development activities in the center will be directed at improving the scientific basis for decisions and will create solutions that can be immediately utilized by the stakeholders in environmental health sciences: the industry the non-governmental organizations and the state and federal regulators
according to rusyn the growing list of chemical substances in commerce and the complexity of environmental exposures represent an enormous challenge to the regulatory agencies that examine the toxic potential of chemical exposures traditional chemical safety testing evaluates only major potential health hazards of concern to human health such as the ability of environmental chemicals to lead to cancer cellular damage or to long-term negative impacts on reproductive health however the world health organization (who) estimates that up to 23 percent of the global incidence of heart disease a leading cause of death may be attributable to environmental chemicals the ability to assess non-pharmaceutical agents for cardiac toxicity testing has lagged behind other advanced efforts to create animal and cell-based models for studies of chemical safety
as an institution committed to the one health initiative this award from the epa will significantly strengthen cross disciplinary research aimed at improving the health and well-being of both animals and humans that share the same environmental risks said dr robert burghardt associate dean for research and graduate studies
joining rusyn on the project team are co-principal investigators dr david threadgill professor in the department of molecular & cellular medicine at the texas a&m health science center and the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm and dr fred wright professor of statistics at ncsu
the major outcome of our work will be development and validation of a population-based human and mouse organotypic culture model for characterizing variability in cardiac toxicity threadgill said
by adding an inter-individual variability dimension to the studies of environmental chemicals and drugs safety we enable greater precision in toxicological findings added wright
the grant will establish the research center with texas a&m serving as the lead institution the long-term objective of the center is to advance the field of environmental health by establishing and validating effective accurate and fiscally responsible means for identifying and characterizing cardiac chemical hazards
texas a&m has a tradition of high-impact research said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the opportunity to establish and to lead this multi-institutional research center is a testament to dr rusyns excellence and that of his colleagues it is notable that dr rusyn is one of our presidents senior hires supported by the chancellors research initiative this grant not only demonstrates the wisdom of this program but also the fulfillment of the stated goals by these outstanding faculty
the project was initiated as the result of recent advances in the development of models of functional cardiac muscle cells this has led to new prospects for simulating complex chemical outcome pathways in the beating heart funding began june 1 2015 and will carry through may 31 2019
college station texas – texas a&m university today announced the official launch of stepstone content authoring software that allows educators to create a variety of learning experiences accessible from any internet-enabled device stepstone is the creation of the center for educational technologies (cet) within the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) born out of a desire to empower instructors to develop e-learning materials more quickly and cost effectively stepstone utilizes a unique customizable template approach to e-learning
built as a web app stepstone functions across platforms in modern desktop browsers the content authoring process allows users to map a learning path using an intuitive navigation system in a responsive environment users have the flexibility to customize their content from a single-screen multiple-choice question to a branching comprehensive narrative journey we specifically designed stepstone with flexibility in mind says dr jodi korich director of the center for educational technologies doing so gives educators the freedom to create the e-learning content they need in a manner that is most appropriate for their class for example we are currently utilizing stepstone to develop case scenarios for some of our medicine courses which have proven very popular with our students
stepstone contains a media manager mode to add images rich text documents and streaming video to the educational content as well as a preview mode which offers real-time simulation of the learner experience on a variety of devices users have the ability to add high-resolution image zooming hotspot interaction streaming hd video and an optional achievement system to their content using an expanding library of layouts and presentation formats that makes development fast and easy
once the content has been entered into the software stepstone is used to publish a standards-based scorm 12-compliant responsive html5 learning package the learning material can be loaded onto any learning management system (lms) and be accessed on an assortment of desktop tablet and mobile devices
stepstone will be made available through the center for educational technologies with the goal of fostering new collaborations across veterinary education and with other disciplines funding for the development of stepstone was provided by the office of the dean at the cvm
stepstone is a great example of educational innovation happening here at texas a&m now we have a scalable solution that allows us to rapidly produce e-learning materials to enhance every course in our veterinary program says dean eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences texas a&m university faculty and learners alike will benefit as they are highly engaged in these creative educational experiences
on may 14th the center for educational technologies (cet) at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences hosted a meeting with zoetis leadership in college station to discuss the veritas partnership mr clint lewis executive vice president and president international operations; dr michael mcfarland group director cad veterinary operations; and dr harvey crumm veterinary academic liaison all at zoetis participated in a series of hands-on demonstrations of the new veritas continuing education product lines recently launched by the cet the new product lines feature immersive case studies and procedural videos this past year the cet has launched 26 new online continuing education courses on veritas developed in collaboration with faculty throughout the college feedback on the new products has been very positive said dr jodi korich the director of the cet customers are telling us that they like the shorter 30-minute courses and the case study format helps them to immediately apply what they have learned to their practice
the zoetis visit also included discussions about future directions in continuing education (ce) the cet team presented ideas for combining online and face-to-face ce using the collaborative case-based teaching method they have pioneered with dr ashley saunders associate professor of cardiology in a study conducted in fall 2014 97 percent of students surveyed preferred collaborative case-based learning to didactic lectures a pilot test during a recent ce conference suggests that practitioners may also appreciate the interactive engagement offered by the collaborative case-based approach as much as our students said korich zoetis leadership was also presented with overviews of the cets research and development efforts in areas such as language localization to support international training and the use of 3d technologies to teach diagnostic therapeutic and surgical procedures
veritas is just one example of how the team at the cet is partnering with faculty at the college to create high-impact instructional strategies designed to address todays educational challenges
the 65th annual james steel conference on diseases in nature transmissible to man (din) took place may 20-22 2015 at the san luis resort spa and conference center in galveston texas texas a&m university was well represented with more than 25 faculty staff and students who attended and presented
the texas a&m one health program team presented two papers (a platform presentation and poster)
the oral presentation titled one healthy village at a time: improving one health in nicaragua and haiti was presented by rosina tammi krecek with co-presenters merrideth holub cheryl a scott ruth l bush thomas jeffreys ashton richardson christina babu ariel loredo sylvia tangney and analise rivero
the poster titled spreading the message: communicating the texas a&m one health program was presented by rosina tammi krecek with co-presenters mike chaddock audra wilburn ruth l bush seth j sullivan and eleanor m green several professional and graduate students participating in one health educational and research programs were co-presenters and attended the conference
dr wesley bissett dr deb zoran and i were part of an ebola panel entitled quarantine of a dog exposed to a human case of ebola virus disease the panel included representatives from many of the organizations involved in managing the ebola such as the cdc texas animal health commission dallas animal services and the cvm we discussed the timeline of the response the steps we took to insure our teams safety the collaborative efforts of numerous experts in crisis management and statewide agencies and the follow-up after the fact
oral presentation were presented by:
participants in a panel presentation and discussion on quarantine of a dog exposed to a human case of ebola virus disease included:
poster presentations included:
the 6th annual global health conference of the consortium of universities for global health (cugh) took place in boston from march 25-28 2015 with the theme of mobilizing research for global health in the past six years the cugh conferences have grown with the most recent attracting more than 1 600 attendees-including 500 students-from 50 nations some highlights of this years conference were the opportunity to interact with other universities in disciplines of global health and panels of up to seven specialists addressing specific topics some examples were:
the cugh is a rapidly growing non-profit consortium based in washington dc of universities institutions organizations and individuals from around the world involved in global health cughs mission is to build interdisciplinary collaborations and facilitate the sharing and implementation of knowledge to address global health challenges cugh assists members in strengthening their global health programs and sharing their expertise across education research and service and promotes partnerships between universities in resource-rich and resource-poor countries developing human capital and strengthening institutions capabilities to address these challenges
members of the texas a&m one health team-medical students erin tressalt and sonia popatia along with their mentor dr ruth bush-presented research data from their haiti project assessing childhood malnutrition in a poster titled assessing childhood malnutrition in haiti: is the united nations millennium goal #4 being met
through a collaboration of the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) and cugh a lunchtime meeting was arranged of attendees actively working in one health global health and/or environmental health more than 50 colleagues from 30 institutions participated
texas a&m university is a member university of cugh and therefore you are invited to join as a faculty member at no cost to join:
becoming a member is an excellent way for college faculty members to contribute to cugh activities such as the 2016 cugh conference
college station may 7 2015 – texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is ranked no 6 in the world and no 3 in the united states by quacquarelli symonds (qs) an educational services firm that has rated the top 50 veterinary medicine schools globally
im new to texas a&m but ive long been aware of the extraordinary teaching research and service reputation of our program in veterinary medicine-a program that for decades has whom have helped train the next generation of veterinarians and who have been in the vanguard in medical research that has benefitted both mankind and animals noted texas a&m president michael k young thus im not surprised by this well-deserved assessment of our college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and im delighted for this to be one of my first opportunities to comment publicly on whats transpiring here at texas a&m
established in 1916 the cvm is the only veterinary school in texas and is one of the countrys largest with a current enrollment of 527 students many of its programs are nationally ranked
texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has a strong tradition of excellence in serving the citizens of the state of texas and our nation through education research service and outreach said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are honored that the hard work and commitment of our dedicated faculty staff and students has been recognized in this way by academic peers employers of veterinary graduates and those assessing research impact
texas a&m cornell and university of california-davis are the only united states veterinary colleges to rank in the top 10 with five other american veterinary programs listed in the top 20 the university of california-davis is rated the top veterinary school in the world by the ranking group followed by cornell university next are the royal veterinary college at the university of london (no3) the university of guelph in canada (no4) and utrecht university in the netherlands at no5
the rankings by qs are based on several factors including academic reputation employer reputation and academic citations in research papers qs combines multiple well-respected university data sources in this their first ever survey including veterinary medicine qs founded in 1990 has offices in 50 countries
this ranking is important as it acknowledges our innovative collaborative and transformative work that is making a difference around the world and will have a positive impact on the health of animals humans and the environment for many years to come said green our reputation is positively influenced by the commitment at texas a&m to develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good and to hold strong to its six core values – excellence integrity leadership loyalty respect and selfless service
the cvm is committed to robust collaborations with the other colleges and units on campus and beyond recently texas a&m identified societal impact areas of notable strengths termed grand challenges the cvm was identified as the lead college for the one health grand challenge and is facilitating new collaborative efforts across disciplines colleges and institutions to enhance animal human and environmental health one health programs include research teams as well as student learning communities which include veterinary medical public health agriculture graduate and other students working in an integrated environment the cvms international programs encourage faculty and students to look beyond borders and to solve problems on an international scale
the cvm has awarded more than 7 100 dvm degrees its graduates include outstanding leaders within the profession such as those who have served as presidents of the american veterinary medical association veterinary specialty organizations the texas veterinary medical association the world veterinary association the world equine veterinary association and other national veterinary organizations the college recently broke ground on a new $120 million veterinary and biomedical education complex that will be completed in may 2016 in partnership with texas a&m agrilife the cvm recently held the grand opening of the thomas g hildebrand dvm 56 equine complex the $33 million education and outreach facility which represents phase one of the $80 million equine initiative complex
to read more about the qs rankings please go to http://wwwtopuniversitiescom/university-rankings-articles/university-subject-rankings/new-ranking-worlds-top-veterinary-schools
college station texas – dr jonathan levine has accepted the position of department head of the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) after a national search and will officially assume the role on may 1 2015
dr sharon kerwin vscs interim department head and a highly recognized educator in neurosurgery and orthopedics will return to her role as a professor in vscs we are grateful to dr kerwin for her superb service we thank her for stepping in as interim department head said eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine she is a naturally gifted administrator making her an exceptionally valuable addition to the administrative team of the college
levine is currently an associate professor of neurology in the cvm and holds the helen mcwhorter chair in small animal medicine he has built high-impact collaborations with his colleagues in human medicine in an effort to improve the health of both animals and people
without a doubt dr levine is an outstanding member of our team green said he has formed impactful relationships at our university in the state and around the world his multidisciplinary work in spinal cord injuries is transformative and is not only improving the lives of dogs but also can be used in future human clinical trials as he moves to this important administrative role we are convinced that he will excel we all look forward to working with dr levine as vscs department head
levine received his dvm degree from the cornell university college of veterinary medicine in 2001 he completed an internship in small animal surgery at colorado state university in 2002 and a residency in neurology/neurosurgery at texas a&m in 2005 he is a diplomate of the american college of veterinary internal medicine (neurology) his special interests include neurology/neurosurgery spinal cord injury intervertebral disk herniation and neuro-oncology
as the cvm and vscs experience a period of tremendous growth i am excited about the opportunity to work collaboratively across the college as we continue to develop and strategically plan for our future said levine
college station texas – dr barbara gastel a professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was honored last night with the bush excellence award for faculty in public service

the bush excellence award for faculty in public service is given annually by the bush presidential library foundation to recognize a texas a&m university faculty member who makes outstanding contributions to public service defined as a sustained long-term application of a faculty members disciplinary expertise to the public or non-profit sector in local state national or international arenas
dr gastel is contributing a unique public service through national and international outreach and professional development in science communication said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni department head of vibs she has accomplished more in the realm of science communication that supports global scientific literacy than nearly any other person
gastel has pioneered programs that teach science writing and editing to researchers and medical professionals in china mexico nepal sri lanka bangladesh rwanda ghana and other developing and emerging countries one of these programs was the china medical board program in biomedical writing (1996-2007) gastel co-led this project which included yearly delivery of a two-semester course in biomedical writing at multiple leading health science centers in asia throughout its duration also since its inception in 2007 she has been a member of the leadership team of authoraid a project to help researchers in developing countries to write about and publish their work for the past seven summers gastel has also given an intensive three-week course at the cvm in research writing mainly for researchers from mexico and other countries
when dr gastel arrived at our college she brought with her an international reputation for science and technology journalism said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine as part of our faculty she offers us the opportunity to provide unique educational experiences to all students we are so proud that she is being recognized with this prestigious award for her support of excellence in science writing
public service through promoting effective science communication has long been a major part of my activity as a faculty member gastel said having completed more than a quarter century of such service i am happy to be observing its long-term impact and especially to be seeing the impact amplified by those i have mentored or trained although such service is its own reward i am honored to win the bush excellence award for faculty in public service
photo caption: dr barbara gastel (second from left) who won the bush excellence award for faculty in public service with (from left) dr mark hussey texas a&m university interim president; dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni; dr linda logan head of international programs at the cvm; and fred mcclure the chief executive officer of the george bush presidential library foundation
college station texas – dr claudia barton a longtime faculty member in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was named a texas a&m presidential professor for teaching excellence barton learned of the honor in a meeting of the cvm executive committee held this morning
after receiving her dvm degree from the university of missouri in 1973 barton arrived at texas a&m university to complete a residency in clinical pathology which she completed in 1976 she returned to texas a&m in 1978 joining the faculty of the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) as an associate professor it did not take long for barton to begin earning accolades as an exceptional teacher she was recognized as the clinical educator of the year by the texas academy of veterinary practice in 1981 and 1982 she received the distinguished achievement award for teaching at the college level from the association of former students in both 1982 and 2004 she also received the same award at the university level in 2006 barton is also a two-time recipient of the john h milliff veterinary faculty award in 2007 and 2011 and she was awarded the pfizer carl j norden distinguished teaching award in 2006
dr claudia barton embodies everything that the presidential teaching award is about said dr sharon kerwin interim head of vscs she is innovative she is a compassionate and wise mentor she has inspired and influenced generations of educators in the veterinary profession she has a lengthy track record of teaching awards and honors and she has the complete respect admiration and gratitude of her current students former students and her colleagues
as a founding member of the specialty of veterinary oncology barton built the nationally recognized oncology service at texas a&m her two-week rotation in oncology for fourth-year students is one of the most highly regarded by students in teaching both third-year and fourth year students as well as numerous residents and interns barton developed an engaging teaching style instilling in each one of them a passion for cytology and making the diagnosis
i think the process of making the diagnosis can be just as exciting as the treatment of the patient if not more so said barton my challenge has been to make each student want to become the ‘sherlock holmes of medicine with clues from history and physical examination that can lead them to the ultimate diagnosis and thus to effective treatment if available i am in this business because i deeply love students i love the process of learning and i love to help students love it too
dr bartons nomination for this award included tremendous support from current and former students peers and colleagues-each recognizing her for her commitment to lifelong learning and brining the latest knowledge in her field to her students
dr barton is a leader in veterinary medicine said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine she began teaching when there were very few women in academic veterinary medicine; she pioneered the discipline of veterinary oncology and through her excellence in teaching serves as both mentor and role model for colleagues and students alike we congratulate dr barton on this well-deserved honor that recognizes her for her exceptional contributions to veterinary medicine that begin in the classroom and make long-lasting impacts on the profession
recipients of the presidential professor for teaching excellence receive a one-time after-tax stipend of $25 000 in addition to their salary and bear the designation of presidential professor for teaching excellence for the remainder of their careers
college station texas –dr michael willard of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) earned recognition for his outstanding contributions to the field of small animal practice as a recipient of the prestigious bourgelat award the bourgelat given by the british small animal veterinary association was first awarded in 1965 and its awardees include some of the most noteworthy names in veterinary medicine
willard currently serving as a professor in the small animal clinical sciences department joins current and former members of the cvm faculty-drs alice wolf joerg steiner and joe kornegay-as bourgelat honorees
dr willard has a world-wide reputation as an outstanding teacher and as a leader in clinical research said dr sharon kerwin professor and interim department head for small animal clinical sciences although he has broad general expertise in small animal internal medicine he has published and lectured extensively in gastrointestinal (gi) disease and has in many ways pioneered the application of small animal endoscopy he is well known not only within the specialist community but also broadly through his many continuing education efforts
it was at one of his continuing education (ce) lectures that willard learned of the award
i was giving a ce course in bogor indonesia for the european school for advanced veterinary studies said willard it was a genuine shock i had no idea i was even considered for this award i am really honored that colleagues in europe have even noticed my work
willard has served on the cvm faculty since 1988 and earned his dvm from texas a&m in 1975 kerwin noted having a clinician educator and researcher of dr willards caliber elevates the entire faculty
we are all pushed harder kerwin said the bar is higher and as a result we are able to recruit and retain faculty who share the same goals and purpose: to provide outstanding education for future veterinarians while delivering cutting edge patient care that is driven by evidence-based research
highlights of willards career include working with the world small animal veterinary association to develop standards for gi endoscopy and histologic interpretation of gi biopsies and working with dr mike davis on the gi ulceration in alaskan sled dogs however willard is quick to point out that he most appreciates the privilege of teaching veterinary students
dr willard is exceptional said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine he is an exceptional teacher clinician and researcher not only has he advanced the field of small animal medicine with his work on gastrointestinal disease but he has also challenged students to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and has supported veterinarians from around the state of texas and around the world in the treatment of difficult cases we are proud of dr willard and this well-deserved recognition of his contributions to veterinary medicine
college station texas – the texas a&m association of former students (afs) honored dr mark westhusin of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty with a university-level distinguished achievement award in research one of the highest honors presented by the afs
dr westhusin has been an outstanding member of our faculty for many years and his contributions to veterinary science and the progress he has made in the advancement of animal and human health are immeasurable said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are indebted to him for his unsurpassed excellence in animal cloning and congratulate him for being a recipient of this awardwesthusin a professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) at the cvm focuses his research on animal cloning his laboratory group has successfully cloned more different species (cow goat pig horse cat and white-tailed deer) than any other institution in the world including the first cat and first white-tailed deer
westhusins most recent work has advanced the knowledge of the role genes play in disease resistance and protein synthesis the results of his research will lead to improving the quality of protein sources available in developing countries to the increased safety of the food supply and to the ability to protect populations of people from devastating insect-borne diseases
he is one of the finest and most productive faculty members whom we have had the privilege to work with in our department and college said dr john n stallone interim head of vtpp he is a most worthy recipient of an association of former students distinguished achievement award in research
each honoree will receive a framed certificate from the afs along with a $4 000 monetary award the awards begun in 1955 recognize outstanding members of texas a&ms faculty and staff for their commitment performance and positive impact on aggie students texas citizens and the world around them
college station texas – the texas a&m association of former students (afs) awarded dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) a university-level distinguished achievement award in administration one of the highest honors presented by the afs
green who arrived at the cvm in 2009 as its first woman dean in its near 100-year history has been recognized as an exceptional leader collaborator and innovator under her leadership the cvm was designated as the lead college for texas a&m universitys one health initiative-a transdisciplinary effort bringing multiple colleges within the university together to address the challenges of improving the health and welfare of animals humans and the environment in addition she has led university-level and national-level initiatives directed at improving diversity and climate within the academic setting and the veterinary profession
outside the walls of the cvm green has contributed significantly to the growth of the veterinary profession veterinary medical education and mentorship and opportunities for women she is a recognized trailblazer having served as the first woman president for three different national organizations: the american board of veterinary practitioners the american association of veterinary clinicians and the american association of equine practitioners in addition she was the first veterinarian inducted into the national cowgirl hall of fame currently she serves as president-elect for the board of directors for the association of american veterinary medical colleges and is helping to shape the future of veterinary education
the impact that dean green has already made on the veterinary industry at the national state and local level is more than most people accomplish in a lifetime said dr kenita rogers associate dean for professional programs in the cvm in her nomination letter she has brought about positive enduring change to our college as well as to the university and her profession
each honoree received a framed certificate from the afs along with a $4 000 monetary award the awards begun in 1955 recognize outstanding members of texas a&ms faculty and staff for their commitment performance and positive impact on aggie students texas citizens and the world around them
college station texas – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) honored six of its alumni at a dinner held on april 10 2015 at the miramont country club the recipients of the 2015 rising star award and the 2015 outstanding alumni awards are all leaders in the veterinary profession and the awards recognize them for their contributions and service
recognizing our former students and the impact of their contributions on our college our state our nation and the world is an honor and privilege said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine these incredible veterinarians are outstanding ambassadors for the cvm and our profession we are proud of their ongoing commitments to serve lead and educate
rising star award recipient
dr nancy turner of dallas texas graduated with her bs in 2002 and her dvm in 2007 from texas a&m university she has already accomplished a great deal in the veterinary profession during her relatively short career during professional school turner served as the student representative to the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) board of directors turner has worked for seven years in small animal medicine and surgery at various practices in dallas such as love field pet hospital and bent tree animal hospital she has also worked in relief and emergency veterinary practices since 2010
turner is still an active member of the tvma where she has served as a committee member on the governmental relations committee animal welfare committee and student/recent graduate committee in 2009 she became the dallas county district director she also previously served on the council on veterinary service for the american veterinary medical association (avma) turner was awarded both the recent graduate of the year in 2011 and the presidents award in 2013 from the tvma
she is also an author her article german shorthairs: how to be your dogs best friend was published as part of 101 publishing: pet series for demand media
outstanding alumni award recipients
floron c buddy faries jr graduated from texas a&m with a bs in veterinary science in 1964 and earned his dvm from texas a&m in 1965 he obtained his certificate in acarology from the ohio state university in 1967 and an ms in veterinary parasitology from oklahoma state university in 1968
faries has spent 50 years as a practicing veterinarian and educator with a special focus in beef cattle production and horse health management public health and foreign animal and zoonotic disease defense faries research experience influence and contributions have been varied and widespread from risk assessment and animal emergency management procedures to controlling parasites in livestock and preventing the spread of infectious diseases of economic and public health significance his expertise and advice have set a standard in care and management of livestock herds
faries has been involved in and received recognition from many agricultural agencies and associations including texas a&m agrilife extension service texas 4-h texas and national future farmers of america the houston livestock show and rodeo and the independent cattlemens association through his membership and association with these varied groups he has been influential in promoting food safety through preventing drug and pesticide residue in livestock production
dr james l forgason earned his dvm with honors from texas a&m university in 1957 serving as the president of the student chapter of the american veterinary medical association during his fourth year he holds membership in both the american veterinary medical association (avma) and texas veterinary medical association (tvma) after his graduation from the cvm forgason served as staff veterinarian at winrock farm governor winthrop rockefellers santa gertrudis cattle farm in arkansas
in 1963 forgason was called home to manage the family division of jd hudgins inc founded by his great-grandfather jd hudgins in 1908 having returned to texas forgason joined dr ro berry at the wortham research laboratory to study reproduction in santa gertrudis a breed developed by the king ranch beginning in 1929 by crossing 500 hudgins brahman bulls with shorthorn cows
along with berry forgason helped persuade the texas legislature to establish the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory forgason served as secretary of jd hudgins inc for 23 years and president for 19 years promoting the sale of hudgins brahman cattle and sharing his knowledge of cattle fertility and health around the world
dr charles r pipes entered texas a&m in 1972 as a proud member of the corps of cadets and a pre-veterinary student and earned his dvm in 1978 after working for south oak cliff animal hospital in dallas charlie and his wife carolyn along with charlies parents opened country brook animal hospital in garland texas in 1987
since 1978 pipes has been a continuous member of the american veterinary medical association (avma) the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) and the dallas county veterinary medical association pipes has lifetime member status with the tvma he is a 29-year diplomate american board of veterinary practitioners having served on several tvma committees during the last 33 years his favorite committee has been the historical committee and its dedicated efforts towards the mark francis museum of veterinary history and the texas veterinary heritage practice program
pipes was nominated twice for tvmas companion animal practitioner award he received the tvma presidents award in 2009 the tvma distinguished career achievement award in 2014 and he is a mark francis fellow
in addition to being consistent financial supporters of tvma and the a&m foundation pipes and his wife established the carolyn and dr charles pipes 78 endowment in veterinary medicine in 2013 they are also committed to the small animal hospital construction fund
dr sharon j spier graduated from texas a&m university with a bs in 1981 and a dvm in 1983 after which she attended a large animal residency at the university of california davis (uc davis) where she earned her certification from the american college of veterinary internal medicine and completed her phd in comparative pathology in 1989 spier was hired afterwards as a faculty member eventually attaining the rank of professor in uc daviss department of medicine and epidemiology
spiers special focus on equine medicine has led to a variety of leadership roles as a researcher teacher and clinician she was appointed as an emergency treating veterinarian for 5 olympic games (1988-2008) and multiple world equestrian games and is active in a number of equine groups her extensive research knowledge and experience have led to worldwide speaking engagements and ongoing contributions to many research publications
one of spiers most important contributions to the field of equine medicine was her role in the research of hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (hypp) in quarter horses and her subsequent role in the development of a genetic test for identifying horses that carry this potentially fatal gene mutation her collaborations and unique combination of focus training and experience as a veterinary internal medicine specialist enabled her to shed new light on the diagnosis manifestation progression and management of this devastating disease she was awarded the american veterinary medical association (avma) excellence in equine research award for her contribution in this area
dr james edward (jim) ward jr graduated with his dvm from texas a&m university in 1965 after graduation he joined dr buddy smith at bayshore animal hospital in pasadena texas in 1975 ward and his brother mike opened ward animal hospital in nacogdoches texas with jim concentrating on equine reproduction he practiced there until 1993 and now serves as a consultant ward also serves as a consultant and in a management role at center ranch and center veterinary & reproductive services in centerville texas in addition ward has owned and managed two commercial horse farms: rio medina ranch in san antonio and pineywoods stallion station in nacogdoches
since 2000 ward has been the equine management consultant for cargill inc and a member of the national product development team and the cargill equine enterprise team through his career and his studies at rio medina ranch and other ranches ward observed the devastation of colic on horses this led him to develop the premium horse feed safechoicetm which earned him the innovation award from cargills southwest district in 2004
ward served as a director of the texas thoroughbred association from 1998 through 2006 was member of the year in 2000 and president in 2001-2002 he served as a board member for the breeders cup limited in 2001-2002 he is a member of the american veterinary medical association the american association of equine practitioners the texas veterinary medical association and the texas equine veterinary association
college station texas – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) will host its 22nd annual open house on saturday april 25 2015 from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm open house is an exciting student-run event where the public can explore one of the nations top veterinary schools inside and out the texas a&m university veterinary medical students enjoy the opportunity to sponsor an event that provides the public an educational and entertaining experience that emphasizes the roles veterinarians and animals play in our society
open house features exciting indoor and outdoor exhibits a variety of hands-on events and tours of several areas in both the large and small animal hospitals that otherwise are inaccessible to the public
visitors to the small animal hospital have the opportunity to observe live spay and neuter surgeries and explore specialty rooms such as cardiology oncology and zoological medicine veterinary students will answer questions about specimens in the pathology parasitology and anatomy rooms
one of open houses most popular events is teddy bear surgery where children can experience veterinary medicine first-hand by entering a real operating room and performing surgery on their favorite stuffed animal
children will be interested to learn about various breeds of dogs at the dog exhibit and will experience exotic animals as part of this years zoomagination animal encounters outdoor events include demonstrations in agility and search and rescue and the whole family can visit the outdoor petting zoo and watch a farrier make horseshoes
indoor events include observing an ultrasound in the large animal hospital and learning how x-rays are made you will also have the opportunity to picture yourself a vet and have your photograph taken with different animals informational events include exhibits by animal-related organizations from throughout the state and a variety of talks given by veterinarians previous topics have included a day in the life of… and what should i feed my pet prospective veterinary students will also have the opportunity to attend q&a sessions with both admissions committee members and current veterinary students
open house is free welcomes people of all ages and does not require registration the veterinary students of texas a&m university invite you to attend this fun and unique event there is so much to do and something for everyone at open house so bring your family and friends see the open house website for schedules maps and more!
i developed an interest in endurance athlete dogs in the last year and dove into researching their physiology lifestyles and race-related medical conditions i am grateful to dr mike willard an avid former sled dog veterinarian and researcher who was an essential contact in introducing me to the iditarod head veterinarian dr stuart nelson
each year the iditarod race is supported by 30-50 volunteer veterinarians (approximately half are rookies and half are veterans) i volunteered as a rookie for the 2015 iditarod dr nelson requested my presence in anchorage during the race in my capacity as a criticalist to receive and triage the dropped dogs from the race each team starts with a mandatory 16 dogs from anchorage and traverses 1049 miles to reach nome alaska it is not unusual for a third of the starting dogs to be relieved from racing on the trail or dropped for a variety of behavioral medical or other issues these dropped dogs are housed at the trail checkpoints and cared for by veterinarians and volunteers at every step they are then flown back to anchorage in a commercial airliner as a shipment of anywhere from 15-50 dogs they are received at the anchorage airport and taken directly to the millennium hotel the headquarters of the iditarod there a team of volunteers and veterinarians (including me) identify and examine each dog providing basic treatment or referring for more advanced care to a local veterinarian or emergency facility the most common medical issues included mild orthopedic sprains and strains dehydration or just being tired!
many dogs just need a little rest and are otherwise healthy and can be picked up directly by their handlers however they are housed in the nearby hiland correctional facility where female prisoners take care of them until they are picked up this facility is instrumental in caring for dropped dogs and has been for almost 30 years
i spent a total of two weeks as a dropped dog veterinarian in anchorage this year and can only say that receiving and caring for 300-400 dropped dogs exceeded all expectations and has been the most professionally rewarding experience in my career concurrently the rest of the veterinarians for the race were spread out along the trail checkpoints and were caring for the health and well-being of 1400 or so dogs despite being dispersed among large and small towns-sometimes villages with only basic facilities-and all of us in frigid temperatures the iditarod race coordination was able to keep everyone in touch and execute a mission to keep both people and dogs safe in their travels to nome huge team effort!
its been a blast out here my hope is that this becomes an annual event and that we keep texas a&m represented at the race continuing the tradition that dr willard started!
dr h morgan scott a veterinary epidemiologist in the department of veterinary pathobiology at texas a&m university along with colleagues at west texas a&m university and kansas state university recently participated in an important academic debate concerning biological risks associated with feedlot dust in west texas their views were featured in an april 3 2015 article posted below
the debate stems from a recent peer-reviewed paper published in the journal environmental health perspectives (ehp); subsequent media coverage of the paper has resulted in a few misleading headlines and news articles concerning the spread of superbugs
dr scott and colleagues contend that in the ehp paper several inferences were presented as conclusions when in reality they remain untested hypotheses contrary to much of the media representation of this research the data do not indicate whether there were any viable bacteria present in the samples; therefore there is no direct evidence of superbugs the likelihood of non-viable bacterial genes transforming into other living bacteria is of very low probability and thus the biological risk associated with the dust must be considered extremely low
ongoing public concerns about antimicrobial use and resistance in animal agriculture continue to this day; an important component of addressing those concerns is healthy debate and discussion among scientists
by john maday editor bovine veterinarian
in january we covered a report from texas tech universitys institute of environmental and human health outlining a study in which researchers detected antibiotic residues bacteria and genetic material related to antibiotic resistance in particulate matter downwind of texas feed yards
the research paper titled antibiotics bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes: aerial transport from cattle feed yards via particulate matter was published in the journal of environmental health perspectives
last week michael d apley dvm phd at kansas state university samuel e ives dvm phd at west texas a&m university and h morgan scott dvm phd at texas a&m university released a white paper citing concerns over the conclusions listed in the texas tech report
the three research veterinarians focused on issues of bacterial viability likelihood of bacterial re-population and the concentration of antimicrobials found in the feed yard particulates
in this paper many inferences are presented as conclusions when in reality they are actually untested hypotheses they wrote contrary to much of the media representation of this research the data do not indicate that there are any viable bacteria present in their samples the likelihood of non-viable bacterial genes transforming into other living bacteria is of very low probability the antimicrobial concentrations used in this study are not grounded in appropriate air and soil volume concentrations and do not accurately represent the dispersion and dilution of these agents in the environment in an interview published this week in the journal of environmental health perspectives dr ives says qpcr techniques only reveal the presence of bacteria not their viability that doesnt translate to transference to the environment and beyond
read the full white paper from drs apley ives and scott
college station texas – the faculty and staff of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the texas a&m health science center college of medicine are pleased to honor dr david threadgill professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology and professor and holder of the tom and jean mcmullin chair of genetics in the department of molecular & cellular medicine in the texas a&m health science center college of medicine and director of the texas a&m institute for genome sciences and society
dr threadgills contributions are recognized around the world said dr roger smith interim department head for veterinary pathobiology threadgill immediately made an impact upon his arrival at texas a&m through the development of multiple interdisciplinary collaborations that advance the one health conceptthreadgill was named a university distinguished professor by a six-person awards committee of previously named distinguished professors this title is the highest faculty honor bestowed by texas a&m university and means the professor has made at least one seminal contribution to is pre-eminent in and has made a major impact on his discipline threadgill arrived at texas a&m recognized as a scholar in the discipline of systems genomics-the study of the differences in the genomes of across individuals and species an often-cited expert his articles in the discipline clearly qualify him as one of the leaders in the field and well deserving of the honor
threadgills current research activities include focusing on colorectal and breast cancer to identify environmental factors and genetic polymorphisms contributing to differential susceptibility to the development and progression of cancer his team developed new experimental technologies and approaches to support integrative analysis of disease etiology and are exploiting these advances to prevent or delay cancer as well as to identify new therapies
dr threadgill is the embodiment of a distinguished professor said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine genomic medicine is the future pathway for discovering novel therapies and cures for diseases in both humans and animals the impact of dr threadgills work will be felt around the globe
the innovative research led by threadgill is leading the way in medicine to address real-world issues said paul ogden md interim dean of the college of medicine genomic medicine will blaze the trail to advancements in personalized medicine and serve the changing needs of health care
threadgill noted that many individuals contributed to get to this point especially students and colleagues that provided invaluable support and stimulating discussions over the years he also recognized those who took their time to coordinate the nomination process for the award
threadgill received his phd in genetics from texas a&m working under the mentorship of another cvm university distinguished professor james womack
college station texas – mitral valve disease accounts for approximately 75% of all canine heart disease but a recently finished clinical trial shows that a potential treatment might help the trial titled evaluating pimobendan in cardiomegaly (epic) is the largest clinical study ever to be conducted among dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (mmvd) the leading cause of heart disease and heart failure in dogs it evaluated the effectiveness of pimobendan in delaying the onset of clinical signs of congestive heart failure in dogs with increased heart size secondary to pre-clinical mmvd
a mid-study analysis in mid-february 2015 indicated that pimobendan is clearly beneficial and did not raise any concern over the administration of pimobendan based on these results the interim analysis committee recommended that the study be stopped and the lead investigators-dr sonya gordon associate professor in the department of small animal clinical science at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; dr adrian boswood at the royal veterinary college veterinary clinical sciences hatfield hertfordshire uk; and dr jens häggström of the swedish university of agricultural sciences faculty of veterinary medicine and animal science uppsala sweden-ended the study as of march 1 2015
i am excited about the results of this groundbreaking study and proud to be a part of the epic team gordon said the results of this clinical trial have the potential to change the way the most common cause of heart disease and heart failure in the dog is managed on a day-to-day basis by veterinarians around the world
the study was a prospective double-blind randomized placebo-controlled international multi-center clinical study-the so-called gold standard of clinical trials specialized veterinary cardiologists at 36 trial centers half of which were in the united states ran the trial (the other 18 centers were in australia canada france germany italy japan the netherlands spain sweden and the united kingdom) the 360 canine patients enrolled in the trial were randomly allocated to either a pimobendan or a placebo treatment group with 180 dogs in each group gordon and her colleagues at texas a&m saw 16 of those dogs
full and final results of the study which was sponsored by boehringer ingelheim are expected at a later date
college station texas – the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) announced today that dr l garry adams a professor from the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is the recipient of the 2015 senator john melcher dvm leadership in public policy award
i am honored and awed to receive the 2015 senator john melcher dvm leadership in public policy award adams said senator melcher is a man of wisdom high integrity and unselfish service to mankind he spent his years in the senate working to make life better for people and animals alike so to receive an award bearing his name is a significant honor for me i am humbled and thankful to him and to everyone who walked along side me on this journeythe award established in 2007 is presented to current or former faculty staff or students at an aavmc member institution to recognize leadership in public policy that advances veterinary medical education and success in advocating for veterinary medical education on a national or international scale
he will receive the award during the aavmcs 2015 annual conference in washington dc on friday march 13 before more than 200 conference attendees including veterinary college deans faculty and associated dignitaries from throughout the united states and the world
in my 10 years of experience in the aavmc i consistently found the aavmc to provide an environment where the education of our profession was objectively analyzed for strengths and weakness as well as for formulating new pathways for enhancing veterinary medical education with the vision of improving animal health and well-being adams said now once again i look forward to the annual aavmc meeting and receiving the awesome award of a lifetime!
adams has provided leadership on many boards and scientific committees including the american veterinary medical association and the national academy of sciences he has testified before many congressional hearings that helped shape national policy including presenting invited testimony for the us congressional house select committees bioshield: countering the bioterrorist threat panel
adams served as chair of the brucellosis and the tuberculosis scientific advisory committees of the united states animal health association providing guidance on the scientific basis for implementing rules impacting international trade policies with mexico and canada he also served as the scientific leader of biologic systems research for the department of homeland security and the national center of excellence for foreign and zoonotic disease defense developing countermeasures against exotic diseases that could erode the nations food security
dr garry adams has dedicated his career to the advancement of veterinary medicine and education said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m he has achieved international recognition for his excellence in research and is now honored for his advocacy on behalf of our profession and veterinary education we are so proud of dr adams and this well-deserved award
in nominating adams for the award dr linda logan professor and head of texas a&ms veterinary pathobiology department wrote that adams is iconic in his discipline he is well respected for his professional competence his standards have always been high and his integrity and ethics are unquestionable she also described him as well-liked approachable engaging and a great role-model and advocate for veterinary medical education on both a national and international scale
in addition his long-standing commitment to his students and post-docs which includes mentoring 69 post-graduate students from 13 countries is a daily example of quality science the value of veterinary education and the need for veterinarians to be engaged in research and public policy she said
adams earned his bachelors degree in animal science his doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) and his doctorate in veterinary pathology all from texas a&m
the aavmc is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals people and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine its members include 35 veterinary medical colleges in the united states and canada nine departments of veterinary science eight departments of comparative medicine thirteen international colleges of veterinary medicine and six affiliate colleges of veterinary medicine: wwwaavmcorg
the relationship between the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) is treasured and mutually beneficial as a member of the tvma as well as the dean of the cvm i have been privileged to see the collaboration from both sides
the value of what the tvma provides our students in the way of support and engagement is immeasurable i cannot thank them enough for their numerous scholarships and other financial assistance to our students as well as their ongoing support of programs such as open house the professional programs office and the american veterinary medical association (avma) government affairs intern at the avma office in washington dc
the tvma also donated numerous items such as stethoscopes (for first-year students) scrubs and a copy of veterinary drug formulary (for second-year students) and surgical scissors (for third-year students) throughout our many years working together the tvma also sponsors a veterinary ethics program dinner for first-year veterinary students and participating veterinarians in both the fall and spring semesters third-year veterinary students have the opportunity to attend a clinic orientation meeting with tvma officers in attendance the organizations also have previously sponsored practice management seminars job fairs and college-to-work transition meetings
their governing bodies are open to student members each tvma committee is open to students elected by class a third-year veterinary student can serve as a voting member of the tvma board of directors they also name a student to serve on the texas veterinary medical foundation (tvmf) board of trustees
we are also privileged to have the tvma actively involved in the college in other ways a tvma officer serves as a liaison to the college and meets with drs kenita rogers and dan posey three times per year this relationship also includes mentoring for each veterinary class and a student section on their website
tvmas texas veterinarian magazine invites a student to write a column in each issue tvma support of student attendance at its annual conference by offering free early registration for them is appreciated
the tvmf sponsors two student summer research projects in which each student presents his or her project to the board of directors they also provide two faculty awards presented at the honors convocation the tvma president attends and presents awards to honored veterinary residents
in short we are forever grateful to the tvma and tvmf for being such a collaborative partner in our students experiences from their admission interview to their graduation ceremony where the tvma president administers the veterinary oath and sponsors breakfast for the graduates with attending tvma officers
overall the tvma commits close to $32 000 toward student events and activities and the tvmf commits approximately $24 500 as albert schweitzer said we should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit we are thankful for the tvma
as a texas veterinary medical association (tvma) member and volunteer leader i have firsthand experience with all of the opportunities tvma members gain from engagement with the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty staff and students as an executive board member i feel so privileged to have been able to meet and mentor the cvm class of 2014 i have also enjoyed the many opportunities to be a part of numerous special events at the cvm such as student orientation white coat ceremony ethics sessions and graduation
as a busy practitioner and practice owner it is easy to see the benefits to our practice and local veterinary community our involvement with tvma has given us an advantage to recruit and retain some of the brightest veterinary students to work as externs and associates in our practices tvma members repeatedly claim that being involved at the cvm reenergizes them as they return to their practice industry or regulatory work whether it is meeting students on committees or reconnecting with faculty and staff at tvma social events tvma members are always grateful for the chance to be with the students faculty and amazing cvm staff
i also see benefits to our entire membership when the cvm collaborates with our association besides the benefits to individual tvma volunteers our entire association benefits from collaboration with the college the cvm graciously gives tvma the opportunity to give input on curriculum changes and student selection giving our members the ability to point out where the college is doing a good job and where it could improve as it molds graduates to become the future of our profession the cvm also recruits tvma members to participate in the multiple mini interviews used as part of the student selection process tvma members then have direct influence on the caliber of veterinary students that the college admits
so many of the decisions the college makes impact the veterinary profession in texas the cvm is thoughtful to consider input from tvma leaders and members before making important decisions that could affect us all it also benefits our members when the cvm simply shares information with tvma through regular meetings with tvma leadership and formal reports at our biannual meetings we are grateful as an association to have such a wonderful working relationship with the cvm
not every college student knows exactly what he or she wants to do after graduation but i do upon completion of my biomedical sciences (bims) degree i want to go to veterinary school specialize in large animal medicine become board certified in equine medicine and then work for budweiser taking care of the clydesdale horses i may have ridden a horse only once in my entire life but i find them fascinating and the structure of a horse is much larger and easier to see than that of a dog veterinary medicine is so much more than cats and dogs and i want to be involved in the other aspects of it
i am a sophomore bims student from mission a town located in the south tip of texas i decided to come to texas a&m university because of my interest in veterinary medicine texas a&m is one of the best universities and it has the only veterinary school in the state i like the veterinary program and it is one of the higher ranked institutions in the country plus by staying in texas for college i can visit home more often so that my mom doesnt miss me as much!
most people who decide to apply to veterinary school choose to receive their undergraduate degree in either animal science or through the bims program i have heard people say that the animal science program is easier than the bims program but i chose bims because i wanted to feel like i was being challenged and getting the best education i could in order to be prepared for veterinary school there are also more opportunities for experience through research in the bims program the animal science courses provide a lot of hands-on practice but they do not go as deeply into detail as the experience i will be getting in research laboratories my favorite class is organic chemistry because i feel very bright when i can name molecules!
when i am not in class i stay involved at school i am a bims ambassador a member of the pre-vet society and a member of the fraternity theta chi i am also in the aggie recruitment committee a group that brings in junior and senior high school students to texas a&m to show them what the university is like my favorite part of being in the recruitment committee is turning longhorn fans into aggies i hope to run for the student senate in the spring for bims but i need to make sure first that i dont overwhelm myself so that i can continue to keep my academics up
a collaborative effort at texas a&m that has impressed me is that the university is always trying to find new people to help out in research it doesnt matter what major a student is pursuing; if he or she is willing to put in time and effort to help with projects then the professors are happy to have the help through working at the welcome desk in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences i have had a lot of opportunities to meet professors at the school who can provide me with opportunities to do research or help me to find veterinarians to shadow i would love to work in a lab in the spring to start gaining experience
one of my favorite things about being an ambassador is getting to see the excitement on peoples faces when they walk through the hospitals i gave a tour recently to a young student who was very interested in veterinary medicine and i loved seeing how everything i talked about put a smile on her face to see that spark was rewarding and a reminder of my own enthusiasm for the profession
i am a senior biomedical sciences (bims) student graduating in december 2014 i chose texas a&m university specifically for the bims program because it allowed me to take certain classes related to my interests while still meeting and integrating the prerequisites for medical school into the curriculum itself another deciding factor for me was my older brother was also at texas a&m in the chemical engineering program im from katy texas which is just outside of houston so my family lives fairly close to college station but it was fun to be on campus at the same time he was
as a pre-med student i have taken many opportunities to gain experiences in international settings i am involved with global medical brigades and have traveled to honduras panama and ghana shadowing doctors and helping supply medical aid i also spent the past summer in spain as part of the biomedical sciences barcelona global health study abroad program it was fun to not only gain medical experience but also visit other places
while in spain my group was split between students interested in human medicine and students interested in veterinary medicine we discussed the similarities between human and animal medicine and how each affected the other and determined that there is a need for a huge collaborative effort between the two that is why it is exciting that texas a&m is increasing its cooperative efforts through the one health initiative ive had the opportunity to attend presentations by students in the various medical professions who went to nicaragua this year for a service learning and research program and it was interesting to hear how they studied human animal and environmental health with the focus being on nutrition in all areas ill be visiting nicaragua in january on a final global medical brigades trip and am excited to see some of the things they mentioned
in addition to volunteering overseas i am involved in the colleges ambassador program and alpha phi omega a co-ed service fraternity that i joined to meet people outside of the bims program i generally meet and study with only bims students and i wanted to get to know other people that i could hang out with in a non-medical setting
after graduation i hope to attend medical school i have applied to every school in the state including texas a&ms medical school i hope to be hearing back from them by the time this issue is published i wont decide on a specialty for medicine until later when i am in medical school and have begun my clinical rotations i have already however decided on global health as my scholarly interest it makes the residency process a little more complicated because there are some residencies specifically for global health and others that have global health as a fellowship instead but i dont have to worry about that for a few more years upon completion of medical school and my residency i would like to work stateside but continue to volunteer abroad with doctors without borders or global medical brigades however this time it will be as a physician rather than as a student!
i chose texas a&m university because i love the environment everyone on campus is very friendly we have fun aggie traditions and as students we get wonderful opportunities to network and make connections attending texas a&m also gave me the chance to get out of my hometown of mcallen texas and experience living on my own what i love about college station is that it is not too big of a city and therefore reminds me of home
in addition to being a junior in the bims program i am currently working two jobs one as a college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences ambassador and the other in the medical sciences library i am also a member of a co-ed service fraternity called alpha phi omega the fraternitys focus is on friendship leadership and service i have recently joined an organization called the minority association of pre-health students that helps expose minority students to the healthcare field after completing my bims degree i want to start a masters program in medical sciences at the university of north texas (unt) the program is a one-year course that gears students toward entering medical school which is my goal i have spoken with many texas a&m medical students who completed the unt program before getting into medical school and are now excelling in their courses
as a pre-med student i get to take a lot of cool classes one class that i am enjoying is public health practices which highlights different options within public health my favorite class is anatomy-it is the first class i have taken that has given me the opportunity to dissect anything
my freshman year of college i was involved with global medical brigades and traveled to honduras to an impoverished community in the mountains i stayed there for a week helping doctors offer medical aid and working as a translator i would have loved to continue volunteering there but i had to return because of work perhaps one day i will get to go back for after finishing medical school someday i want to practice as a general practitioner for two years and then join doctors without borders so that i can be assigned to go on missions in countries needing aid
in my classes several professors have talked to us about the collaborations at the university texas a&m is working on a cooperative effort to get all departments to work together for the one health initiative different departments in the liberal arts engineering and architecture colleges for example are all conducting research that can be combined together to increase our knowledge across the human animal and environmental medical fields what i thought was interesting is that after the different professors in each college were introduced they were astounded to discover the different resources that were available at the college and everyone seemed willing to help out the other colleges for the one health cause
i am excited to see what my role will be in the collaboration between the different medical fields as we make new discoveries thanks to the wealth of information becoming available from human doctors veterinarians and environmental scientists
committed to increasing awareness about neglected tropical diseases (ntds) is dr christine m budke an associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) her interest in the field began when she was a veterinary student at purdue university i did a variety of international externships and one of them happened to focus on parasites she said after that i was hooked
after veterinary school budke moved to europe where she obtained a phd in epidemiology from the university of basel in association with the swiss tropical and public health institute and the university of zurich during her graduate studies she spent much of her time conducting infectious disease fieldwork on the tibetan plateau of western china
budke now works to better elucidate the socioeconomic impact of two parasitic ntds: echinococcosis and neurocysticercosis (ncc) both of these diseases are zoonotic meaning they are transmissible between animals and people
one goal of budkes work is to give the research community and policymakers a better feel for the true impact of these diseases on different parts of the world she hopes this knowledge will help promote better allocation of resources
you can have many cases of a disease that are fairly mild said budke on the other hand you can have a relatively small number of cases such as has occurred with the ebola outbreak with a high mortality rate our goal is to find ways to better quantify the true impact of these diseases on a society
one way to better understand the true impact of disease is to create a common metric to compare diseases the daly or disability adjusted life year is one such tool it measures morbidity mortality and duration as well as the severity of clinical symptoms of a disease this enables researchers to compare very different diseases-such as the common cold and an ebola infection
one daly can be thought of as one lost year of healthy life the sum of these dalys across the population or the burden of disease can be thought of as a measurement of the gap between current health status and an ideal health situation where the entire population lives to an advanced age free of disease and disability according to the world health organization if you are able to incorporate mortality and the severity of the disease into that metric you can actually compare the impact of ebola and the common cold or a parasitic disease with a viral disease because you are using a common language and a common tool said budke
budkes work is a prime example of the global one health initiative the diseases on which her work is focused pose a double threat to the societies where they manifest because both humans and their livestock can become infected if you have a community affected by echinococcosis then you have individuals who are ill and may not be able to work and who are impacted physically as well as emotionally from their disease budke said if their animals also have the disease and the animals contribute to their livelihood as is true in many communities the impact can be devastating
an insidious disease echinococcosis causes cystic lesions in the liver lungs or both in people who do not become ill immediately but whose health slowly declines over a period of time this disease is particularly problematic in pastoralist and low-income communities around the world the causative parasite is a type of tapeworm but they are unlike the very long tapeworms that most people envision budke said they are very tiny-the size of a grain of rice-but they can cause serious damage
eliminating echinococcosis is extremely difficult because so many animal species can become infected with the cyst stage of the parasite large free-roaming dog populations which carry the adult stage of the parasite also make control a challenge in some locations although dog deworming is very effective it must be repeated regularly to prevent re-infection; repeated deworming however can be difficult in resource-poor areas to date there have been few coordinated efforts globally to control this ntd more recent advances have focused on developing a sheep vaccine; however thus far vaccines are not readily available
the other tapeworm that budke studies is taenia solium which causes ncc this condition which is believed to be one of the leading causes of epilepsy in the developing world is especially found in sub-saharan africa asia and parts of south america like echinococcosis this parasite also affects both people and livestock-pigs in this case poor sanitation can result in people ingesting parasite eggs that are shed by infected individuals which can then develop into cysts in the central nervous system resulting in epilepsy stroke or dementia
budke noted that this infection can have a major impact on a community in terms of illness and the stigma some societies still attach to those with epilepsy although epilepsy can be caused by other factors (or have no known cause at all) ncc is a leading cause of epilepsy cases especially in low socioeconomic status pig-rearing areas as pigs are vital for the parasites life cycle
because these conditions are chronic and zoonotic and because they disproportionately affect socioeconomically disadvantaged pastoral and agricultural communities efforts to study and control echinococcosis and ncc remain substantially underfunded control of these diseases budke explained requires a multidisciplinary approach however agricultural and public health funding agencies often wait for each other to take the lead the impact on communities is also undervalued because of lack of information; diagnosis of echinococcosis and ncc in humans usually requires medical imaging which is rarely available in developing countries and infection in livestock at slaughter is seldom monitored
although there are human cases of echinococcosis and ncc in the united states the vast majority of these cases are in people who were infected elsewhere primarily what you are seeing are these diseases affecting the immigrant population budke said the biggest impact is the drain on the health care system because these can be fairly expensive diseases to treat
budke works with a number of global initiatives focused on estimating the effect of these parasites on societies in which they are found other groups within these initiatives are working on other parasitic agents as well as toxins and chemicals bacteria and viruses noting which diseases are impacting a particular countrys population can aid policymakers in determining priorities
in the last 10 years budke noted there has been an effort to put ntds on the map so to speak i think we are at least starting to go in the right direction to finally address some of these conditions she said part of the challenge however is that when something big new or exciting such as avian flu or ebola hits the news it can be dramatic and get an abundance of attention a lot of these ntds have been around for a very long time they tend to be chronic they just dont grab the same attention as some higher-profile diseases; therefore they tend to be forgotten
as the world becomes more aware of ntds and as people in budkes field continue to work on solutions for positive change her work becomes evermore important we are trying to get the larger population to understand what is going on and to become aware of the populations that are impacted she said
if you walk by dr cristine heaps lab on a sunny afternoon in the spring you may see yucatán miniature pigs running on treadmills
heaps an associate professor in the department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) studies the effects of exercise on heart disease using these pigs adaptations in the heart during exercise intrigued heaps who was involved in athletics from a young age
exercise puts demands on a body causing the heart to beat faster and move blood more quickly through the cardiovascular system a person with heart disease may be fine while watching a rerun of survivor; however after the show is over and the person is sweating like a pig while pushing a lawn mower he may suddenly have a heart attack
risk factors such as obesity and lack of physical activity contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease according to the 2013 overweight and obesity update by the centers for disease control and prevention around 50% (1547 million) of americans 20 years and older are overweight as obesity rates increase in other countries the number of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease will also rise
so why use pigs in research a pigs cardiovascular system functions similarly to a humans likewise the pig body mimics a humans in response to exercise; therefore running pigs with heart disease on treadmills models humans with heart disease exercising
arranging for approximately 100-pound yucatán miniature pigs to run on a treadmill you might see at a local gym is both labor-intensive and expensive so this type of model is uncommon in fact heaps lab is one of the few in the united states using a pig model combining heart disease and exercise
researchers elsewhere contact her to collaborate dr steven fisher a physician and recent collaborator from the university of marylands school of medicine contacted heaps to help with his research because she uses this model very few labs have this model fisher said coronary heart disease is very difficult to model a recent study by heaps and fisher indicates exercise may increase the hearts sensitivity to drugs such as viagra in addition to her recent collaboration with fisher heaps also works with faculty at both the cvm and the texas a&m health science center
often waiting in silence cardiovascular disease is deadly until conditions are right such as exacerbation by exercise this disease has not only severe often fatal health implications but economic repercussions as well heaps noted billions to hundreds of billions of dollars and productivity are lost to heart disease

museums are a repository of many artifacts collected in times gone by and the smithsonian holds one of the united states best collections its division of mammals at the national museum of natural history houses a world-class collection of roughly 590 000 preserved specimens many of which are available to researchers including dr bill murphy a mammalian geneticist in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
murphys background in comparative genomics and mammalian phylogenetics helps him determine the ancestral relationships between different groups of species when they originated what factors drove them to diversify and what processes led to their distribution around the globe in his journey to discover these connections murphy has taken advantage of the hard work already accomplished on species collection trips over a century ago
since 2002 murphy has been collaborating with a mammalogist dr kris helgen on the methodology of using museum specimens to extract mammalian dna but the practice really advanced in 2008 when the pair started exploring the mammals collection at the smithsonian where helgen is the curator in charge of mammals their goal is to use dna from museum specimens to understand how rare or unusual groups of mammals fit into the mammalian family tree murphy brings the genetic component to the collaboration whereas helgen brings the curatorial and mammalogy background to help classify and understand mammals more thoroughly
the field of museum-based genetics had its origins in the early 1990s according to murphy although many studies with museum specimens have been conducted in the past murphy wondered how well dna could be recovered from these specimens and in large amounts without contamination also he wanted to determine if the new next-generation sequencing techniques might reveal a more accurate resolution of ancient dna sequences as well as larger datasets for phylogenetic analysis typically previous researchers have chosen to extract dna from the hide or hair of specimens because it is more abundant but there is an increased risk of contamination from being handled over the years using hide samples can also be more problematic because hides are often chemically treated for preservation
to avoid analyzing dna from specimens where the possibility of sample contamination is high murphy and his team implemented an alternative approach to sampling we developed an approach where we extract dna from the ‘crusties as we call them said murphy when you examine skulls in museum collections they are usually pretty clean but if you look inside the brain case you can actually see tidbits little remnants of dried tissue that have been sitting there for a 100–150 years for the most part these tissues have never been exposed to human contact so we figured there would be less contamination this approach is also less destructive since museums like to avoid damaging specimens such as drilling into bones or taking hair and tissue samples at all costs no one can tell if youve removed a bit of tissue from inside a skull
murphy and his team have found that they can get an extraordinary amount of acceptable and quality dna from these tissues and with the new sequencing technologies murphy has found that the dna sequencing is simplified with degraded crusties more than if one starts with fresh or frozen tissue
with this methodology researchers can also reduce or avoid the costs and time associated with trapping animals in the field applying for permits and permissions and traveling; they can take advantage of the work done a century before that resides within museums this method also allows geneticists to access and sequence dna from extinct species murphy is working on such a project with a colleague in south america to extract ancient dna from extinct ungulate megafauna groups such as a toxodon a rhinoceros-like species that went extinct in the pleistocene
historically mammals have been classified into small groups and researchers believed that if species share the same morphology or physical characteristic they must be related but with the new sequencing technology genetics has revealed that parallel evolution the development of similar physical characteristics in related but distinct species is happening among the whole mammalian tree according to murphy among the 4 500 mammal species identified in 2005 geneticists now believe there are roughly 6 000 species as a result of molecular techniques but there is speculation that there are probably close to 10 000 species of mammals
murphy has used the technology and museum specimens at the smithsonian to study colugos the closest known living relative to primates found throughout the islands of southeast asia colugos are one of the most poorly known groups of mammals and the problem is they are not found in zoos and you cant sample colugos from across southeast asia very easily so we turned to museum specimens said murphy he feels that by understanding the genome of colugos we can understand the genetic transition to primates in his teams analysis of 13 specimens in one area alone it was determined there were probably as many as five or 10 species whereas it was believed that only two existed
murphy and his teams technique has yielded promising and successful results we have not had too many limitations most of the samples for which we have attempted dna extraction have been highly successful the results have been so promising that we have proposed a much more concerted effort of using only museum specimens to identify the true number of mammal species on earth said murphy
however different museums preserve specimens differently and their location also affects the quality of the samples for example a museum located in a tropical environment has to battle with factors such as mold and bacterial growth and having temperature-controlled rooms to avoid mold and bacterial growth can help with this other elements such as how specimens are preserved and handled also have an effect on a samples quality
since 2008 murphy has been a research associate at the smithsonian and he travels there about once every one to two years in the company of helgen murphy and his graduate student victor mason have also visited the american museum of natural history in new york and the raffles museum of biodiversity research in singapore along with studying colugos the pair has also studied cat species and other endangered species in southeast asia there are probably many undiscovered cryptic species in southeast asia and this is an ongoing focus of the collaboration with the smithsonian said murphy
molecular genetic technologies have rapidly changed the way in which mammals are classified we can also look at genetic diversity within species 100 years ago and compare them with today to see how human influences have affected their genetic diversity said murphy the technology and use of museum specimens extends beyond studying mammals and can be utilized to study other species as well

dr elizabeth crouch was recently named the new assistant dean for undergraduate education at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) which means she is responsible for the undergraduate biomedical sciences program (bims) within the college crouch is hardly new to texas a&m university however she earned her bachelors degree in bims and her phd in genetics from texas a&m before completing her postdoctoral fellowship in immunogenetics at the university of texas md anderson cancer center
crouchs family first sparked her interest in biology and how it relates to health and disease her mother was a speech pathologist and her grandfather dr dan roberts and an uncle dr clifford roberts both earned their dvm degrees from texas a&m consequently crouch became familiar with the texas a&m campus and developed a strong interest in the universitys bims program while taking electives such as advanced human genetics molecular genetics and immunology coupled with some courses from the now-defunct biotechnology option in the bims degree program crouch developed a passion for studying molecular genetics what fascinated me the most was the genetic component of disease process said crouch
crouchs research has ranged from molecular biology-where she studied the changes of a protein involved in dna synthesis between cancer transformed and aged cells-and the development and relationship between various cell types in the thymus the studies of normal development could then be applied to processes that lead to benign tumor growth crouch said by defining the normal processes of cell division cycles and organogenesis we can then look at abnormalities and learn about aging and cancer the ultimate goal of such research is to provide ways of therapeutic intervention
currently crouch spends all of her time as assistant dean of bims her main duties include keeping in touch with undergraduate students and informing them of their progress in the program she also arranges meetings with faculty staff or other deans on the campus regarding issues within the bims program dr skip landis who retired from the assistant dean position in may 2014 originally hired crouch as an academic advisor in 2001 under his mentorship crouch progressed through the ranks to the position of director before assuming her new position she was a top bims graduate a good administrator and a quick study which made it an easy choice to select her for this position landis said in all the transition from an academic to an administrative position felt fairly seamless
the experience of teaching helps crouch navigate her administrative position in the past crouch has taught several classes in the bims program and elsewhere such as at boise state university from introductory biomedical science to advanced biomedical genetics she currently teaches an elective course called introduction to phenotypic expression in the context of human medicine i love being in a classroom with students crouch said and i think that passion translates very nicely in running a program all about learning
students can easily see crouchs passion in helping them in the bims program jonathan bravo a student who has taken one of crouchs bims introductory classes notes her excellence as a teacher she is able to relate to the students on a comfortable level and is always very prepared and willing to take the time to help a student research options bravo said
my one piece of advice that i give students is this: take your college career one step at a time said crouch enjoy the learning as much as the end goal be stubborn in your pursuits and-above all-follow your gifts and you will always be happy
one of crouchs main goals for bims is to increase its 2+2 articulation agreements these agreements help more students from various texas community colleges successfully transfer to the bims program at texas a&m we are adding to our numbers of schools interested in the 2+2 articulation agreement between local community colleges and texas a&m and we have a record freshman class of bims students said crouch the challenge associated with such successes is primarily managing such a large bims student body through the 2+2 articulation agreement the bims program reviews courses a student can take for an associate degree at a community college and suggests certain courses from the community college that fall within the curriculum for the bims program this coordination makes it easier for students to transition into the bims program we want to maintain a challenging engaging curriculum that successfully prepares students for professional and graduate school said crouch
crouchs experiences at texas a&m led her to achieve many of her professional goals she had a strong undergraduate degree on which to build her graduate studies her graduate program committee consisted of strong faculty mentors such as her now-supervisor dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni associate dean for undergraduate education professor and head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) other members of her committee were her chair dr david busbee a now-retired professor in vibs; dr jane welsh professor in vibs and assistant dean for graduate studies; and dr van wilson professor at the texas a&m college of medicine and vice dean for research and graduate studies each of them is also a strong teacher and therefore i gained a passion for teaching as well said crouch texas a&m has also significantly impacted crouchs personal life she met her husband dr wayne crouch who earned his dvm degree from the cvm in 2000
crouch considers it a privilege to run the bims program for texas a&m and gives it her full effort and commitment dr crouchs character personal qualities knowledge and dedication make her an ideal assistant dean for undergraduate education said tiffany-castiglioni she makes it clear that her main responsibility and passion is helping students in their education

jason jennings a 95 graduate of the texas a&m university biomedical sciences program or bims is currently serving as the chief executive officer for the baylor scott & white hospital college station region which celebrated its one-year anniversary in august 2014
when the decision was made to build a new hospital in college station a team was made up of administrators clinicians and others and i said jennings shortly after we started the design of the hospital i was awarded the position of chief executive officer
prior to this appointment jennings served as the chief operating officer for hillcrest baptist medical center (hbmc) one of 13 hospitals and hospital partners in the scott & white healthcare system during this time the hospital experienced double-digit growth in admissions surgeries births and financial metrics
upon graduating from physical therapy school i took a job as a staff physical therapist in longview texas however after a short time period i was promoted to oversee the rehab operation said jennings as i continued to work in an administrative position i realized that i needed more knowledge and understanding on the business/finance side of operations; therefore i went back to school to earn an mba
after graduating from texas a&m with a bachelors degree in biomedical sciences jennings earned his masters degree in physical therapy from the university of texas medical branch at galveston followed by a masters degree in business administration from the university of texas at tyler
the decision to move from physical therapy to administration was not made overnight in fact it was from a series of events in my professional career said jennings working my way up from a staff physical therapist to now a ceo i think the experience of delivering care one-on-one to patients definitely benefits me in my current role
jennings is also board certified by the american college of health executives a major professional achievement characterized by a commitment to ethics continuous learning helping others through mentoring and networking and advancing the field through active participation in civic and community affairs
i continue to be impressed by our former students and the significant roles they play in shaping current and future healthcare said dr elizabeth crouch assistant dean for undergraduate education at the cvm who runs the bims program
the bims program at texas a&m intends to prepare students at the college level for productive futures and provides students with fundamental knowledge on which to build skills needed for successful vocational achievements
the education that i received at texas a&m through the bims program established a strong foundation for my postgraduate studies and thus a career in healthcare said jennings my advice for bims students is to seek out a career that you have passion for and the passion will continue we have the opportunity to touch and impact peoples lives in so many ways; i have truly been blessed
patrick and austin hodges graduated number three and number five respectively from tascosa high school in amarillo texas so perhaps it is no surprise that the identical twins would graduate number one and number two in their dental class at the texas a&m university health science center in 2014
before pursuing dental studies at texas a&m university the hodges twins majored in biomedical sciences at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) both graduated with a 40 gpa and in july both started the graduate orthodontics program at texas a&m baylor college of dentistry
if you ask anyone it is obvious that austin and i have a friendly competitiveness between us said patrick this has definitely helped us to do as well in school and many other things whether its sports board games or cards
the twins appear to be inseparable but when it comes to studying they must retreat to separate rooms and only take breaks to ask each other questions about the material when they study theyre focused said classmate and friend anne lindley no one can go over there and study with them i have to text both of them to ask questions
back on campus other classmates and faculty alike seek the twins for their input they are smart naturally but they have two brilliant minds to collaborate said lindley they help students in our class all the time they go above and beyond for other people
dr robert spears professor in biomedical sciences at the cvm was an instructor to the brothers during their first year as undergraduates and has worked with them on several occasions every year someone is going to be top of the class second of the class but what distinguishes them is they work really hard and theyre just innately talented as well said spears both of those young men help everybody its almost like theyre instructors in the class-theyre that good that knowledgeable
dr amp miller professor in restorative sciences taught the brothers fixed prosthodontics during clinical labs at the health science center and now turns to them as a resource i always have had a high regard for their perception of things and the way they approach the whole educational process said miller
the good news of the brothers graduating rank likely didnt come as a shock to their parents who promptly took their sons to a celebratory steak dinner our parents have always supported us and have been our biggest fans throughout our academic career said austin
many wonder what will be the next adventure for the hodges twins after they complete their orthodontic studies at texas a&m baylor college of dentistry perhaps time will tell if a joint venture in hodges & hodges orthodontics shows up in amarillo
the texas a&m biomedical sciences undergraduate program or bims-which is the only undergraduate program fully within the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences-welcomed approximately 2 100 students for the 2014 fall semesters enrollment with 800 of them as incoming freshmen
it is safe to estimate that approximately 70 percent of the incoming class of students in bims is from the top 10 percent of their graduating high school class said dr elizabeth crouch head of bims and over 20 percent of our total enrolled students are first generation college attendees
in addition to the large influx of new students for the fall semester there has also been an increased number of scholarships awarded to bims students for the 2014–2015 school year thirty-two bims students were awarded approximately $50 000 the awardees received scholarships from the following funds:
an additional 55 students received $1 000 each from designated tuition funds and approximately eight transfer students will be given $16 000 from the provost
i am so grateful to have been selected out of the many biomedical sciences students to be a recipient of the nancy m and brock d nelson 90 scholarship said bims student and scholarship recipient david westra this endowment has opened my eyes to the wonders of the aggie family and how much it truly leans on each other for support i hope to one day be a contributor just like mr and mrs nelson
cynthia giovannetti a bims recipient of the dr anne marie emshoff 90 dvm 94 scholarship also expressed her excitement and gratitude towards her selection
her generosity goes beyond aiding me financially through college; it demonstrates her confidence in me and her support of my future endeavors said giovannetti to have dr emshoff believe in my potential to succeed is the greatest compliment of all one that is inspiring and motivating
dr h morgan scott has ridden his bicycle around the world but he keeps coming back to college station scott an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert who taught at texas a&m university from 2001–2009 has returned to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science (cvm) after a stretch as the ej frick endowed professor of veterinary medicine at kansas state university he will lead the development of the microbial ecology and molecular epidemiology (me2) research laboratory at the cvm as a tenured epidemiology professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology
dr scott didnt originally plan to be an epidemiologist however the canada native first encountered epidemiology while pursuing a dvm from university of saskatchewan when an eccentric professor who incorporated props into each lecture piqued scotts interest once scott graduated in 1988 and started working as a practitioner at larger cattle farms he realized that his veterinary training wasnt extensive enough to tackle the issues at hand these farms had herd health questions that were simple on the surface but very difficult to answer scott said
heading into the phd program at the university of guelph in the canadian province of ontario he fully intended to get back into veterinary practice one day instead he turned to epidemiology to explore the best methods of reducing disease burden in animals
today scott is establishing me2 at the cvm but at the time scott shared that he never envisioned having a lab i saw the world as my lab-which is clichéd and naïve scott said he soon realized that in order to conduct experiments he needed a controlled area for his research-which he couldnt outsource he learned to work with colleagues in different fields to meet his research needs and gain access to other useful and pertinent data
as it turns out cross-disciplinary collaboration has become a hallmark of scotts career he began postdoctoral studies in public health and research in risk analysis at the university of alberta in 1999 while in alberta he shared an office with a moral philosopher a sociologist a toxicologist an occupational hygienist a civil engineer and an ethicist i developed an enormous appreciation for the other aspects of human health of how humans behave with respect to everything we do said scott this also applies to farming and agriculture people like to say the farming business is entirely economic but its not
now he continues to work with researchers in other disciplines and understands one person cant be an expert in everything projects end up being more exciting this way its about evaluating what people bring to the table and recognizing you can appreciate each other which makes science fun scott said you read a crazy idea and say ‘hey maybe we can make that work here'
members of me2 study zoonotic disease control to improve food safety and public health scott ultimately hopes to reduce resistance to antibiotics among zoonotic bacteria which can be transferred from animals to humans he examines and observes how bacteria compete against each other in areas with finite resources like within an animals digestive system scott and his team use microbiological and molecular methods to measure whether certain bacteria are resistant to antibiotics these researchers also use genetic tools including recent moves into whole genome sequencing to observe how one strain of a bacterium is particularly successful at outcompeting others
scotts lab is being stationed in the new veterinary research building annex and he has filled the 1400-square-foot space with top-of-the-line equipment his research will be conducted entirely out of me2 with the assistance of a six-person (and growing) team which will include cvm graduate students me2 receives some of its start-up funding from the chancellors research initiative among others
dr scotts efforts in the laboratory will translate to an innovative and dynamic learning opportunity for our graduate and veterinary students said dr linda logan former head of the department of veterinary pathobiology learning from his experiences will prepare our graduate students with practical and applied knowledge and skill sets for future roles in government industry and academia
an integral part of scotts work is rooted in communication with the public during his more than 20-year career scott has seen food safety information grow from nonexistent to routine and systematic he briefly worked as an epidemiologist for the food safety division of the government of alberta in 2000 where he learned to use foodborne pathogens as a way to measure whether an intervention was effective there he helped establish and monitor food safety outcomes; this research involved collecting data on foodborne disease pathogens in particular areas while there have been some improvements in surveillance on the human side scientists still dont know the extent of antibiotic use on the animal side molecular work lets you trace an organism back to its origin see how its changed over time observe its lineage and note its acquisition of resistance scott said in terms of how we use antibiotics [in animals] we still dont have any broad and useful national data at this point
scott says that how to use these data to effect policy change isnt a question for scientists but rather a discussion for the public society has to decide if it wants these data to be used to make informed decisions about the continued use of antibiotics in its food production systems at that point discourse leaves the scientific arena and enters into political debate for example in an october 2014 interview for pbs frontline scott discussed how his team noticed that cephalosporin an antibiotic was losing its effectiveness among gram-negative bacteria which can have adverse effects on human health when researchers tried using an alternative antibiotic tetracycline to reduce resistance to cephalosporin the resistance to cephalosporin actually increased if someone wants me to detail the best way to use antibiotics i cant actually give them that answer at the moment scott said the timeline of resistance development spans decades and decisions on how to use antibiotics need to project at least that far into the future
with his interdisciplinary approach to research scott says being at a large multiservice university like texas a&m is very appealing on such a large campus there are ample opportunities to collaborate with people working nearby he recalls that even when he first started at texas a&m in 2001 he received nothing but support for his research i always have lots of encouragement to pursue my interests scott said
scotts areas of expertise complement the cvms one health initiative which explores the connections between human animal and environmental health he notes that measures taken in animal agriculture affect human health and vice versa my work sits at the intersection of agriculture human health and human activity in general scott said
in addition to leading the me2 lab scott will teach graduate courses on risk analysis as well as disease detection and surveillance he is the immediate past president of the association for veterinary epidemiology and preventive medicine and an advisor to the world health organization advisory group on integrated surveillance for antimicrobial resistance his wife dr cheryl herman also returns to the cvm as a clinical associate professor of anatomy they continue to cycle when they can find the time
weve made little progress in reducing the incidence of salmonellosis in people over the last 15 years as a result salmonella remains one of our predominant threats to food safety said dr kevin cummings assistant professor of epidemiology in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
one of the reasons for the relative lack of progress may be the complex ecology of the bacterium itself salmonella can be found in the gastrointestinal tract of a very wide range of hosts cummings said in addition it can survive for extended periods of time in a broad array of environments these features make salmonella a formidable challenge
most coverage of salmonella in the popular press has revolved around outbreaks that resulted from food consumption and cummings notes that this is still the most common pathway for salmonella infection however he also adds that the role that direct contact with infected animals plays in salmonella infection is generally underestimated the bottom line is that in addition to our vigilance with food safety we must practice safe animal contact cummings said as for the foodborne cases its also important to remember that large outbreaks actually represent just the tip of the iceberg in terms of overall disease burden
for researchers like cummings the challenge of the multifactorial salmonella problem is best addressed using a collaborative one health approach the one health concept is based on the inextricable link between animal human and environmental health because salmonella affects animals and humans and is persistent in the environment a team representing different viewpoints is needed collaborative approaches allow us to address problems through multiple perspectives cummings said with salmonella for example we have microbiologists studying the organism itself clinicians treating individual patients and epidemiologists looking at the level of disease and associated risk factors at the population level this multidisciplinary plan of attack maximizes our chances of discovering new methods to control the pathogen the combining of disciplines to solve tricky problems is one of the most exciting parts of academia
cummings regularly collaborates with faculty across departments at texas a&m faculty at other universities colleagues at state and federal government agencies and colleagues in industry his multidisciplinary approach can be seen in his own lab as exemplified by dr lorraine rodriguez-rivera a postdoctoral research associate in the cummings lab rodriguez-rivera has expertise in the microbiology of salmonella and other bacterial pathogens we have unique perspectives and areas of expertise thus allowing a synergistic approach when investigating salmonella and other foodborne disease agents cummings said
several research projects are ongoing in the cummings lab one of his main research aims is to determine the role of various wildlife species as reservoirs of salmonella and other pathogens thus he is investigating the role of feral pigs in the epidemiology of salmonella and three additional zoonotic agents feral pigs are an emerging one health threat cummings said they are one of the most abundant free-roaming ungulates in the united states with a population that might be as high as 8 million feral pigs invade and contaminate crop fields they contaminate surface waters and they serve as a potential source of pathogen transmission to livestock all of these things pose a risk to food safety
cummings is also interested in the role that livestock play in the ecology and transmission of salmonella currently he is using genomic techniques to study an emerging strain of salmonella among dairy cattle this project in collaboration with investigators at cornell university is an extension of work that he did as a phd student the sharp rise in isolation of this strain from sick dairy cattle presents a very unique opportunity to investigate pathogen emergence in real time cummings said
another primary objective of the cummings lab is to tackle the issue of antimicrobial resistance among salmonella and other foodborne pathogens antimicrobial resistance limits treatment options for veterinary patients and it represents a threat to public health the antimicrobial resistance issue is inherently complex with a lot of moving parts to say the least cummings said we are now studying antimicrobial resistance trends within a variety of host species and this work opens new doors in terms of focusing new research questions were also investigating the role of environmental reservoirs in promoting the emergence and persistence of antimicrobial-resistant salmonella on dairy operations
both a veterinarian and an epidemiologist cummings has studied salmonella from both the clinical and the research side having been in practice i have a perspective of knowing what the big problems are as well as what solutions would be practical cummings said this helped me immensely when i began my research career in terms of framing my research questions being a clinician also helped cummings see the effect of salmonellosis firsthand in his patients besides being a major threat to public health salmonella is an important cause of disease in many of our veterinary patients such as cattle horses and pigs cummings said so when progress is made against a pathogen like salmonella we all win it doesnt get any better than that
in the summer of 1978 graduate student ken muneoka attended a popular course on embryology at the marine biological laboratory in woods hole massachusetts the course taught by muneokas future mentor marked a crucial shift in his academic career
almost four decades have passed since muneoka attended that course which transformed the way he thought about biology today he is an internationally recognized biologist renowned for findings that have revolutionized the fields of mammalian limb regeneration and wound healing
we have been successful in identifying key mechanisms in limb regeneration in those species who are able to do so muneoka said we have also been able to begin developing a model for this same type of activity in mammalian species
in spring 2015 muneoka will join the faculty of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) as professor in the department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology together with the texas heart institute and other faculty leaders of the cvm muneoka will be part of the center for cell and organ biotechnology a collaboration announced in september 2013
having earned a bachelors degree in biology from humboldt state university in 1976 muneoka enrolled in graduate school at the university of hawaii-but that took an unexpected turn
dr susan bryant an internationally acclaimed expert on cell biology at the university of california irvine taught the embryology course in woods hole as a visiting instructor fascinated by bryants work on limb regeneration in salamanders muneoka left the university of hawaii to join bryants lab she soon became muneokas mentor and friend we just had a really good connection and it was very exciting to be in that kind of relationship and work in science that was engaging for both of us bryant said
muneoka earned his doctorate in 1983 in developmental and cell biology and his doctoral dissertation analyzed the similarity between limb regeneration and limb development of salamanders what he found transformed his perception of regeneration particularly in mammals
after earning his doctorate muneoka worked in bryants lab as a postdoctoral fellow he shifted his research focus to mammals particularly to understanding why mammals cannot regenerate like salamanders his basic idea: limb regeneration and development share similar processes we all go through development to form our limbs and our various structures and there must be something impeding our ability to revisit that process muneoka said salamanders were able to figure it out; they are able to keep that going
muneokas interest in mammals led him to conduct independent research-this time away from his mentor in 1986 he joined tulane universitys department of cell and molecular biology where he continued to study limb regeneration and wound healing he has been studying this problem ever since
some current approaches to regeneration seek to repair or replace damaged tissue with stem cells but muneokas research focuses on the cellular and molecular factors that can reprogram stem cells to be more embryonic doing so may maximize the bodys natural potential to regenerate
building on previous research in salamanders and on the regenerative responses of mice digits muneokas lab developed a mammalian model for endogenous regeneration and the development of this mouse model was another pivotal moment in his career
in 2004 muneoka participated in a workshop hosted by the defense advanced research projects agency of the us department of defense there he visualized the next step in his research: using his mouse model to try to understand the regenerative properties of humans the mouse is pretty different from the human he said but its certainly more similar than the salamander
the regenerative responses of mice digits resemble those of human fingertips however the small size of mice makes muneokas model unsuitable for pre-clinical trials his challenge now is to move this model closer to humans and large animals
this challenge does not frighten him in fact the complexity of the problem captivates him even if inducing regenerative responses in large mammals sounds too ambitious were not going to solve this problem in my lifetime but i hope we make reasonable strides muneoka said im passionate about hopefully contributing something to a very big problem in human health
muneoka also explained that regeneration might solve other problems in medicine since induced regeneration could mobilize cell involvement in healing responses as we understand more about regeneration the treatments of both disease and injuries are going to evolve to a point where we are not going to be doing surgical manipulations he said
muneokas findings-which he humbly attributes to the people working in his lab-have won him multiple appointments and recognitions he has served on the editorial boards of several scientific publications including the journal regeneration at tulane he held the john l & mary wright ebaugh chair in science and engineering he also has served on numerous advisory boards and led workshops for such entities as the national science foundation and the environmental protection agency
muneoka especially cherishes his appointment as a council member at the eunice kennedy shriver national institute of child health and human development (nichd) one of the national institutes of health at nichd he advises policymakers and scientists on human health research he had always thought people serving in such advisory councils were quite special with a laugh muneoka joked about his appointment: when they asked me to be on council i thought ‘well there must be something wrong with them because im not special enough to do this'
muneokas humility about his expertise also has helped him win the admiration of colleagues and students dr lindsay dawson who attended graduate school at tulane to work with muneoka admires his openness as a mentor and friend
now a postdoctoral fellow dawson also appreciates muneokas creativity in the lab she has been working with muneoka for six years and she has never seen him dictate the research of his students or postdocs on the contrary she said muneoka always encourages others to think critically and try new methods that is huge in science because there is just so much freedom to be creative dawson said
muneoka encourages this creativity in all of his trainees with the goal of producing better scientists he said he wants to train the scientists of the future-not robots who can simply follow orders i want to train people who can think for themselves develop new strategies and ideas and test new hypotheses to continue moving the field muneoka said this was an important lesson he learned from his mentor bryant
now retired bryant looks back at the young muneoka she met in woods hole she remembers she loved the way he asked questions about everything he loves what he does and that is very infectious to students and faculty she said its been that way right from the very first
muneokas inquisitive drive continues to extend the impact of his research as he prepares to move to texas a&m where he will promote graduate and undergraduate education in multiple academic departments members of his and texas heart institutes lab dawson included will join him at texas a&ms center for cell and organ biotechnology their expertise will likely be transformative for limb regeneration and wound healing propelling texas a&m as a national leader in regenerative medicine
my interest in animals stems from working on my familys farms when i was growing up in libya my grandfather and my father each had a farm with many sheep and goats i started helping my grandfather with his farm when i was about seven or eight years old at first i simply fed the animals and took them to pasture as i got older i gained more and more responsibilities by the time i was fourteen years old i was responsible for the care and well-being of all the animals on my fathers farm
because of my love of animals i decided to pursue veterinary science i chose to study animal reproduction which is an important area of research in libya much of the veterinary research there is related to animal reproduction because we dont have fancy equipment and machines for many other types of research also i took courses in animal reproduction in college and greatly enjoyed this subject
when i first began my bachelors degree in veterinary science my future goal was to become a clinician but as i took more classes and gained more experience my interests broadened i realized that i was also interested in veterinary research one of the reasons i love research is because i can stay up to date on veterinary science and be at the forefront of new findings and technology ideally i would love to be able to combine both interests: clinical science and veterinary research
after completing my undergraduate degree i decided to continue my education i received a scholarship to attend washington state university where i earned a masters degree in veterinary science specializing in animal reproduction my research focused on hormone levels pregnancy and lactation in cows
im now beginning my second semester in the doctoral program at the college of veterinary medicine & biosciences (cvm) and i am working with dr juan romano even though ive been here only a few months ive been able to jump straight into research and am working on four different projects which i find very exciting one of my projects focuses on understanding how male goats affect the estrous cycle in female goats and another project involves studying trichomoniasis a sexually transmitted disease in bulls
fortunately ive also been able to collaborate with other researchers at cvm including dr jill hiney were developing a radioimmunoassay to analyze estradiol a female sex hormone a radioimmunoassay is a highly sensitive technique that uses antibodies to measure targets of interest like hormone levels we can use this information to better understand reproduction cycles in animals
my future goal is to remain in academia where i can combine my interests in research clinical work and teaching working with students is extremely rewarding because it challenges me to stay up to date on scientific research i also look forward to being reunited with my wife who is still living in washington state my wife is originally from that region and is working as a nursing assistant because my move to college station was rather sudden she wont be able to relocate until next summer
even though ive only been here for a few months i feel fortunate to have had so many opportunities including multiple research projects and collaborations collaborating with other researchers has been a tremendous experience for me these collaborations enable me to gain knowledge learn new techniques and develop professional contacts for future collaborations if i have one piece of advice for other graduate students its to get to know as many people as possible so that you can build your professional network and develop future collaborations
im a second year doctoral student in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) my research focuses on how immune cells interact with fat cells immune cells are supposed to regulate fat cells but instead research shows that immune cells seem to go haywire in that microenvironment releasing inflammatory markers such as cytokines
heres another way to picture this: immune cells are the good guys-theyre supposed to go into fat tissue and either destroy the fat cells or restore them to their natural state but once in that environment the immune cells themselves go crazy so its like everyone goes crazy and throws a crazy party thats why people get fatter and fatter
i think the best way to investigate these sorts of problems is through the intersection of physiology and biology physiology focuses on bodily systems while biology focuses on interactions with the environment including the microenvironments in a cell combining these two disciplines is a powerful way to investigate how the environment affects the body
i first became interested in these fields as an undergraduate student in taiwan i earned a bachelors degree in biology focusing on immunology at the national central university in taoyuan taiwan i then became interested in physiology and earned a masters degree in physiology from national yang-ming university also in taiwan
during this time i had the opportunity to work with faculty members who had previously taught at american universities these professors encouraged me to come to the united states for my doctoral degree telling me that i would really enjoy the learning environment here they said that the biggest difference here is the freedom to express your opinion even if it conflicts with others in many asian cultures its considered rude to disagree with others especially with superiors this tradition may be fine in some situations but not for true science in science you should be able to express your ideas even if they differ from those of everyone else
working with faculty members in the united states i enjoyed more independence in my research projects than i normally would have had i designed my own projects and developed my own proposals rather than someone telling me to do a then b then c-i convinced them that i wanted to do a b and c these experiences helped me become a logical independent researcher
after earning my masters degree i decided to improve my english language fluency i spent one year at the university of california in irvine i then applied and was accepted into the doctoral program here at cvm
im now working with dr beiyan zhou and am excited to add another component to my research project: non-coding rnas my current project links non-coding rnas to metabolism and immunology specifically im investigating how immune cells use non-coding rna to regulate fat cells and the microenvironment
im currently collaborating with students from other labs to show them techniques for extracting microrna from outside of the cell extracting these micrornas can be challenging: micrornas are present in small amounts and need to be isolated from other components ive really enjoyed these collaborations because i get to refine these techniques to work in cells that i normally dont study such as neurons and embryonic cells
my lab is also collaborating with dr elizabeth cosgriff-hernandez to explore whether cell-cell interactions could affect the cell responses we are monitoring these collaborations are very helpful because they add a new dimension to our research project and allow me to extend my professional network
my future goals are to continue my research in the united states because i really enjoy the research atmosphere here i plan to delve deeper into my current research focus by adding bioinformatics my work in rnas has generated a wealth of data and i need computational tools to interpret it im excited to explore this new field because i think its best to continually challenge myself and not stay in my comfort zone
although i am a first year doctoral student in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences im not new to veterinary medicine in 2004 i earned a veterinary degree from the university of hanover in germany
my interests in animals and medicine began when i was a child ive always loved animals and had many pets growing up but more than that i loved medicine and disease i found chronic diseases fascinating even as a young child i remember asking my grandparents-who were elderly and had health issues-about their diseases and wanting to know everything so my family wasnt surprised when i became a veterinarian
after earning my veterinary degree i worked in small animal internal medicine through a shared residency between the university of london in england and the university of giessen in germany i then worked as a supervisor at the university of giessen where i mentored veterinary students i found mentoring and teaching extremely rewarding especially when i observed students gaining confidence while conducting research
in my opinion a research project needs to be relevant achievable and affordable by taking these considerations into account graduate students can follow their path in their own way
however after working as a supervisor for one year i realized that i wanted to conduct my own scientific research i began work in a pharmaceutical company where i conducted clinical field studies while i enjoyed the research i found that i missed the academic environment-missed meeting people from all over the world i also missed teaching i realized that my future goal is to work in academia where i can integrate all my interests: clinical science veterinary research and teaching
i think an effective teacher can make a huge difference in students lives for me the best classrooms are ones that are interactive engaging and fun i enjoy teaching the most when i talk less and students talk more
i then decided to pursue my education in the united states although i enjoy working in germany ive always wanted to come to the united states because i enjoy the attitude and atmosphere here while attending veterinary conferences in the united states i was struck by the apparent lack of hierarchy-there was such a willingness to discuss research openly and informally for example ive witnessed occasions when a speaker will engage the audience by asking if someone has experience with a medical case more than once someone from the audience responded yes and ran to the front of the auditorium waving a usb flash drive to share his or her results this exchange now strikes me as particularly typical for the united states
i also think the overall approach to science is somewhat different in the united states in other countries researchers discuss complex problems critically which is essential but they are less likely to take chances the approach seems to be more straightforward in the united states and researchers are more willing to take risks also everyone here is friendly and genuinely wants others to succeed of course science is still competitive but in a way thats helpful and allows collaboration
i think that collaboration is essential to scientific research no department has all the necessary equipment-nor should it that would prevent networking and knowledge exchange for research to flourish we must have interdisciplinary integration of knowledge for example i may know clinical aspects of a project while someone else may be an expert in statistics and another person may be knowledgeable in nutrition and metabolism in one lifetime its not possible to learn everything thats needed so its important to collaborate with other people and to share knowledge and skills
i just began my first year in the science and technology journalism (stjr) program here in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) i am excited to combine my interests in science and journalism and look forward to communicating science to a general audience
growing up in san felipe a small town in the middle of chile i did not have much of an opportunity to be involved in science ive always loved both science and journalism but i had to focus on one or the other back in chile in my country students are not able to study multiple disciplines but must select one field to pursue i took a high school course in journalism and really loved it we ran a newspaper and even had a radio show so it made sense to me to pursue journalism
i earned my bachelors degree in journalism at the pontificia universidad catolica de chile-the only journalism school outside the united states to be recognized by the accrediting council on education in journalism and mass communication i then interned at a radio station in santiago where i reported on a variety of topics including national issues then swine flu arrived on the news scene my editor realized that our radio station needed a dedicated health reporter and i began covering topics in health and health policy
thats when i realized that i missed science and wanted to become more involved in science communication i also wanted to be able to reach a broader audience i decided to improve my english language skills and traveled to toronto canada i lived there for one year and took courses at george brown college for three months
i then returned to chile where i began work as a radio producer i scripted edited and storyboarded three radio shows with distinct but related topics: social media nutrition and health and science and technology i loved my work but realized that i needed more education to be a truly effective science journalist i had the journalism background but needed more exposure to science i then applied for the fulbright scholarship program so that i could continue my education
after being accepted into the fulbright program i applied to the stjr program i chose this program and this school partly because of the individualized attention i received during the application process-i never felt like just one more student among a thousand what i really love about the stjr program is that it is part of the cvm instead of a journalism school; ive never been as close to science as i am now
science journalism is powerful because it can inspire young people to become scientists for example many children in chile dont know what they want to do later in life and dont have access to proper education by giving them even a little glimpse of what science is maybe i can inspire them to pursue science as a career i cant inspire them as a teacher but maybe i can inspire them as a science journalist
in the future i hope to return to chile and develop a radio show that communicates science to underserved regions in chile much of the public education of science occurs in the capital santiago but people living in regions farther away including rural regions dont have access to programs that communicate and explore science i love science because it can explain so many practical aspects of our lives from nutrition and mental health to illness and disease if you know a little bit about science then you understand a little more of the world around us
the one health initiative was formally started at texas a&m university in 2011 to be a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally nationally and globally to attain sustainable optimal health the initiative is dedicated to the discovery development communication and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields providing the highest quality undergraduate graduate and professional programs to prepare students to assume roles in leadership responsibility and service to society it builds on the strength of the university and the state of texas from discovery to application and commercialization allowing for the discovery learning and applied research to meet societal needs
the one health grand challenge increases opportunities for texas a&m faculty members to plan and implement multidisciplinary collaborative approaches improving the lives of all species-human and animal-by addressing health as well as the connections between health and both natural and manmade environments
the one health campus council made up of faculty representatives from all colleges across campus identified four major one health research themes-global health & security accessible & affordable quality healthcare safe & available food and water and chronic diseases & conditions-and implemented a plan to bring together teams to propose research initiatives under these themes
these proposals represent well what the one health grand challenge at texas a&m is all about said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine facilitated by dr michael chaddock assistant dean for one health investigators came together from across campus to form research teams dedicated to finding extraordinary solutions for diseases of importance to texas and beyond equally impressive is the funding of this project which was also a team approach dr glen laine vice president for research at texas a&m matched voluntary contributions from the involved colleges to fully fund this research challenge proposal
global health & security
a texas a&m team of researchers plans to approach research on chagas disease from an ecological perspective they will look at how environmental factors such as climate and land cover and socioeconomic factors such as housing conditions affect the distribution of the disease as the disease is transmitted primarily by insects called kissing bugs any factor that influences kissing bug abundance or behavior will also impact disease risk for example poor housing conditions allow kissing bugs to colonize the home and increase the opportunity for them to take a blood meal from a sleeping human furthermore as the climate changes the distribution of the kissing bugs can shift which could lead to the emergence of chagas disease in new areas of the united states
chagas disease which affects approximately eight million people in the americas according to the united states centers for disease control and prevention is caused by the parasite trypanosoma cruzi and is spread by kissing bugs which are prevalent across north central and south america although once thought to be only a tropical disease there is a current problem of canine chagas disease in many regions of texas that affects working dogs such as military or border patrol prized purebred breeding and show dogs household pets and stray dogs in addition to the humans and dogs affected the disease has been reported in south america in both cattle and pigs and thus has the potential to threaten the economic stability of those who rely on livestock between 30 and 40 percent of those infected will develop life-threatening heart disease
in addition to the cardiac complications humans can also experience intestinal complications and even-especially in young children – meningoencephalitis which is a life-threatening inflammation of the brain
the teams research proposal is a collaboration of faculty members in six texas a&m colleges (the colleges of agriculture & life sciences architecture geosciences science and veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences as well as the school of public health) together they have expertise in ecology epidemiology population genetics parasitology community health border health medical anthropology medical and veterinary entomology land and economic development and planning latin american studies and spatial analysis
zoonotic diseases are the ultimate one health challenge because of the complex interactions among humans wildlife domestic animals vectors and pathogens within shared environments said dr sarah hamer an assistant professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the principal investigator on the project we plan for our research and outreach on chagas disease to serve as ‘proof of principle and that our one health approach will be extended to tackle other vector-borne zoonotic disease systems in the future we are in a great place for texas a&m university to be a leader in multidisciplinary vector-borne disease research
the team plans a three-pronged approach to their research in south texas first they will trap kissing bugs; collect wildlife domestic animal and human blood samples; and assess the socioeconomic environment then they will process samples in the laboratory to sequence dna and determine the population genetics of both the parasites and the kissing bugs that transmit them finally they will use that information to map the disease over time and space taking into account the relationships between environmental climatic and demographic factors that influence spread and severity of disease this map will then serve as a basis for future research as it can help identify risk factors and evaluate intervention strategies
although there is a recent increase in awareness of chagas disease in texas researchers believe chagas disease has existed in the southern united states for a long time in fact mummified remains of humans from texas and south america who died more than 1 150 years ago have evidence of chagas disease
this devastating disease is one of several neglected tropical diseases that can increase the poverty in already disadvantaged regions as it can have impacts on child development and worker productivity said chaddock as an under-diagnosed under-reported disease with poorly understood risk factors this type of research is desperately needed
accessible & affordable quality healthcare
a research initiative led by dr arum han from the department of electrical and computer engineering has faculty from the cvm dwight look college of engineering texas a&m health science center and texas a&m agri-life the title of their initiative is miniature tissues and organs for detection and prevention of diseases which focuses on development of next-generation biologics through microphysiological systems
i believe that multidisciplinary collaboration is key in addressing challenges in this new one health paradigm said han and i hope that engineering technologies can make significant contributions towards solving these grand challenges of societal importance
the vision of this microphysiological systems initiative is to create a world where human animal and plant diseases can be readily detected disease mechanisms can be accurately and quickly deciphered emerging threats can be predicted and new therapeutics and vaccines can be rapidly developed all at low cost thus ultimately providing accessible and affordable healthcare
we have a tremendous amount of expertise and human capital at texas a&m and we are ideally suited to address many of societys greatest health challenges said dr m katherine banks vice chancellor and dean of engineering innovation thrives when we bring great scholars together and it is exciting to imagine the possible advances that will come from their multidisciplinary approach to problem solving
the technological innovations at the core of this initiative are in developing in-vitro microsystems that closely mimic the physiology of whole organisms and in developing lab-on-a-chip systems that are high throughput accurate flexible and low cost systems that mimic (or reproduce) human physiological systems (for example organ-on-a-chip) aim to overcome the limitations of currently used in-vitro models and animal models lab-on-a-chip systems can accelerate assays and significantly lower costs combined together the team is hoping to provide a new paradigm for improving our capabilities to provide accessible and affordable healthcare the initial focus areas of this initiative will be neurodegenerative diseases immune systems and the human microbiome; however the team is hoping that the developed systems and their applications can be more broadly expanded and adapted to solving other health problems of high societal importance
the proposal submitted by dr han and his team of investigators holds great promise in radically changing how we examine organ systems and perform diagnostics in multiple species chaddock said interdisciplinary approaches such as this-that advance knowledge that will improve global health-are at the very core of the definition of one health
safe & available food and water
as an established leader in electron beam technology dr suresh pillai director of the national center for electron beam research within the texas a&m college of agriculture & life sciences (coals) department of poultry science along with an interdisciplinary team of investigators from eight texas a&m colleges as well as texas a&m agrilife extension the texas a&m university system office of technology commercialization the texas a&m institute of biosciences and technology the national center for therapeutics manufacturing (nctm) the texas a&m institute for genomic medicine and the texas a&m institute for preclinical studies were recently awarded funding to pursue novel applications for this innovative technology as it applies to ensuring safe and available food and water
the faculty in our college are well positioned to facilitate progress at texas a&m in this area said dr bill dugas acting vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences and coals acting dean
the focus of this initiative is to develop novel uses for the one-of-a-kind electron beam technology aimed at eradicating water-borne food-borne and feed-borne infectious diseases in humans and animals through developing new vaccines and other therapeutics; ensuring global food supply security through new packaging treatment and processing methods; and exploring the use of this technology in improving food and water quality
this technology uses commercial electricity which is transformed by stripping off electrons explained pillai what makes it a truly paradigm-shifting technology is that it creates both reduction and oxidation processes simultaneously without the addition of chemicals the frequency levels of electron beam are adjustable which allows us to use it at the lower end for killing insects and pests at the mid range for treating food and water for dangerous pathogens and then at the higher end to create memory shape plastics that may be used in medical applications
the proposed project in electron beam technology leverages texas a&ms unequaled strength characterized by the combination of technological capabilities and expertise this unique collaborative effort will initiate strategic partnerships between academia private industry non-governmental organizations entrepreneurs global financing institutions ebeam equipment suppliers and national and international regulatory agencies that will take advantage of the technological potential of this platform in healing cleaning feeding and shaping this world in ways not seen before
the proposal submitted by dr pillai and this team of investigators holds great promise in creating the next generation of killed vaccines developing new methods for cleaning the environment and improving the sustainability of our natural resources and protecting the global food supply from massive loss said chaddock
chronic diseases & conditions
enhancing the health and well-being of animals and humans through the alleviation of chronic illnesses and conditions is the goal of an innovative project recently awarded funding through the competitive one health grand challenge proposal process the projects team will approach this objective by addressing the adverse physical societal and economic effects of stressful chronic conditions including metabolic dysregulation and obesity
the interdisciplinary team includes faculty from seven texas a&m colleges (coals the cvm and the colleges of education and human development engineering liberal arts medicine and pharmacy) as well as texas a&m agrilife research
the faculty in our college have the training skills and abilities to integrate the environment animal and human aspects of a problem to solve the complex but very important grand challenges facing our society such as improving our health said dugas
the focus of this initiative is to further develop the understanding of genetic and environmental factors including stress that can disrupt metabolic functions in humans and animals which may lead to a variety of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease obesity and diabetes and a reduction in productivity
there are numerous undesirable conditions that can arise when an animal or person cannot maintain a healthy balance said dr tom welsh the projects primary investigator and a professor in coals with a joint appointment at the cvm our approach includes four separate projects each of which will investigate environmental and genetic factors influencing the regulation of metabolic health by learning how to manage these factors we will be able to reduce susceptibility to chronic disease in humans and animals and also reduce stress on animals that affects their productivity
two pilot projects will focus on behavior and stress related to metabolism these will include the investigation of prenatal stress on calves and separately will examine epigenetic changes in human patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder two additional projects include work to determine environmental factors that influence metabolism as well as the role that microbes in the body (or the microbiome) play in metabolic regulation
the proposal submitted by dr welsh and this team of investigators holds great promise in creating new understanding of the relationship between the environment genetics stress and the cascade of chronic diseases that result from stress on the metabolic system chaddock said
more information about these one health grand challenge proposals including videos about each may be found online
two volcanoes dominate the landscape of ometepe the largest island in the lake of nicaragua concepción the active volcano in the northern part of the island has a picturesque conical shape the ash it generates during eruptions enriches the islands soil creating fertile farmland used for sustainable farming by ometepes inhabitants maderas its extinct counterpart to the south is covered in a cloud forest and holds a lagoon in its center much of the land around maderas is part of a nature reserve that is home to a wide array of plant and animal species
three core aspects of life on ometepe–environment animals and people–were brought together by three texas a&m university students this past summer as part of a four-week one health project on the island one health is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally nationally and globally to attain sustainable optimal health for the ecosystem these principles were put into practice by the members of the project in a variety of ways during their time in nicaragua
a sustainable project
the multidisciplinary team included students and faculty members from texas a&m and the university of california davis texas a&m was represented by students christina babu of the texas a&m health science center college of medicine; thomas jeffreys of the texas a&m school of public health department of epidemiology and biostatistics; and ashton richardson of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm); and merrideth holub the program coordinator for the one health initiative in the cvm
prior to the trip participants prepared at their respective schools four weeks of training included learning about zoonotic diseases water treatment animal handling human vitals and how to collaborate inter-professionally
our curriculum these past four weeks has basically covered everything you would want to know pertaining to animals and humans said richardson in an interview before the trip weve studied foodborne illnesses human medicine environmental topics and even history lessons on ometepe island its really important to be culturally aware and respectful when you go into another country this has honestly been the best learning experience that ive had; ive never had another experience where i went from vaccinating pigs to learning how to deliver a baby in the afternoon its really kept us engaged and focused
once in nicaragua the team began working toward the trips main objective: establishing a baseline knowledge of the ometepe region on environmental animal and human issues from a one health prospective
one of our main goals for this trip is to create a sustainable project that will continue after we leave said babu prior to the trip were only there for four weeks but we have so much to do one of our main goals is to work with the resources that [the inhabitants] do have and not bring in things they normally dont have access to we hope to create something thats lasting and can be maintained for future years of this project
projects completed in pursuit of the objective included holding a public health fair; creating a sustainable kids cafe; working with local physicians veterinarians community leaders and others to find solutions and strategies; and researching the needs of the community for future work toward creating one healthy village
project findings
the students also worked in the clinics of dr sara gomez a local veterinarian and dr sandra villagra a physician through work with animal and human patients information for future work was gathered from human diagnostic data physical exams of animals and observations team members also used responses from a community based participatory research (cbpr) questionnaire to gather information on general household demographics nutrition status oral hygiene human health animal health and environmental health
data from a sample of 50 human residents of ometepe who visited dr villagras clinics revealed several areas that can be improved by future endeavors family histories indicated a prevalence of hypertension diabetes and cardiovascular disease in addition blood pressure measurements associated with prehypertension were observed in both male and female participants and the average bmi was in the overweight range approximately one in four participants reported having joint or muscle pain
the cbpr questionnaire completed by 42 people provided further insights on the status of public health on the island just over half of respondents reported losing a child of the 40 respondents who use water from a potable source only two stated that they treat the water they collect over half of the respondents reported they did not have good dental health and the most prevalent reason given was lack of money similarly over half of the participants indicated they did not have a nutritious diet with finances again given as the main reason with regard to pediatric health in the community 91 percent of respondents stated they are worried about a lack of medication when medication is unavailable the majority of the participants self-medicated or used medicinal plants and natural remedies the questionnaire also revealed a discrepancy between the percentage of people with a family history of hypertension 41 percent and those who reported being concerned about the condition 11 percent this discrepancy suggests members of the community may not fully understand the serious effects of hypertension
information on animal health on the island was compiled from observations of physical exams by dr gomez which included exams of 31 dogs 5 horses 1 pig and 1 cat and responses to a questionnaire taken by 22 animal owners ninety percent of respondents reported their animals are allowed to roam freely and 81 percent allow their animals to enter their homes all horses examined had ticks and symptoms of internal parasites and approximately one third of the dogs presented with ticks and fleas only five of the dogs had been spayed or neutered both large and small animals generally serve at least two purposes for their owners including companionship transportation protection pest control and traction for example pulling a cart although 90 percent of the chickens on the island are considered a food source egg-collecting techniques used by their owners were found to be inefficient management practices observed on the island could pose a threat to animal health and indirectly the health of their human owners
moving forward
the data gathered by the team shows a clear need for future work on ometepe projects that utilize the one health concept of interconnections between human animal and environmental health such as the sustainable cafe and community garden allow the community to improve all three areas of life for the students being involved in a project that makes a positive impact in a community is its own reward
one health is becoming such a hot topic these days but not many people understand it fully said richardson im hoping this program will shed a light on the importance of collaborating and how that approach is the best when we talk about education development or just helping people in general im grateful for the opportunity to participate
it is often said that dogs are mans best friends but sometimes a horse can be a boys best friend throughout history humans and their horses have shared a unique bond drawn to their overwhelming power and mystique they continue to be an integral part of our lives ten-year-old kaden ramirez and his horse george share a bond that is deeper than most
growing up immersed in the rodeo culture kadens love for horses was almost predestined however it wasnt until he was diagnosed with autism at the age of six that rodeoing became more than a hobby; it became his therapy
it took almost two years for george to fully learn kaden which is a feat considering that the process of buying and training a horse for him is very intensive said kimberly ramirez kadens mother people would stop me and say ‘wow it looks like kaden finally learned that horse and i would say ‘no george finally learned him'
the dynamic duo has been rodeoing together for a little over two years now and began excelling in barrel racing all over the region this past year recently claiming the all-around title in la grange not only has rodeoing with george brought kaden extraordinary pleasure doctors have confirmed that participation in rodeos has helped his symptoms
on the night of september 20 2014 george had an accident and poked his eye with an unknown item in the pasture resulting in an emergency trip to the veterinarian after being treated by their referring veterinarian the eye was not progressing as they had hoped so george was sent to dr leslie easterwood at the texas a&m large animal hospital
george came to the large animal hospital with a five day history of a puncture to the left eye after showing little progression dr sam williams a texas a&m graduate who had been treating george in victoria texas sent him for an injection into his eye that is not commonly done out in private practice said easterwood he had some fibrin (inflammatory material) inside the anterior chamber of the eye that was preventing his pupil from opening if the fibrin remained in the eye the pupil would remain closed and he would not be able to see once the puncture was healed
although a horse can typically function and perform various activities with the loss of sight in one eye it would be dangerous for the duo to continue barrel racing unless george regained enough sight in the eye the extensive veterinary procedures have led to costly medical bills easterwood and her team decided however that they would do all in their power to keep this duo together
after hearing the story about the bond between george and kaden we were moved and agreed to keep george in the hospital to help provide him with the best chance at sight george would be a very good teaching case and could offer our students the opportunity to follow the case the whole way through and see the effects of our treatments easterwood said although the ramirez family had not asked for any help we were more than happy to provide it the familys friends also started a gofundme account to help with expenses from both our hospital and the charges from dr williams
easterwood and her team kept george over the weekend performing ultrasounds on the eye to monitor progress with the fibrin and over time the pupil opened and george became responsive to light these are both good signs that we will hopefully have a sighted eye once the corneal healing is over said easterwood
an entire community waits anxiously for an update on georges condition but none more so than 10-year-old kaden regardless of the outcome this dynamic duo will stay strong
the texas a&m large animal hospital is a wonderful and caring place said ramirez dr easterwood her team of students and all of the staff were very dedicated to not only george and kaden but also us as a family i feel they all went above and beyond the call of duty and we will always have a special place in our hearts for this animal clinic they have made kaden a big texas a&m fan and he now keeps up with all of the football games and wants to get everything in maroon; a&m has made a friend for life

upon entering the bhatia home in houston its apparent that the family dog maxamillion is as much a thread in the fabric of the household as his human counterparts
with an energetic tail and a doggy smile max is the first to greet any guest in nearly every framed photo in the home he poses for the camera and as his mom gina bhatia will tell you it is required that max go on almost all family vacations within driving distance for the past eight years max has been part of the family beginning on the day gina bhatia and her husband devinder bid on the black labrador puppy at a school charity auction
my husband kept on bidding until he was ours i was dressed in a ball gown and they handed over this precious pooch she laughed we had a new baby a toddler a freshman in high school and our house was under renovations i looked at my husband like ‘what did we just do'
the bhatias didnt question their decision long max took hold of their hearts almost instantly
when max was five years old his health took a sudden turn during a family vacation one that max didnt go on bhatia received a call from the boarder they said that max was not himself at all that he had started limping and was acting lethargic bhatia explained so she ended the trip early and headed home in order to take max to his local veterinarian dr alice anne dodge in houston while there she found out that max was suffering from an autoimmune disease and polyarthritis after weeks of tests and different medications he was not getting any better at that point his veterinarian recommended that he be taken to the veterinary medical teaching hospital at texas a&m university
he had tons of blood tests scans x-rays-you name it they did it said bhatia he wasnt walking and his platelet levels dropped dangerously low
the texas a&m veterinarians figured out the plan of attack giving max a round of chemotherapy and a litany of other medications over the next six months many visits to texas a&m and seven different medicines maxs condition improved tremendously the bhatias were overjoyed
a dreaded diagnosis
for years max showed no sign of his previous illness although his energy never returned to its original puppy-like volume max was back to being max
then last april bhatia noticed max limping she returned to dr dodge where she left him to undergo a series of tests for the entire day bhatia waited by the phone nervous about the news she would receive when she finally got the call at the end of the day to come pick up max she knew the news wasnt good when i went in i was sitting in the exam room with max and the doctor came in and said ‘i hope im wrong but i think he has osteosarcoma'
with the overwhelming news of cancer bhatia left dodges office heartbroken afraid her days with her beloved pet were numbered
after consulting with her husband a heart surgeon bhatia knew that the best course of action would once again involve texas a&m she drove max back to college station two days later where dr claudia barton and the rest of the oncology team did more testing and a biopsy to confirm an aggressive form of cancer called osteosarcoma dr rita ho dr megan sutton dr kelly theiman mankin and dr heather wilson-robles together with barton gave her several treatment options one option was to amputate maxs front left leg and administer six rounds of chemotherapy and another treatment option would allow him to keep his leg and undergo radiation the former option meant drastic changes for maxs future but a longer life while the latter option was less invasive but wouldnt completely eliminate his pain
it took me a good week to figure out what to do bhatia said i couldnt eat i couldnt sleep in my mind the thought of amputation was such an aggressive approach the thing that kept me going was that they do this surgery a lot that its fairly common with big dogs plus the veterinarians assured me that max has such a great spirit they knew that he would do fantastic once i discussed it again with my husband and children we knew he was going to be a survivor
with encouragement from the veterinarians at texas a&m bhatia made peace with her decision to move forward with the amputation they were careful to explain every scenario to bhatia-the good the bad and the ugly she felt that all of the veterinarians and students formed a bond with max that assured her he was in good hands
before i got him home on the night of his surgery they called me and i was just blown away they told me he was doing great and that he was already walking!
within two weeks max had completely adapted to his new body bhatias children mia and drake were able to play with their dog in the backyard just like old times
max is just the best gift from god he gives us so much bhatia said if you have a sick pet and are considering the veterinarian school at texas a&m dont think twice about it get in your car and go right now they are the best and im forever grateful
editors note: as this issue was going to print max lost his battle with cancer however the bhatia family is still very grateful for the extra time they were able to spend with their beloved dog
ask anyone who knew her and they would tell you that patsy link had a deep love of horses beginning in her early childhood working with horses was a central part of her life and a source of great happiness for her this love of horses led link to leave much of her estate to texas a&m university to support research benefitting equine health and welfare the endowed gift that bears her name-the patsy link endowment now in its 20th year-has funded more than $65 million in equine-related research that has advanced the knowledge of equine health
the endowment which began in 1995 was a cooperative effort between the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the college of agriculture and life sciences (coals) under the direction of dr bryan johnson of coals and dr william moyer of the cvm a plan was put into place to ensure that links passion for horses was reflected in the excellence and impact of the research programming her endowment supports
born helen patricia link to helen wicks and john wiley link jr an insurance agent link grew up as an only child in the river oaks community of houston her grandfather john wiley link sr formed and became president of link oil corporation and was later president of the dr pepper parent company link learned early on about horses and horse care and the purchase of a saddlebred mare led to the start of her own horse farm near burton texas
patsy started off with the one saddlebred mare recalled dr ha smith a veterinarian in brenham texas it wasnt long before her friends in the thoroughbred world got her involved with that breed she raced some of her horses trained some and had some really nice brood mares smith provided veterinary care for links horses for many years he recalls that links love for horses was evident in how well she cared for them
there were some occasions where we needed to send her horses to the teaching hospital at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences for specialized services smith said she was always very satisfied with the treatment her horses received there
link died on march 16 1994 shortly after being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor at age 65 beforehand she had ensured her beloved horses would be provided for
it was her wish that a part of the estate would cover the care of her horses until they could be sold or otherwise cared for smith said the remainder was given to texas a&m in the form of an endowment to support the equine research programs there an endeavor she found important
patsy links love of horses has led to an incredible opportunity to provide funding for leading-edge research that directly benefits the health and welfare of the horse said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the researchers who have received funding from the patsy link endowment are undoubtedly as passionate about horses as she was and are driven to discoveries that impact horses and the entire equine industry we have seen tremendous success in our equine research programs that would not have been possible without the legacy that patsy link established 20 years ago through her generosity
what began as a childs love of horses has engendered a legacy of research to help ensure equine health and well-being established 20 years ago the patsy link endowment has fostered programs of research and education in equine reproduction genomics epidemiology and infectious disease and more along with the strengths of the faculty a dedicated scientific advisory committee has contributed to the successes achieved the college remains grateful to patsy link for the endowment and looks forward to all it will continue to support in the years ahead
read the full article in the winter 2015 edition of cvm today
college station texas – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) announced today that dr jan suchodolski has been named fellow of the american gastroenterological association (aga) the nations oldest medical society dedicated to disorders of the gastrointestinal (gi) tract through the fellowship program the aga honors superior professional achievement in clinical private or academic practice and in basic or clinical research fellowships are awarded to aga members whose accomplishments and contributions demonstrate personal commitment to the field of gastroenterology
out of the eight veterinarians recognized as fellows of the aga only three work at veterinary schools while the other five are at medical schools said suchodolski it is rewarding to know that the research we have conducted in the gi lab at the cvm is recognized not only for improving the health and well-being of dogs and cats but also for serving as a translational model to address gi problems common in humans as well
the gi lab at the cvm is an internationally known research program that has developed many of the diagnostic tools that veterinarians around the world use in their clinical practice in addition to suchodolski dr jörg steiner who serves as the director of the gi lab is a current aga fellow suchodolski and steiner oversee the research component of the laboratory as well as a vibrant clinical pathology referral service
achieving fellowship status in the american gastroenterological association is a superior achievement and it is very unusual for a veterinarian to be honored in this way said dr sharon kerwin interim head of the department of small animal clinical sciences dr suchodolskis research has a very important impact on human and animal health and its gratifying to see it recognized by such a prestigious organization
the mission of the aga is to promote the science and practice of gastroenterology through the support of research education advocacy and practice
aga acknowledges our members with superior professional achievement in the field of gastroenterology with fellowship within our organization said john i allen md mba agaf and aga institute president we are proud to announce the 2015 inductees for the aga fellowship program who have been recognized by their peers and community as being at the forefront of our field
darwins finches inhabiting the galápagos archipelago and cocos island constitute an iconic model for studies of speciation and adaptive evolution an international team of scientists led by dr leif andersson of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and uppsala university in sweden has now shed light on the evolutionary history of these birds and identified a gene that explains variation in beak shape within and among species the study is published today in nature on the day before the 206th anniversary of charles darwins birth
andersson is a texas a&m university institute for advanced study faculty fellow-one of the nationally and internationally renowned scholars invited by the institute to come to the campus for extended stays to teach conduct research and interact with texas a&m students and faculty
the finches on the galápagos islands were a major influence on charles darwins theory of evolution through natural selection the birds common ancestor arrived on the galápagos about 2 million years ago and since that time the finches have evolved into 15 recognized species differing in body size beak shape song and feeding behavior changes in the size and form of the beak have enabled different species to utilize different food resources such as insects seeds and nectar from cactus flowers as well as blood from iguanas
we have now sequenced 120 birds including all known species of darwins finches as well as two closely related species in order to study their evolutionary history said sangeet lamichhaney a phd student at uppsala university and shared first author on the paper
multiple individuals of each species were analyzed and for some species birds from up to six different islands were sampled to study variation within and between islands
this detailed genetic analysis has allowed the researchers to propose that the 15 recognized species should actually be reclassified to 18 other insight from the current study was that gene flow between species has played a prominent role throughout the evolutionary history of darwins finches the scientists could trace clear signs of hybridization between a warbler finch and the common ancestor of tree and ground finches that must have occurred about a million years ago
during our field work on the galápagos we have observed many examples of hybridization between species of darwins finches but the long-term evolutionary effects of these hybridizations have been unknown said peter and rosemary grant of princeton university who are the worlds experts on the biology of darwins finches after working on the galápagos for 40 years
now we can safely conclude that interspecies hybridization has played a critical role in the evolution of the finches and has contributed to maintaining their genetic diversity peter grant continued
the most striking phenotypic diversity among darwins finches is the variation in the size and shape of the beaks charles darwin was struck by this biological diversity and compared it with the variety he was accustomed to among european birds such as the hawfinch the chaffinch and warblers as documented in his book the voyage of the beagle the team investigated the genetic basis for variation in beak shape by comparing two species with blunt beaks and two species with pointed beaks fifteen regions of the genome stood out as being very different in this contrast and as many as six of these contained genes that previously have been associated with craniofacial and/or beak development one of those genes called alx1 was shown to be especially important the variant of the gene each bird had was strongly correlated with the shape of the birds beak
the most thrilling and significant finding was that genetic variation in the alx1 gene is associated with variation in beak shape not only between species of darwins finches but also among individuals of one of them the medium ground finch andersson said
the alx1 gene codes for a transcription factor (a type of protein) that has crucial role for normal craniofacial development in vertebrates including humans genetic mutations that inactivate alx1 are known to cause severe birth defects including frontonasal dysplasia in people
this is a very exciting discovery for us since we have previously shown that beak shape in the medium ground finch has undergone a rapid evolution in response to environmental changes rosemary grant said now we know that hybridization mixes the different variants of an important gene alx1
the alx1 variants present in the finches have mild effects on alx1 function not the sort of devastating effect mutations that cause human disorders the alx1 polymorphism in finches is adaptive for the birds as it has contributed to diversification of beak shapes among darwins finches and thereby to an expanded utilization of food resources on the galápagos
this is an interesting example where mild mutations in a gene that is critical for normal development leads to phenotypic evolution andersson said i would not be surprised if it turns out that mutations with minor or minute effects on alx1 function or expression contribute to the bewildering facial diversity among humans
about the texas a&m university institute for advanced study
the texas a&m university institute for advanced study provides a catalyst to enrich the intellectual climate and educational experiences at texas a&m the institute was established in december 2010 by the texas a&m university system board of regents to build on the growing academic reputation of texas a&m and to provide a framework to attract top scholars from throughout the nation and abroad for appointments of up to a year the institute is an outgrowth of the universitys academic master plan and is a permanent structural mechanism for attracting world-class talent to the university the selection of fellows initiates with faculty nominations of national academy and nobel-prize caliber scholars that align with existing strengths and ambitions of the university the wide-ranging areas of advanced studies in the institute include but are not limited to: architecture; arts humanities and social sciences; business; education; engineering; physical geophysical agricultural and life sciences; public and foreign policy; and multiple disciplines to learn more visit http://tiastamuedu
when disaster strikes animals and people are put in harms way and a strong collaborative response effort must be launched to save lives and put families and communities on the road to recovery those called into action represent a wide scope of experience and expertise including law enforcement fire fighting search and rescue teams medical personnel service and support organizations government agencies and more recently veterinary medicine the diversity of response organizations and the disasters to which they respond have led to one of the nations most distinctive collaborative efforts housed at texas a&m university
search and rescue teams working in louisiana and the upper texas coast in response to hurricanes katrina and rita in 2005 were faced with not only rescuing a significant number of stranded survivors but also dealing with the animals that had been left behind or were stranded with their owners as a further complication the environmental conditions in which these special teams worked put additional stress on both the human team members and their canine partners
following these two disasters legislation was enacted that dictated companion animals must be considered and provided for in the event of a disaster how this was to be accomplished was not defined and was left to individual jurisdictions to decide
after katrina the pets [pets evacuation and transportation standards act] legislation was passed stating that no one would be left behind because of a companion animal said jeff saunders operations chief at texas task force 1 (tx-tf1) that is fine for the people who are home with their pets but many times we find that the people have evacuated or couldnt return to their residence because of a mandatory evacuation but the animals are still there in those cases search and rescue teams such as ours are usually the first to locate these animals
hurricane rita and later hurricane ike brought a large volume of evacuees from the coastal areas to texas a&m seeking shelter from the storms during rita the large animal hospital at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was turned into a human surge hospital within 72 hours of notice following that event faculty staff and students from the college worked collaboratively with representatives from the college of agriculture & life sciences to set up both a large animal shelter (at the brazos county expo center) and a companion animal shelter at (texas a&ms riverside campus) to house pets and livestock evacuated from the coast in the face of hurricane ike the need for veterinarians to play a role in disaster response was readily apparent
the emphasis on pets and livestock impacted by these disasters underscored the need to include veterinarians in the response discussion said dr wesley bissett associate professor in large animal clinical sciences and director of the texas a&m veterinary emergency team (vet) as the only college of veterinary medicine in the state of texas and as a part of a land-grant university it was our responsibility to find ways to be part of the solution to address animal issues in disaster
bissett didnt have to turn far to find assistance in developing what has become one of the largest and most sophisticated veterinary emergency response organizations in the country immediately after hurricane ike he began conversations with the world-renowned tx-tf1 a response agency that also calls texas a&m home from there what began as a conversation has led to a collaborative effort that not only addresses animals in disaster situations but also ensures the health and welfare of those animals that serve side by side with their human response partners
first and foremost the power of this collaboration what makes it unique and special is that it is the only one in the country that we know of said saunders other teams have veterinarians that deploy with their personnel but nothing is as robust and effective as tx-tf1 and the vet now as our teams come across stranded animals we are able to gps the location to local animal control or to the vet this helps alleviate some of the loose or stranded pet issues by working as a team with other response groups and we can still focus on our search and rescue efforts
saunders and his team recognized from their extensive deployment experience the need for veterinary support on the ground to assist in assessing loose and stranded animals and evacuating them to a shelter or veterinary hospital where they could be reunited with their owners
working in disaster situations requires an integrated response said bissett from that perspective as a response team we have the veterinary expertise but we also had much to learn about becoming a true response unit we were fortunate to find a response partner the caliber of tx-tf1 to help guide us as we began to mature to the point where we are now
while the pets legislation placed the focus on loose and stranded companion animals another member of tx-tf1 recognized the value of working with the vet but for a different reason susann brown search team manager for tx-tf1 coordinates the training and deployment calls for the canine search and rescue teams that serve with tx-tf1 the hazardous environments in which these teams operate have always presented medical concerns for brown and these special team members collaborating with the vet represented a new opportunity to further ensure the safety and well-being of these working dogs
dr deb zoran medical operations chief for the vet had been working with brown since the late 1990s as the on-call veterinarian for pre-deployment exams for the search and rescue dogs in addition she provided first-aid lectures to the handlers during federal emergency management agency (fema) training weekends
as the vet developed and we created our fourth year rotation for veterinary medical students we asked susann about becoming their training partner and supporting the handler/canine teams when they had their bimonthly training sessions at disaster city zoran said this step represented that continuing evolution of two groups of people who were committed to the idea and finally found a way to make things work
zoran added that most of the injuries from the training sessions come from the high drive of the working dogs so its important to have that awareness and understanding of what the risks are whether in a training rubble pile or on a deployment the search and rescue dogs are asked to work in demanding and hazardous environments that are often contaminated and while the handlers are able to wear personal protective equipment the dogs cannot
the two greatest medical concerns for our dogs are injury and heat stress and we have had problems with both said brown most of the injuries we have seen have been minor scrapes and cuts but even a minor pad injury can make it difficult for a search dog to continue working heat stress is a much more pervasive problem and can put a dog out of commission for multiple shifts prior to working more closely with the vet we have worked with medical personnel on our team to address the medical needs for both human and canine task force members
in 2011 most of texas was experiencing some of the hottest and driest conditions recorded to date wildfires seemed to spring up in multiple places across the state but the most memorable were the bastrop complex wildfires started by what is believed to have been downed power lines sparking into the dried pine trees in the area three separate fires burned together into one large blaze near the city of bastrop texas and destroyed more than 1500 homes the canine search and rescue teams were asked to deploy and operate in this fiery environment unlike any they had previously faced
in this deployment the standard booties available to search and rescue dogs were uncomfortable and most of the dogs were able to remove them during operation however the vet was able to develop a unique booting solution that enabled the dogs to continue working on the hot ground while still protecting the sensitive pads of their feet
brown noted that solutions such as these are part of that depth of knowledge and expertise the members of the vet bring to the deployment
having the vet on scene with us has made a tremendous difference in our ability to keep our dogs healthy and working during deployments the members of the vet are able to quickly diagnose injuries and illness in our dogs and can also provide recommendations concerning the risk of potential contaminants or hazards and possible ways to mitigate those risks
caring for the search and rescue dogs as part of the collaboration between the vet and tx-tf1 is no small task according to saunders there are 15 canine handlers ten of whom are certified canine search team – live find (pairing of a handler with a dog) and five of which are certified canine search team – human remains detection in addition canine teams from all across the country representing 68 participating agencies bring their dogs to disaster city in college station for training and fema certification dates
these canine/handler teams are very dedicated to their job zoran said the selfless service they provide is awesome because this is not their ‘day job; they all have other jobs and other lives the amount of time and energy and money they give to become fema us&r [urban search and rescue] certified handler/canine teams is unbelievable they are special people with very special dogs to be considered working with them and caring for their dogs is one of the most humbling and gratifying things i can imagine
because of the significant investment of time and training that each handler puts into getting a dog certified as a search and rescue dog brown emphasized the value of veterinary support for those training days as well as in the field
much of the incidental cost of getting a dog fema certified is the responsibility of the handler said brown these handlers travel to college station at least once a month for training but will also travel to other locations to provide their dogs a variety of search areas to train in it is difficult to put an exact figure on the handlers training time and expenses but it is significant having a partnership that allows veterinary support during training at our location has become a great value to the team
as the capacity and capabilities of the vet have evolved the nature of the collaboration between these response partners has also grown to include the development of a large animal technical rescue training program designed to educate first responders and veterinarians on the tactics and skills necessary to safely rescue large animals in crisis
the impact of disasters is not limited to people and pets said bissett texas is number one in the nation in the numbers of cattle and horses there are also livestock concerns in other parts of the country as well working with our response partners at the texas a&m engineering extension service (teex) we have been able to certify trainers and to supplement the curriculum for a dynamic large animal rescue course that will ensure first responders and veterinarians will have access to the knowledge and skills needed to rescue large animals in a safe and humane manner
beginning with early efforts at large animal technical rescue training in 2008 the interest in and need for a more focused effort has been recognized in 2012 the first class fully integrating veterinary medicine with first responders was presented by a team from the university of california at davis led by dr john madigan and coordinated by dr leslie easterwood clinical assistant professor in large animal clinical sciences at the cvm and member of the vet
large animal technical rescue is a chapter in the fema first responder certification curriculum said easterwood our objective from the very beginning was to develop a team of instructors made up of vet and teex members that would be able to present the course to first responders and veterinarians
after the initial course in 2012 interest in certification grew in 2014 john haven head of the veterinary teaching hospital and director of the veterinary emergency treatment service at the university of florida and assistant instructor josh fleming came to texas a&m to provide instructor certification training to identified members of the vet and teex the four-day course consisted of two days of instructor training followed by an additional two days where those being certified as instructors were given the opportunity to instruct others
attending the class and developing our instructional skills in the field together with our partners in teex gave us the opportunity to better understand the perspectives and expertise across disciplines said christopher mabry logistics supervisor and graduate student our team members benefitted from learning more about the safety and logistics needed for operating in the field from the first responders experience while at the same time the first responders learned more about the health and welfare concerns of animals that are needing to be rescued
according to easterwood approximately eight vet members attended the course in addition david rosier training coordinator for teex noted that eight teex instructors were also certified
the goal of this program was to bring together the rescue profession and the veterinary profession to provide safe rescue of animals in need said rosier the class was truly a joint effort that enabled both to give their expertise to the class our students in future sessions will be emergency services such as law enforcement fire service animal control veterinarians large animal facility operators animal rescue groups large animal transporters and potentially large/small animal owners combining rescue knowledge with animal care expertise will allow us to all work together during a rescue
the first course in large animal technical rescue will be offered as part of the spring fire school that teex hosts every year and the newly certified instructors from both teex and the vet will teach portions of the course
this will allow for the strengths of both groups to be used to teach different parts of the course said easterwood which makes the course relevant to both first responders and veterinarians
disasters large or small may strike at any time and the animals and their owners feel the impact whether its a single pet or a large herd of cattle with a mission of serving our state and nation every day the leadership of the texas a&m veterinary emergency team will continue to build productive collaborations and partnerships which will enhance the ability to respond to those animals in need
in recent years increasing numbers of lyme disease cases have been reported in texas a state that was once considered free of the disease and researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have turned to the public for help dr maria d esteve-gassent an assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) at the cvm and her lab seek ticks that texans have found on either themselves or their pets the researchers then test the ticks for bacteria including those that cause lyme disease
lyme disease is a zoonotic tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium borrelia burgdorferi each year approximately 30 000 cases of lyme disease are reported according to the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) dogs cats horses and cattle-in addition to humans-can all develop lyme disease infected tick vectors transmit the bacteria while biting humans and susceptible domestic animal species although lyme disease is effectively treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early often people are found to have the disease only after numerous tests therefore esteve-gassent encourages the public to send her any ticks they find we want to tell everyone who finds a tick to send it to us dont squish it or flush it said esteve-gassent we will be able to tell you if it is positive for the bacteria-which can help people have an early warning that they might have the disease-and for us it provides invaluable information about where and when people get in contact with these ticks as well as which species of tick they are
esteve-gassent and her team use polymerase chain reaction (pcr) methods to find the bacterias dna within each tick thus giving them molecular evidence of the pathogens presence in addition to lyme disease her lab also studies other diseases spread by ticks:
tick-borne relapsing fever (tbrf) is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected soft ticks which can be very difficult to find because they dont attach to skin for more than a few seconds therefore many people who are infected dont have any known history of a tick bite
anaplasmosis is transmitted to humans by tick bites primarily from the blacklegged tick (ixodes scapularis) in the northeastern and upper midwestern united states and the western blacklegged tick (ixodes pacificus) along the pacific coast although this disease-which can affect humans and dogs-is rarely seen in texas a closely related disease that affects cattle is present in the state
ehrlichiosis is transmitted to humans by the lone star tick (ambylomma americanum) which is found primarily in the southcentral and eastern united states
one of the biggest goals of the project is to create an accurate map of where in texas these different species of ticks are found when i first started the research i was staring at a map of texas as i wasnt sure where to even begin esteve-gassent said the trouble is that when you look at where most of the cases of lyme disease are recorded you have clusters around the major cities in texas but that doesnt tell us much about where these people were infected most of the ticks are probably not going to be in developed urban areas
the number of ticks in the environment changes from year to year which makes such mapping efforts even more difficult variation depends strongly on rainfall and more rain means more ticks the ticks are very sensitive to humidity said esteve-gassent the burst of ticks that people notice in years of heavier rainfall is normal
to surmount some of these difficulties the team has developed partnerships with texas parks and wildlife texas a&m veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory (tvmdl) usda-ars the brazos valley animal shelter hunters the cvm parasitology lab lyme disease support groups in houston and austin and local veterinarians
with the help of the public and their partners the researchers are collecting a number of ticks texas parks and wildlife and private hunters help to collect ticks from deer feral swine and any other wild animals the tvmdl local shelters and veterinarians submit ticks found on pets and other domestic animals lyme disease support groups and others in the public help spread the word about submitting ticks people find on themselves
although these passive surveillance methods arent a perfect sampling once they know where to look the researchers can go out into the field and take samples the traditional way
we have to depend on the public to help us with this research esteve-gassent said but theyve been wonderful the project started off slowly but now we usually get at least one or two ticks a day
if you find a tick on you or your pet anywhere in texas please send it to esteve-gassent at 4467 tamu college station texas 77843 the ticks should be sealed in a plastic bag with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol please include the location (city or zip code) where the tick was found the location on the body and contact information so the researchers can send you the results
after years of planning and months of construction the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has a wonderful new teaching and research facility the cvm avian health complex the new climate-controlled aviary which celebrated its opening in october 2014 can house a population of 200–250 birds-many more than was possible in the previous facilities-in a comfortable and safe environment reaching approximately 11 000 square feet it contains a functional hospital a receiving area with quarantine capabilities three isolation rooms a biosafety level 2 laboratory for infectious disease research separate areas for infected and healthy birds teaching and classroom space and an office
avian health is a notable area of excellence at the cvm said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine our faculty have made substantial contributions to the health and welfare of birds and to the avian industry in terms of educating future and current veterinarians providing the highest level of avian patient care and advancing the knowledge edge as leaders in avian medicine we also train the next generation of veterinarians and scientists to continue this important mission this facility will provide the laboratory avian housing and classroom space that will allow this program not only to continue to thrive but also to grow
the new facility will expand the capabilities of the schubot exotic bird health center at the cvm founded in 1987 by an endowment from mr richard m schubot with matching funds provided by texas a&m university the center conducts research into all aspects of diseases in wild and captive birds as well as avian genetics genomics nutrition and behavior the results of research at the center are already being applied to improve the health of birds kept by zoos aviculturists and individual pet owners as well as conserving threatened avian species in the wild
this is a beautiful facility that exemplifies the colleges commitment to exotic species and to conservation in general said dr ian tizard the richard m schubot professor of exotic bird health and distinguished professor of immunology in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm it enhances our programs in environmental health and will be a magnificent resource for the whole college
the new center will provide better teaching facilities not only for undergraduates and dvm professional students but for continuing education and other courses as well the new building with its dedicated teaching space will better promote an understanding of avian diseases husbandry and conservation among current and future veterinarians the enlarged and enhanced facilities will also provide space for specialized birds such as raptors for which the students can learn appropriate handling care and treatment
with a newer more modern aviary we will be able to attract more interest across the university and the college leading to more collaborative efforts and more student involvement said dr sharman m hoppes a clinical associate professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at the cvm and a specialist in avian medicine
although the schubot exotic bird health center is already known internationally in the avian world many in our own university and community are unaware that we are here and what we have done or are doing in terms of both avian conservation and clinical diagnosis and treatment hoppes said this new and improved aviary will increase our exposure and hopefully excite the community and encourage them to support our work in avian research and the care and management of our birds
the guidewire group doesnt believe in hopeless cases made up of practitioners from across the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) to evaluate rapidly evolving medical techniques and to collaborate on challenging veterinary cases the group harnesses the diverse skills of its members to develop and provide new treatments for animals that might appear to be out of options

formed in 2014 the group has members that include cardiologists surgeons criticalists and internists their focus is on improving animal care through creativity innovation and-most of all-collaboration
its an incredibly collaborative process because it pulls skills from different specialties in this really integrated system said one of the teams founders dr audrey cook internist and associate professor at the cvm weve got great facilities here and a great team but this is the first time that weve sat down and thought ‘lets actually get a formal group of people from different fields and with different areas of expertise to work together on challenging patient problems and be really integrated' this culture of collaboration is not only embraced for practitioners in the immediate area but also extends to veterinarians at training facilities or practicing in other states
the practice of veterinary medicine evolves rapidly and the guidewire group aims to be at the forefront of effective treatments for patients with seemingly little chance of survival and to lead the way in innovative animal care by providing help hope and a better quality of life
the group is offering solutions for kidney bladder liver heart and airway problems that were unmanageable as recently as 10 years ago these new treatments can often make a huge difference such as sparing the kidney in patients for which the only other option would have been removal of the organ
many of the patients the guidewire group sees have been diagnosed with cancer cook points to the example of dogs with transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder which often makes the animal unable to urinate the guidewire group works together to insert a small device called a stent into a dogs urethra to open a way for the urine to escape
in the old days we used to place tubes through the body wall into their bladders and it was just awful cook remembered now we put in these little tiny devices that hold the urinary tract open the dogs go home and they can enjoy months of comfortable time that would otherwise not have been possible
the work of the guidewire group is not just about treating cancer patients they offer many new approaches for a variety of serious problems such as a disease causing blood loss from the kidneys in the past veterinarians would have removed the kidney to stop the bleeding however for dogs with bleeding from both kidneys removal is not an option the guidewire group now has a solution
one day a young dog suffering from an invariably terminal kidney disease arrived at the hospital and the guidewire group spent months developing a new approach to his treatment we tried this really novel procedure on the dog where we placed catheters in and cauterized the kidneys six weeks later he was completely cured cook said a three-year-old dog given back his life we were overjoyed with the results he had a condition that was an absolute death sentence even four or five years ago to have that kind of success is really really exciting
after graduating with distinction from the royal school of veterinary studies at the university of edinburgh scotland in 1989 cook held an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at north carolina state universitys college of veterinary medicine she then spent three years at the university of california at davis college of veterinary medicine as a resident in small animal internal medicine
in 1994 she became a diplomate in the american college of veterinary internal medicine and in 1996 she was named a diplomate in the european college of veterinary internal medicine she spent 10 years in private practice in newport news virginia before joining the faculty at texas a&m
the guidewire groups all-star lineup is key to its success among them the team has well over 100 years of experience in specialty veterinary care
aside from cook other members of the core team include dr james barr (criticalist) dr jacqueline davidson (surgeon) dr sonya gordon (cardiologist) dr jonathan lidbury (internist) dr kelly thieman mankin (surgeon) dr david nelson (emergency room doctor and surgeon) dr medora pashmakova (criticalist) and dr ashley saunders (cardiologist)
cook said most of the groups cutting-edge treatments actually had their start in human medicine the techniques have to be scaled down but they are based on philosophies developed in the human medical field
typically people thought in terms of trying something first on an animal; if it works you can use it on a person cook said here were looking at human medicine success stories and using the same techniques on our animals its tough things have to be scaled down and resized in these cases the human is the metaphorical guinea pig
the team tweaks many procedures to fit patient needs by integrating its combined knowledge based on a huge foundation of medical research and practice already underway for instance texas a&ms cardiology team is known around the world for inventing devices and developing new procedures and the guidewire group often uses these innovative cardiac approaches to creatively treat non-cardiac organs the guidewire groups cardiologists drs gordon and saunders have been invaluable in bringing that knowledge to the table even though a patient might have a liver or urinary tract problem some of the techniques of interventional cardiology can apply to the treatment it is a question of pulling skills from other areas cook said
some members of the group have worked with other leading veterinary medicine teams in their application of human medical methods to animals a successful group in northeastern new york has been a pioneer in this practice according to cook they trained with human teams and then brought these methods to the veterinary world cook said adding that members of pioneering teams or their protégés have trained her and most of her team members in these techniques

the team is eagerly working to spread the word about its research and welcomes emails calls and visits from veterinarians with questions about unusual or difficult cases
that way we can at least say ‘yes we do this or ‘no we dont but we can make some calls and find out if anyone else can ' cook said
cook said its always heartbreaking to learn about situations in which veterinarians were unaware of new treatment options for their patients and tried other treatments that are less successful-or worse told their clients that nothing could be done getting the word out on new procedures is something about which the guidewire group is passionate its been looking for ways to bring awareness of its new treatments
ill bump into veterinarians and theyll say ‘i heard you did something cool on somebody elses patient ' cook said theyll say ‘i had a dog like that six months ago i didnt even think to call'
as veterinary treatments evolve rapidly veterinarians-even recent graduates-need to be aware that techniques may be available that werent around when they were in school what we couldnt do even five years ago we can do today cook said even if youve never heard of it or ever seen it doesnt mean that its not possible
cook said she hopes that all veterinarians will think that nothing can be done less often even when that may have previously been the case as the guidewire group could hold the key to a cure
i hope they will say ‘let me call the guidewire group first ' cook said ‘i want to make sure theres not a method ive not heard of before they say ‘its hopeless im sorry i hope they will take two minutes to shoot us an email or pick up the phone and find out what options there might be
the guidewire group has a short slide presentation that its members are eager to present to as many practitioners as possible if im going somewhere to talk about endocrine disease for example and everyone is just digging into their chicken and coleslaw ill say ‘just for six minutes im going to tell you something really cool that were now able to do ' cook said
if there are even a few veterinarians in a room for a continuing education event for instance cook and her team members always speak to the coordinator and ask for five minutes they show pictures of the procedures and before-and-after shots were trying to catch people when theyre in a chair and they cant get away cook said
ultimately cook and the rest of the team want veterinarians to know that advances in medicine are creating new options for patients that would have been considered hopeless in the past these techniques have solved problems cook said we actually have solutions now for previously devastating diseases and that is the best news for everyone
reaching out:
to contact the guidewire group send an email to guidewire@cvmtamuedu or contact the small animal hospital at (979) 845-2351
college station texas – j jill heatley dvm ms of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been certified as a diplomate by the american board of veterinary practitioners (abvp) specializing in reptile and amphibian practice heatley is one of only three veterinarians with this certification in texas and one of only two veterinarians with the combined certification of avian zoological and reptilian and amphibian medicine in the country
heatley mastered a rigorous and demanding application process and certification examination in order to obtain diplomate status to qualify to sit for the extensive two-day examination a veterinarian must complete either a residency program or six years of clinical veterinary practice in addition two case reports references descriptions of practice procedures and professional education records must be submitted and pass review this years examination was given on october 29 and 30 in nashville tennesseedr heatley is a fantastic asset to our patients of all species she has the expertise to help birds reptiles pocket pets and exotic and wild animals of all kinds said dr sharon kerwin interim head of the department of small animal clinical sciences at the cvm dr heatley has an impressive track record in research a passion for teaching and is a wonderful example of someone who is a lifelong student of veterinary medicine constantly improving herself and her ability to care for the animals that are presented to our hospital every day she is a wonderful role model for our students and we are very proud of her continued accomplishments
im so pleased to be able to provide the best in diagnosis and care to reptiles and amphibians right here at texas a&m university heatley said this board certification has been a long-term goal for me
heatley is a graduate of the cvm and louisiana state university she has been a clinical associate professor at texas a&m since 2006
the american board of veterinary practitioners was established in 1978 it is one of twenty-one veterinary specialty groups accredited by a special committee of the american board of veterinary specialties a division of the american veterinary medical association to recognize excellence in clinical practice through the certification of species-oriented specialists over 900 veterinarians worldwide are certified in one of abvps eleven practice categories: avian beef cattle canine and feline dairy equine exotic companion mammal feline food animal reptile and amphibian shelter medicine practice and swine health management for more information about abvp please visit wwwabvpcom
college station texas – the society of toxicology (sot) the worlds largest and preeminent association representing the field of toxicology recognized the fields top researchers and scientists this week through the announcement of recipients of 2015 sot awards the awards honor individuals who are advancing the field of toxicology one of those honored is dr fabian a grimm a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) he is being honored with the 2015 sot colgate-palmolive postdoctoral fellowship award in in vitro toxicology this award which includes a stipend and research-related costs of up to $44 000 for one year is designed to help postdoctoral trainees advance the development of alternatives to animal testing in toxicological research
as toxicologists we are always striving to find better quicker more accurate strategies for assessing chemical safety which is why we are proud to support dr fabian grimms research in this field through the 2015 sot colgate-palmolive postdoctoral fellowship award in in vitro toxicology said dr norbert e kaminski sot president 2014–2015 dr grimms proposal to evaluate the feasibility of using biological data-based evaluations to assess the toxic hazard of complex substances such as petrochemicals represents the type of work that can only make the field of toxicology stronger
the field of toxicology and toxicologists are responsible for aiding human animal and environmental health and safety through the study of the adverse effects of chemicals and other biological agents
the society is committed to discovering the best methods for evaluating the safety of diverse biological agents which includes finding alternative methods to traditional animal testing kaminski continued with the generous support of colgate-palmolive sot is able to support research into alternative testing methods through a number of grants and awards each year and this years award recipients have proposed projects that will hopefully further the efficiency and effectiveness of these tests
colgate-palmolive has been supporting sot awards dedicated to the development of alternative testing methods that reduce replace or refine the use of animals in toxicological research since 1988
dr grimm is a remarkably talented young investigator who joined dr ivan rusyns laboratory this past summer said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni department head of vibs we are very proud of him for this recognition he brings a powerful set of complementary skills to his studies which integrate molecular biology cell imaging protein characterization and quantitative analysis the award provided by sot will help dr grimm pursue his innovative approaches to better understand the effects of chemical hazards on health
it is rare that students or postdocs try to move beyond the simple exercise of developing a model or collecting new information said dr ivan rusyn sot councilor 2012–2015 and professor at the cvm i am most excited about his true determination to implement change to interact with the industry and regulators and to find meaningful solutions that can be readily implemented tomorrow rather than in 10 years
i am truly grateful for the opportunity to be part of a highly collaborative project that will potentially advance non-animal based predictive toxicity assessments in both industry and academia said grimm being supported by the society of toxicology and through the 2015 colgate-palmolive postdoctoral fellowship award is not just an affirmation of the quality of our research but is also a great honor for me as an aspiring toxicologist
all 2015 sot award recipients will be honored at the societys 54th annual meeting & toxexpo in san diego california from march 22–26 2015
about sot awards & honors
the society of toxicology (sot) awards program recognizes and assists distinguished toxicologists and students each year based on merit – if a worthy recipient is not identified for a given award in a year the prize will not be awarded that year in 1962 the society inducted its first honorary members establishing its honors program in 1965 the sot awards program was created with the establishment of two awards the sot merit award and the sot achievement award to support the furtherance of the science of toxicology today the society presents more than 20 awards that recognize achievement facilitate travel for senior and budding scientists and further toxicological research the sot awards program supports the societys mission to create a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology
about sot and animal testing
in 1986 the society of toxicology adopted a position statement regarding the use of animals in toxicology it stated the societys commitment to the responsible use of laboratory animals in toxicological research and testing; the development and use of alternatives to the use of animals; the use of research designs that employ less painful or stressful procedures and improve animal care; and the reduction in the number of animals used for research and testing when scientifically appropriate and valid in 1989 the society of toxicology furthered its commitment to the responsible use of animals in research by adopting a set of guiding principles for the use of animals in toxicology
about sot
founded in 1961 the society of toxicology (sot) is a professional and scholarly organization of more than 7 800 scientists from academic institutions government and industry representing the great variety of individuals who practice toxicology in the us and abroad sot is committed to creating a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology the society promotes the acquisition and utilization of knowledge in toxicology aids in the protection of public health and has a strong commitment to education in toxicology and to the recruitment of students and new members into the profession for more information about sot and toxicology visit the society online at wwwtoxicologyorg follow us on twitter @sotoxicology and like us on facebook
about the cvm
for nearly 100 years the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been committed to improving animal human and environmental health through teaching research veterinary care and outreach for more information about the college please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us onfacebook
college station texas – it has been noted that texas ranks first in the number of cattle raised in the state and second in people nearly one-third of the nations beef supply makes its way through the feedlots in the panhandle region of the state the beef industry represents a significant portion of the states economy and the need for veterinary support of the industry to ensure a safe and secure food supply for the nation has never been greater
recently two alumni from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences earned recognition for their leadership in support of the beef industry by the cattle production veterinarian hall of fame (cpv-hof)
dr don williams 51 was inducted into cpv-hof in 2013 he received his dvm from texas a&m and a masters degree from oklahoma state university after 18 years in private practice in both texas and oklahoma williams became the first company veterinarian for hitch enterprises in guymon oklahoma he later moved into feed yard management for henry c hitch feedlot williams developed the first national preconditioning program for cattle in feedlots and was an early researcher into the cause of sudden death syndrome in feedlot cattle he was the 45th member to join the american association of bovine practitioners (aabp) served on the organizing board of directors and was elected the organizations first president in 1969 williams was also the recipient of two aabp awards: the award for excellence in beef preventive medicine and the amstutz-williams award
the 2014 inductee to the cpv-hof is fellow cvm alumnus dr david bechtol 65 bechtol attended texas a&m after serving in the united states marine corps receiving a bachelors in 1964 followed by his dvm in 1965 in addition to founding palo duro consulting research and feedlot and agri-research center inc in canyon tx bechtol was also a charter member of the academy of veterinary consultants (avc) serving as the academys first president in 1972 and 1973 the academy also recognized his leadership awarding him the avc consultant of the year in 1986 bechtol has been extensively involved in research efforts aimed at problem solving between its research facility and the pharmaceutical biological feed additive and food animal industries in an effort to promote proper use of livestock products and to provide the consuming public with a wholesome and economical food supply bechtol was also the first veterinarian to receive the certified angus beef industry achievement award at the feeding quality forum in 2013 and he has also served as an adjunct professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences at the cvm
our college has a long-standing tradition for graduating not only highly-skilled veterinarians but also leaders of character who have made significant contributions to veterinary medicine and industry said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine as the only veterinary medical school in texas a strong relationship with the animal agriculture industry is important for maintaining a safe and secure food supply for our nation and our world the recognition of the valuable contributions that dr bechtol and dr williams have made to the beef industry is a wonderful example of veterinary medicine and industry working together to serve the nation we extend our sincere congratulations to our fellow aggies for this well deserved honor
the cpv-hof was established in 2011 to recognize the rich traditions of production veterinary medicine and to honor the distinguished individuals who have made lasting contributions to the profession inductees are true pioneers whose achievements span their entire careers program sponsors include the aabp the avc bovine veterinarian magazine merck animal health and osborn barr
college station texas – ashton richardson a second-year veterinary medical student at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been named a recipient of the prestigious marshall scholarship he is one of only 40 students in the united states selected for this honor
richardson a native of new orleans serves as the president of the student one health association which explores the connections between human animal and environmental health he is also a member of the texas veterinary medicine foundation board of trustees
we are very proud of ashton for being selected to receive this prestigious award said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine ashton is a remarkable individual bound for unusual success as a veterinary student he is dedicated to making a difference in the world he has gained a fundamental understanding of one health the inextricable link between animal human and environmental health and has developed a deep dedication to pursuing endeavors beyond the traditional role of veterinary medicine and enhancing the presence of veterinary medicine in global health and security places ashton is a leader who will excel with this award
richardson recently returned from a one health-themed service and research experience in nicaragua where he joined a six-member team of veterinary medical and public health students investigating the health disparities of humans and animals in addition to his work abroad he has contributed to spreading the knowledge of one health in the state and nation organizing and participating in forums and seminars writing articles granting television interviews and sharing information via video produced by local and national veterinary associations
i view this scholarship as a tremendous blessing that also comes with quite a bit of responsibility richardson said receiving advanced training in the political economic social and cultural aspects of international development will help me improve the quality of life of people through making their animals healthy and productive perhaps just as important is the responsibility i carry to enfranchise youth from a similar background as mine and to help them realize that theyre only limited by their expectations
richardson received a bachelor of science degree in pre-veterinary medicine from auburn university where he was recognized in 2012 with the bobby bowden award presented by the fellowship of christian athletes to the ncaa division i football bowl subdivision player who best epitomizes a student-athlete
ashton exemplifies student leadership within our college said dr kenita s rogers associate dean for professional programs through his collaborative efforts with students from multiple disciplines with the student one health program he has developed a deep understanding of and appreciation for the responsibility of veterinarians in creating a healthy future for people animals and the environment this award is a well-deserved honor for a great ambassador of our profession a wonderful student and an even better man
the marshall scholarship program was established in 1953 by an act of british parliament in honor of us secretary of state george c marshall as an expression of britains gratitude for economic assistance received through the marshall plan after world war ii the program is overseen by the marshall aid commemoration commission the 40 winners are chosen from the approximately 900 students endorsed annually for the scholarship by their respective universities
college station texas – cats and humans have shared the same households for at least 9 000 years but we still know very little about how our feline friends became domesticated an analysis of the cat genome led by researchers at washington university school of medicine and that included a texas a&m university professor reveals some surprising clues
the research article appears in the current issue of the proceedings of the national academy of sciences early edition
cats have a relatively recent history of domestication compared with dogs; canines arose from wolves over 30 000 years ago
cats unlike dogs are really only semi-domesticated said senior author wes warren phd associate professor of genetics at the genome institute at washington university in st louis​ they only recently split off from wild cats and some even still breed with their wild relatives so we were surprised to find dna evidence of their domestication
one way scientists can understand the genetics of domestication is to look at what parts of the genome are altered in response to living together with humans warren added
the researchers compared the genomes of domestic cats and wild cats finding specific regions of the domestic cat genome that differed significantly
the scientists found changes in the domestic cats genes that other studies have shown are involved in behaviors such as memory fear and reward-seeking these types of behaviors-particularly those when an animal seeks a reward-generally are thought to be important in the domestication process
humans most likely welcomed cats because they controlled rodents that consumed their grain harvests said warren we hypothesized that humans would offer cats food as a reward to stick around
this meant that certain cats that would normally prefer to lead solitary lives in the wild had an additional incentive to stay with humans over time humans preferred to keep cats that were more docile
cat genome project
the cat genome sequencing project funded by the national human genome research institute part of the national institutes of health (nih) began in 2007 the projects initial goal was to study hereditary diseases in domestic cats which are similar in some cases to those that afflict humans including neurological disorders and infectious and metabolic diseases
to obtain the high-quality reference genome needed for this research the team sequenced a domestic female abyssinian cat named cinnamon they chose this particular cat because they could trace its lineage back several generations this cats family also had a particular degenerative eye disorder the researchers wanted to study
to better understand characteristics of domestication the researchers sequenced the genomes of select purebred domestic cats hallmarks of their domestication include features such as hair color texture and patterns as well as facial structure and how docile a cat is cats are bred for many of these types of characteristics in fact most modern breeds are the result of humans breeding cats for their favorite hair patterns
the team also looked at a breed called birman which has characteristic white paws the researchers traced the white pattern to just two small changes in a gene associated with hair color they found that this genetic signature appears in all birmans likely showing that humans selectively bred these cats for their white paws and that the change to their genome happened in a remarkably short period of time
the group also compared the cat genome with those of other mammals – including a tiger cow dog and human – to understand more about the genetics of cat biology
we looked at the underlying genetics to understand why certain abilities to survive in the wild evolved in cats and other carnivores said michael montague phd the studys first author and a postdoctoral research associate at the genome institute
the differences they found in the cat genome help explain characteristics such as why cats are almost exclusively carnivorous and how their vision and sense of smell differ from other animals like dogs
texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) researchers such as dr william murphy have long been interested in investigating the cat genome said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni department head for veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm we have a wealth of expertise in genomics and participating in collaborative efforts such as this are helping to unlock clues not only to the evolution of domestic and wild cats but also how their interactions with humans and the environment have influenced their evolutionary development
solitary carnivores
to digest their fatty meat-heavy meals cats need genes to efficiently break down fats the team found particular fat-metabolizing genes in carnivores such as cats and tigers that changed faster than can be explained by chance this more rapid change generally means these genes provide some sort of digestive advantage to carnivores that only consume animal proteins the researchers did not find such changes in the same genes of the cow and human who eat more varied diets and would not need such enhancements
cats also rely less on smell to hunt than dogs so it is not surprising that the researchers found fewer genes for smell in cats than dogs but they did find more genes related to an alternate form of smell that detects chemicals called pheromones which allow cats to monitor their social environment including seeking out the opposite sex this ability is not as important to dogs which tend to travel in packs but it is crucial in cats which are more solitary and may have more difficulty finding mates
cats also have better hearing than most other carnivores including an ability to hear in the ultrasonic range to better track prey their vision is also exceptional in low light
cats tend to be more active at dawn and dusk said montague so they need to be able to detect movement in low light accordingly the team identified specific genes that likely evolved to expand cats hearing range and their vision in low light
even though the genomes of domestic cats have changed little since their split from wild cats the new work shows that it is still possible to see evidence of the species more recent domestication using advanced genome sequencing technology we were able to shed light on the genetic signatures of cats unique biology and survival skills said warren and we were able to significantly jump start our knowledge about the evolution of cat domestication
other collaborators include university of missouri-columbia; university of california-davis; wellcome trust sanger institute in the united kingdom; pompeu fabra university in spain; centro de analisis genomico in spain; bilkent university in turkey; indiana university; center for cancer research in maryland; st petersburg state university in russia; and nova southeastern university in florida
the research is funded by the national human genome research institute at the national institutes of health (nih) (grant number u54hg0003079) the national science foundation (dbi-0845494) morris animal foundation (d06fe-063 and d12fe-019) european research council starting grant (260372) the spanish government (bfu2011-28549) national center for research resources (r24rr016094 and r24 od010928) and the winn feline foundation (w10-014 and w09-009)
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook
contact information:
megan palsa phd executive director communications media and public relations college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences texas a&m university 979-421-3121 (c) 979-862-4216 (o)
college station tx nov 7 2014 – eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university has been appointed to a national task force that will advise the federal government on the use of antibiotics in production agriculture
jointly announced by the association of public and land-grant universities (aplu) and the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) the group will advise the government on a research agenda regarding the use of antibiotics in agriculture and will disseminate information on the issue
we recognize antibiotic resistance as a public health challenge and look forward to collaborating with aplu and the federal government on this critical initiative said aavmc executive director andrew t maccabe noting that many of the aavmcs member institutions are based at land-grant universities
the task force will draw upon the expertise of its members to provide advice to the federal government as they develop plans the task force is comprised of representatives from us agriculture colleges/land grant universities and veterinary colleges as well as key representatives from the production animal agriculture community and the pharmaceutical industry
the goal of the task force will be to offer advice to the federal government on a research agenda and also help publicly disseminate information on the use of antibiotics in production agriculture
antibiotic resistance is a growing national concern with far reaching implications in human medicine veterinary medicine and food safety and security said green this is a unique opportunity to identify solutions systematically comprehensively and innovatively with the goal of positively impacting animal health and human health using a one health approach that brings together multiple disciplines and entities this task force does that i look forward to working with such a diverse group of distinguished scientists practitioners and industry representatives to develop recommendations for addressing antibiotic resistance and protect public health it is an honor to represent the aavmc the national organization for academic veterinary medicine and the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university a land grant institution
the presidents council of advisors on science and technology (pcast) recently released a report combating antibiotic resistance discussing several recommendations to address the problem president barack obama also issued an executive order describing the problem as a national security priority and directing a few executive branch departments and agencies to develop a plan of action by february 2015 to address antibiotic resistance and protect public health
once policies are established aplu institutions such as texas a&m will work to educate producers and the public about the appropriate use of antibiotics in agriculture and veterinary medicine this is an important collaborative effort said peter mcpherson president of the aplu which is a research policy and advocacy organization representing 237 public research universities land-grant institutions state university systems and affiliated organizations the task force and its members are well-positioned to advise the obama administration as they consider strategies to address the judicious use of antibiotics in production agriculture
the association of american veterinary medical colleges is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals people and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine
in addition to green the task force members include lonnie j king dean ohio state university college of veterinary medicine (chair); robert a easter president university of illinois (co-chair); richard a carnevale vice president of regulatory scientific and international affairs animal health institute; thomas coon vice president dean and director oklahoma state university division of agricultural sciences and natural resources; ronnie d green ianr harlan vice chancellor at the university of nebraska-lincoln and university of nebraska vice president; walter hill dean college of agriculture environment and nutrition sciences tuskegee university; christine hoang assistant director division of scientific activities american veterinary medical association; ashley peterson vice president of science and technology national chicken council; willie reed dean college of veterinary medicine purdue university; kathy simmons chief veterinarian national cattlemens beef association; and liz wagstrom chief veterinarian national pork producers council officials from key federal agencies are expected to serve as observers and leaders from public universities in mexico and canada also will serve as ex officio members
college station texas – after 21 days in quarantine for possible exposure to the ebola virus bentley the cavalier king charles spaniel belonging to texas nurse nina pham has returned home to his owner pham who herself was successfully treated for ebola after contracting the virus while caring for a patient in a dallas area hospital was grateful to bring bentley home
very little is known about ebola in dogs so after pham became ill bentley was placed in quarantine under the direction of dallas animal services and adoption center two veterinarians from the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary emergency team (vet) assisted in bentleys testing and care during his isolation period
dr wesley bissett director of the vet and dr deb zoran chief medical officer for the vet worked cooperatively with multiple agencies to provide bentleys daily care and collect the needed blood urine and fecal samples from bentley which were shipped to a laboratory for testing for presence of the virus to ensure bentley was free from ebola two collections took place during the isolation period all test results were negative for the presence of ebola virus so bentley was able to be reunited with pham
this has really been quite an extraordinary deployment said bissett in all honesty this is one that i would have never imagined i know there are only two of us who are physically here but the reality is that we are all here we have all worked toward this very point where we are today we are all standing behind nina and bentley
in addition to providing for his daily care bissett and zoran also monitored bentleys psychological health by making sure he had toys to enrich his environment and was able to leave his crate to move around in his room
the need for ensuring bentleys physical and psychological health in this unprecedented situation is an example of the vets commitment to the teams mission of serving our state and nation every day this is accomplished by deploying the largest and most sophisticated veterinary medical disaster response team in the country by developing and providing cutting edge emergency management education by developing new knowledge in emergency preparedness education and response and by building on the legacy of service that is at the heart of texas a&m university
our original focus was hurricanes but our first deployments were a wildfire then an explosion a variety of search support missions and now an ebola outbreak said zoran although all of these have been different than what we originally thought we would be doing when we started all of this we have navigated each challenge successfully
there were numerous influencers in the decision to care for bentley the risk to the public was felt to be minimal while bentley is the first ebola exposed dog in the us there have been no reports of dogs becoming ill from ebola or of being implicated in the transmission to humans nonetheless because of the nature of the virus bentley was managed with an abundance of caution there was much to be learned from bentley during his post exposure period would he shed the virus or not under tightly controlled isolation conditions he was carefully monitored finally the human animal bond is a powerful phenomenon assurance that bentley was receiving excellent care would help nina pham by providing much needed encouragement for her own recovery because it is well-known that people will put themselves at risk in the interest of animals people exposed to ebola should be more likely to self-report early if they are sure they are not putting their animals at risk by doing so
for bissett and zoran the other vet members and the rest of the cvm family providing moral support from back home bentley holds a special place in their hearts while the cvm eagerly waited for bissett and zoran to return the concern everyone felt for this special dog and his owner and the willingness to accept this mission became a living example of the selfless service for which texas a&m aggies are known
we owe enormous thanks to dr bissett and dr zoran for their willingness to leave their families and their community to provide this much needed service in the state of texas said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we also thank dr tammy beckham who took the first shift until drs bissett and zoran arrived it is also important to point out the extensive expertise that was amassed behind the scenes to make the right decisions and assemble the right team expediently some of those included the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) the texas department of state health services (dshs) texas animal health commission (tahc) american veterinary medical association (avma) dallas animal services the city of dallas and the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and its vet

college station texas – a texas a&m university team of researchers plans to approach research on chagas disease from an ecological perspective they will look at how environmental factors such as climate and land cover and socioeconomic factors such as housing conditions affect the distribution of the disease as the disease is primarily transmitted by insects called kissing bugs any factor that influences kissing bug abundance or behavior will also impact disease risk for example poor housing conditions allow kissing bugs to colonize the home and increase the opportunity for them to take a blood meal from a sleeping human furthermore as the climate changes the distribution of the kissing bugs can shift which could lead to the emergence of chagas disease in new areas of the united states
chagas disease which affects approximately eight million people in the americas according to the united states centers for disease control and prevention is caused by the parasite trypanosoma cruzi and is spread by kissing bugs that are prevalent across north central and south america although once thought to be only a tropical disease there is a current problem of canine chagas disease in many regions of texas that affects working dogs (such as military or border patrol) prized purebred breeding and show dogs household pets and stray dogs in addition to the humans and dogs affected the disease has been reported in south america in both cattle and pigs and thus has the potential to threaten the economic stability of those who rely on livestock between 30 and 40 percent of those infected will develop life-threatening heart disease
in addition to the cardiac complications humans can also experience intestinal complications and even-especially in young children-meningoencephalitis which is a life-threating inflammation of the brain
the teams research proposal chosen through a competitive process is one of only four to receive funding through the texas a&m one health grand challenge it is a collaboration of faculty members in six texas a&m colleges: gabriel hamer at the college of agriculture and life sciences cecilia giusti at the college of architecture dan goldberg at the college of geosciences charles criscione at the college of science sarah hamer at the veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and ann millard at the school of public health at the health science center together they have expertise in ecology epidemiology population genetics parasitology community health border health medical anthropology medical and veterinary entomology land and economic development and planning latin american studies and spatial analysis
zoonotic diseases are the ultimate one health challenge because of the complex interactions among humans wildlife domestic animals vectors and pathogens within shared environments said dr sarah hamer an assistant professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the principal investigator on the project we plan for our research and outreach on chagas disease to serve as ‘proof of principle and that our one health approach will be extended to tackle other vector-borne zoonotic disease systems in the future we are in a great place for texas a&m university to be a leader in multidisciplinary vector-borne disease research
the team plans a three-pronged approach to their research in south texas first they will trap kissing bugs collect wildlife domestic animal and human blood samples and assess the socioeconomic environment then they will process samples in the laboratory to sequence dna and determine the population genetics of both the parasites and the kissing bugs that transmit them finally they will use that information to map the disease over time and space taking into account the relationships between environmental climatic and demographic factors that influence spread and severity of disease this map will then serve as a basis for future research as it can help identify risk factors and evaluate intervention strategies
this research program represents well what the one health grand challenge at texas a&m university is all about said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm facilitated by dr michael chaddock assistant dean for one health investigators came together from across campus to form the research team dedicated to finding extraordinary solutions for this disease of importance to texas and beyond equally impressive is the funding of this project which was also a team approach dr glen laine vice president for research at texas a&m matched voluntary contributions from the involved colleges to fully fund this challenge proposal
although there is a recent increase in awareness of chagas disease in texas researchers believe chagas disease has existed in the southern us for a long time in fact mummified remains of humans from texas and south america who died more than 1 150 years ago have evidence of chagas disease
this devastating disease is one of several neglected tropical diseases that can increase the poverty in already disadvantaged regions as it can have impacts on child development and worker productivity said dr michael chaddock as an under-diagnosed under-reported disease with poorly-understood risk factors this type of research is desperately needed
###
about the texas a&m one health initiative: the initiative is dedicated to the discovery development communication and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields providing the highest quality undergraduate graduate and professional programs to prepare students to assume roles in leadership responsibility and service to society it builds on the strength of the university and the state of texas from discovery to application and commercialization allowing for the discovery learning and applied research to meet societal needs learn more about the one health initiative at http://onehealthtamuedu

college station texas – as an established leader in electron beam technology dr suresh pillai director of the national center for electron beam research within the texas a&m college of agriculture & life sciences (coals) department of poultry science along with an interdisciplinary team of investigators were recently awarded funding through the competitive one health grand challenge proposal process to pursue novel applications for this innovative technology
the faculty in our college are well-positioned to facilitate progress at texas a&m in this area said dr bill dugas acting vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences and acting dean college of agriculture and life sciences they have the training skills and abilities to integrate the environment animal and human aspects of a problem to solve the complex but very important grand challenges facing our society such as improving our health
the one health grand challenge was offered as an opportunity for texas a&m schools and colleges to plan and implement an inter/transdisciplinary collaborative approach to helping improve the lives of all species-humans and animals-by addressing health and their connections between natural and man-made environments
the one health grand challenge identified four major one health research themes and implementing a plan to bring together teams to propose research initiatives under these themes
the interdisciplinary team includes faculty from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) texas a&m health science center college of medicine (tamhsc) texas a&m college of agriculture & life sciences (coals) texas a&m agrilife extension texas a&m college of architecture (arch) texas a&m bush school of government (bush) the dwight look college of engineering (eng) the texas a&m university system office of technology commercialization (otc) the mays business school (mays) texas a&m college of geosciences (geo) the texas a&m institute of biosciences and technology (ibt) the national center for therapeutics manufacturing (nctm) the texas a&m institute for genomic medicine (tigm) and the texas a&m institute for preclinical studies (tips) they included pillai and rosemary walzem co-principal investigator (coals); christine alvarado jeff tomberlin keyan salzman yongheng huang and joseph awika (coals); jenna anding (agrilife extension); andre thomas (arch); arnold vedlitz (bush); saurabh biswas and brett cornwell (otc); c sriskandarajah (mays); arul jayaraman victor ugaz bill batchelor and halit uster (eng); magnus hook (ibt); daniel goldberg (geo); robert alaniz (tamhsc); michael pishko (nctm); benjamin morpurgo (tigm); matthew miller (tips); and noah cohen and jan suchodolski (cvm)
the focus of this initiative is to develop novel uses for the one-of-a-kind electron beam technology aimed at eradicating water borne food borne and feed borne infectious diseases in humans and animals through the development of new vaccines and other therapeutics; ensuring global food supply security through new packaging treatment and processing methods; and exploring the use of this technology in improving food and water quality
this technology uses commercial electricity which is transformed by stripping off electrons explained pillai what makes it a truly paradigm-shifting technology is that it creates both reduction and oxidation processes simultaneously without the addition of chemicals the frequency levels of electron beam are adjustable which allows us to use it at the lower end for killing insects and pests at the mid range for treating food and water for dangerous pathogens and then at the higher end to create memory shape plastics that may be used in medical applications
the proposed project in electron beam technology leverages texas a&m universitys unequaled strength characterized by the combination of technological capabilities and expertise this unique collaborative effort will initiate strategic partnerships between academia private industry non-governmental organizations entrepreneurs global financing institutions ebeam equipment suppliers and national and international regulatory agencies that will take advantage of the technological potential of this platform in healing cleaning feeding and shaping this world in way not seen before
the proposal submitted by dr pillai and this team of investigators holds great promise in creating the next generation of killed vaccines developing new methods for cleaning the environment and improving the sustainability of our natural resources and protecting the global food supply from massive loss said dr michael chaddock assistant dean for one health and strategic initiatives at the cvm interdisciplinary approaches such as this that advance knowledge that will improve global health is at the very core of the definition of one health
the one health initiative was started at texas a&m in 2011 to be a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally nationally and globally to attain sustainable optimal health for the ecosystem its driven by agents of change which include but are not limited to population growth; nutritional agricultural and trade practices; globalization; shift in land use; accelerated urbanization; deforestation; encroachment on wildlife; and climate change
this research program represents well what the one health grand challenge at texas a&m university is all about said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm facilitated by dr michael chaddock investigators came together from across campus to form the research team dedicated to finding extraordinary solutions for diseases of importance to texas and beyond equally impressive is the funding of this project which was also a team approach dr glen laine vice president for research at texas a&m matched voluntary contributions from the involved colleges to fully fund this challenge proposal
###
about the texas a&m one health initiative: the initiative is dedicated to the discovery development communication and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields providing the highest quality undergraduate graduate and professional programs to prepare students to assume roles in leadership responsibility and service to society it builds on the strength of the university and the state of texas from discovery to application and commercialization allowing for the discovery learning and applied research to meet societal needs learn more about the one health initiative at http://onehealthtamuedu
contact information: megan palsa mpalsa@cvmtamuedu 979-862-4216 979-421-3121 (cell)

college station texas – a research initiative lead by dr arum han from the department of electrical and computer engineering at texas a&m university is one of the four university-wide initiatives selected for the one health grand challenge
the one health grand challenge was offered as an opportunity for the texas a&m schools and colleges to plan and implement a transdisciplinary collaborative approach to help improve the lives of all species-humans and animals-by addressing health and their connections between natural and man-made environments
the one health grand challenge identified four major one health research themes and implementing a plan to bring together teams to propose research initiatives under these themes
hans team has faculty from the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) dwight look college of engineering (eng) texas a&m health science center (tamhsc) and texas a&m agrilife they included jane welsh (cvm) allison c rice-ficht (tamhsc) arul jayaraman (eng) paul de figueiredo (tamhsc/agrilife) jianrong li (cvm) thomas ficht (cvm) robert c alaniz (tamhsc) byung-jun yoon (eng) michael pishko (eng) michael criscitiello (cvm) garry adams (cvm) melissa grunlan (eng) evelyn tiffany-castiglioni (cvm) won-bo shim (agrilife) yoonsuck choe (eng) michael polymenis (agrilife) timothy p devarenne (agrilife) and wonmuck hwang (eng)
the title of their initiative is miniature tissues and organs for detection and prevention of diseases and focuses on development of next-generation biologics through microphysiological systems it was selected for the one health accessible & affordable quality health care theme
i believe that multidisciplinary collaboration is key in addressing challenges in this new one health paradigm said han and i hope that engineering technologies can make significant contributions towards solving these grand challenges of societal importance
the vision of this microphysiological systems initiative is to create a world where human animal and plant diseases can be readily detected disease mechanisms can be accurately and quickly deciphered emerging threats can be predicted and new therapeutics and vaccines can be rapidly developed all at low cost thus ultimately providing accessible and affordable healthcare
the technological innovations at the core of this initiative are in developing in vitro microsystems that closely mimic the physiology of whole organisms and in developing lab-on-a-chip systems that are high throughput accurate flexible and low cost systems that mimic (or reproduce) human physiological systems (eg organ-on-a-chip) aim to overcome the limitations of currently used in vitro models and animal models lab-on-a-chip systems can accelerate assays and significantly lower costs combined together the team is hoping to provide a new paradigm for improving our capabilities to provide accessible and affordable healthcare the initial focus areas of this initiative will be neurodegenerative diseases immune systems and the human microbiome; however the team is hoping that the developed systems and their applications can be more broadly expanded and adapted to solving other health problems of high societal importance
the proposal submitted by dr han and his team of investigators holds great promise in radically changing how we examine organ systems and perform diagnostics in multiple species said dr michael chaddock assistant dean for one health and strategic initiatives at the cvm interdisciplinary approaches such as this-that advance knowledge that will improve global health-is at the very core of the definition of one health
the one health initiative was started at texas a&m in 2011 to be a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally nationally and globally to attain sustainable optimal health for the ecosystem its driven by agents of change which include but are not limited to population growth; nutritional agricultural and trade practices; globalization; shift in land use; accelerated urbanization; deforestation; encroachment on wildlife; and climate change
this research program represents well what the one health grand challenge at texas a&m university is all about said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm facilitated by dr michael chaddock investigators came together from across campus to form the research team dedicated to finding extraordinary solutions for diseases of importance to texas and beyond equally impressive is the funding of this project which was also a team approach dr glen laine vice president for research at texas a&m matched voluntary contributions from the involved colleges to fully fund this challenge proposal
the initiative is dedicated to the discovery development communication and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields providing the highest quality undergraduate graduate and professional programs to prepare students to assume roles in leadership responsibility and service to society it builds on the strength of the university and the state of texas from discovery to application and commercialization allowing for the discovery learning and applied research to meet societal needs
we have a tremendous amount of expertise and human capital at texas a&m and we are ideally suited to address many of societys greatest health challenges said dr m katherine banks vice chancellor and dean of engineering innovation thrives when we bring great scholars together and it is exciting to imagine the possible advances that will come from their multidisciplinary approach to problem solving

college station texas – enhancing the health and well-being of animals and humans through the alleviation of chronic illnesses and conditions is the goal of an innovative project recently awarded funding through the competitive one health grand challenge proposal process the projects team will approach this objective by addressing the adverse physical societal and economic effects of these stressful chronic conditions including metabolic dysregulation and obesity
the one health grand challenge was offered as an opportunity for texas a&m university faculty members to plan and implement a multi-disciplinary collaborative approach improving the lives of all species-human and animal-by addressing health as well as the connections between health and both natural and man-made environments
the one health grand challenge faculty advisory committee identified four major one health research themes and implemented a plan to bring together teams to propose research initiatives under these themes
the interdisciplinary team includes faculty from the texas a&m college of agriculture & life sciences (coals) texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) texas a&m health science center college of medicine texas a&m agrilife research texas a&m health science center college of pharmacy texas a&m college of liberal arts the dwight look college of engineering (eng) and the texas a&m college of education & human development (edu) they included tom welsh principal investigator (coals cvm agrilife research) robert alaniz (tamhsc) gordon carstens (coals agrilife research) mahua choudhury (tamhsc-kingsville) noah cohen (cvm) kevin curley (cvm) sherecce fields (liberal arts) kianfar kiavash (eng) narendra kumar (tamhsc-kingsville) sara lawhon (cvm) john lawler (edu) jeff liew (edu) dai lu (tamhsc-kingsville) lisako mckyer (edu) mary meagher (liberal arts) cynthia meininger (tamhsc-temple) peter murano (coals) dave potter (tamhsc-kingsville) ron randel (agrilife research-overton) penny riggs (coals agrilife research) loren skow (cvm) jane welsh (cvm) keith young (tamhsc-temple) and beiyan zhou (cvm)
the faculty in our college are well-positioned to facilitate progress at texas a&m in this area they have the training skills and abilities to integrate the environment animal and human aspects of a problem to solve the complex but very important grand challenges facing our society such as improving our health said dr bill dugas acting vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences and acting dean college of agriculture and life sciences
the focus of this initiative is to further develop the understanding of genetic and environmental factors including stress that can disrupt metabolic functions in humans and animals which may lead to a variety of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease obesity and diabetes and a reduction in productivity
there are numerous undesirable conditions that can arise when an animal or person cannot maintain a healthy balance said welsh our approach includes four separate projects each of which will investigate environmental and genetic factors influencing the regulation of metabolic health by learning how to manage these factors we will be able to reduce susceptibility to chronic disease in humans and animals and also reduce stress on animals that affects their productivity
two pilot projects will focus on behavior and stress related to metabolism these will include the investigation of prenatal stress on calves and separately will examine epigenetic changes in human patients diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder two additional projects include work to determine environmental factors that influence metabolism as well as the role that microbes in the body (the microbiome) play in metabolic regulation
the proposal submitted by dr welsh and this team of investigators holds great promise in creating new understanding of the relationship between the environment genetics stress and the cascade of chronic diseases that result from stress on the metabolic system said dr michael chaddock assistant dean for one health and strategic initiatives at the cvm interdisciplinary approaches such as this that advance knowledge that will improve global health is at the very core of the definition of one health
the one health initiative was started at texas a&m in 2011 to be a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally nationally and globally to attain sustainable optimal health for the ecosystem its driven by agents of change which include but are not limited to population growth; nutritional agricultural and trade practices; globalization; shift in land use; accelerated urbanization; deforestation; encroachment on wildlife; and climate change
this research program represents well what the one health grand challenge at texas a&m university is all about said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm facilitated by dr michael chaddock investigators came together from across campus to form the research team dedicated to finding extraordinary solutions for these diseases of importance to texas and beyond equally impressive is the funding of this project which was also a team approach dr glen laine vice president for research at texas a&m matched voluntary contributions from the involved colleges to fully fund this challenge proposal
college station texas – two outstanding faculty members at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) dr jeffrey musser clinical associate professor in veterinary pathobiology and dr james barr assistant professor in small animal emergency and critical care were recognized with the prestigious association of former students college-level teaching award for their talent expertise and devotion to students the awards were presented at the cvm college hour on october 10
this award recognizes the important contribution dr musser and dr barr make to the lives of so many here at texas a&m university said kathryn greenwade 88 vice president for communications and human resources at the association of former students loyal and dedicated former students like class of 59 cvm graduate dr charlie wiseman whom we honor tonight as a distinguished alumnus make these awards possible through their annual gifts and help us recognize the people who make a difference at texas a&m
this award is chosen by faculty members and students every year the honorees are presented with a plaque and a stipend
wed like to thank them for the work that they do to provide our students with high impact learning experiences said dr blanca lupiani associate dean of faculties at texas a&m
musser has been with the cvm since joining the faculty as a lecturer in 2000 while serving on the faculty at the cvm he has won several awards including the 2003 montague teaching excellence award the 2005 texas veterinary medical association research award and the 2007 texas a&m university international excellence award musser has also been nominated twice by the cvm for the bush excellence award for faculty in international teaching with an interest in global veterinary medicine and emerging infectious diseases musser has worked diligently to provide opportunities for texas a&m students to have internships overseas in zambia malawi norway australia ghana and ecuador in addition to teaching several study-abroad courses
mussers award was presented by dr linda logan professor and department head for veterinary pathobiology at the cvm
dr musser is an exceptional choice for this award logan said his commitment to the students his innovative teaching style his communication skills and his challenge to students to broaden their horizons exemplify the intent of this award his contributions to international understanding of veterinary medicine are outstanding and bring a global perspective to the learning environment within the college
the world and how animals and people interact with it is changing rapidly said musser our students whether in the laboratory or in the field will one day play an important role in not only identifying new emerging zoonotic diseases but also in making our world healthier for everyone to me it is critical that we prepare them well for that responsibility i would like to thank the association of former students and the people in my department and the college who spent the extra time and effort to make this happen i feel so honored to be chosen
congratulations to dr musser said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his enthusiasm for the subject matter is contagious as is his deep devotion to the students and their education he is not only a knowledgeable academician but he is an approachable teacher and mentor
barr has been with the cvm since 2009 and currently serves in the emergency and critical care department of the small animal hospital at the cvm in his role barr is involved in the diagnosis and treatment of the most critical cases brought into the hospital he works closely with third- and fourth-year veterinary medical students in the hospital to prepare them for difficult and complex cases this is his first teaching award while serving on the faculty at the cvm
dr sharon kerwin professor and interim head of the department of small animal clinical sciences at the cvm presented barr with his award
dr barr has been an incredible asset in the emergency room and the critical care unit notes kerwin it is a very challenging job and he makes it looks easy he is an incredibly talented and natural teacher both in the clinic and in the classroom in addition to a busy clinic and research schedule dr barr gives his time to our students as faculty advisor to both the student chapters of the american veterinary medical association (scavma) and the student chapter of the emergency and critical care club he is a tremendous asset to texas a&m and we are lucky to have him on faculty
i appreciate the challenge of complex and critical cases barr said one of the most rewarding aspects of my job is finding a solution that will save a life working through a difficult case with my students not only gives them an opportunity to use their exceptional problem-solving skills but also often gives me a new perspective-one that i may not have considered earlier the two-way dynamic between instructor and student is an important part of preparing the next generation of veterinary practitioners and it is an honor to be recognized for that work i want to thank the association the committee that selected me and the students who took their time to show their support
dr barr teaches by example whether it is the highest quality of patient care or the deepest level of compassion for the patient add to that his sense of humor and his devotion to students and it is clear why he is so deserving of this award green said
the american association of bovine practitioners (aabp) student quiz bowl team from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) won the national quiz bowl competition for the second year in a row at the 47th annual aabp conference in albuquerque new mexico on september 18-20 entitled reconnect retool reclaim the conference offered the most up-to-date and futuristic sessions on beef cow-calf dairy feedlot and general cattle topics as well as various featured speakers and exhibits
the senior team comprised of veterinary students jayton bailey bryan weaver leslie wagner and benjamin fox made the final round against ohio state and defeated them for the second straight year
it was great to represent the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and the state of texas at the aabp quiz bowl said benjamin fox
held in a designated area of the exhibit hall these four member teams were challenged in head to head single elimination competition to determine the aabp student quiz bowl champion
we are proud of our students for winning but not surprised they did said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm their performance reflects the hard work dedication and commitment to learning this win also reflects the quality and dedication of our outstanding food animal faculty who prepared them for this competition as they do for their veterinary careers congratulations to the team for earning this special award and for exemplifying the excellence in education for which texas a&m university and our college are known where else but texas #1 in the nation in cattle where else but aggieland
also deserving recognition the junior aabp quiz bowl group made it to the final rounds and was in the round of three with the other texas a&m team one win away from making the finals team members kathleen gerdes ross kalina bryan agado and erin fuchs are commended for their representation of their college and university
three of the students also presented cases at the conference wagner presented a cranial cruciate rupture in an angus bull bailey presented salmonellosis in an adult cow and weaver presented johnes disease in a wagyu bull
reveille viii the first lady of texas a&m and a special member of the aggie family will retire in style on campus at the stevenson companion animal life-care center
the stevenson center provides personalized lifelong care for animals in a home-like environment it is a special place and will be a wonderful home for reveille next door to her long-time health care provider the texas a&m university veterinary medical teaching hospital
reveilles health care team will include her regular veterinarians for preventive health care her own veterinary dentist and veterinary specialists ready to provide the most advanced care for any problem she may experiencefor the rest of her life she will also be able to continue living on campus where she can see kyle field from her window and hear aggie game day excitement
four very special veterinary students will live with her 7 days a week 24 hours a day in essence she will receive royal treatment befitting the retired first lady of aggieland! we are thrilled to welcome her to our family of much loved animals (pets) at the stevenson center at our college
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt director of cvmbs communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
the executive director of the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) andrew maccabe dvm mph jd visited our college during the second week of september and spent time with numerous college students staff faculty and administrators he spent time discussing the one health initiative opportunities to advance veterinary medical education the challenges we face in veterinary medicine and opportunities on the horizon he also expressed his enthusiasm for the work we are doing to train the next generation of veterinarians who will lead our profession tomorrow
while visiting with us maccabe discussed his passion for a college and a nation focused on improving human and animal health presenting to over 55 college faculty administrators and staff he discussed the new aavmc strategic plan outlining the plans three goals-analyze catalyze and advocate-he stressed the importance of recruitment financial literacy core assessment and the cost of education educational debt is a complicated issue said maccabe we live in an interdependent global world we need to look at ways to share resources get input from colleges and decide how to best coordinate our efforts there are always barriers especially to state-supported colleges and sometimes there are complications in sharing funds but its a matter of finding ways to work together
focusing on recruitment maccabe discussed the importance of diversifying our student body as we prepare students to lead in the global search for cures in both animal and human disease he strongly believes that graduating classes of veterinarians with diverse perspectives and backgrounds is imperative for the future of the profession one of the most important things we can do to secure this profession is to increase diversity and bring awareness to underrepresented populations said maccabe our profession is greatly enriched by sharing education systems and models with high quality programs around the world the schools that have sought and achieved american veterinary medical association (avma) accreditation promote the exchange of ideas which is the essence of education
this is dr maccabes second appointment at the aavmc; his first as associate executive director followed his completion in 2002 of his jd degree from the james e rogers college of law at the university of arizona he served at the aavmc until 2007 following that he served as a liaison at the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) coordinating policies and programs between the cdc and the us food and drug administration
dr maccabe is leading the way by providing members with information on national trends in veterinary education focusing on bringing people together to determine the changing face of the enrolled student body aggressively marketing and recruiting in underrepresented neighborhoods and developing national strategies to inspire and recruit said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are on our way to making positive change and to providing opportunities for advancement and success in veterinary medicine

dr kristin chaney who is board-certified in equine internal medicine and critical care joined the professional programs office on sept 15 and will working with the faculty on outcome assessment and portions of the curricular review process dr chaney earned her ba at the university of north carolina at chapel hill and her dvm at colorado state university most recently she has been working at st georges university grenada
nicole parker who has worked within texas a&m university at college station galveston and qatar joins the team as an administrative assistant she has also earned a masters degree in public service and administration from the university
college station texas – dr heather wilson-robles a veterinary oncologist and associate professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has recently been appointed as chair holder of the dr fred a and vola n palmer chair in comparative oncology
a chair is established to support and enhance the professional activities of an accomplished faculty member usually created by a donation that is placed into an endowment the principal amount from the donation is not spent but remains in place to provide supportwe are enormously grateful for the support the palmers have provided our college through the establishment of the dr fred a and vola n palmer chair in comparative oncology said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine this chair recognizes dr wilson-robles contributions to veterinary oncology through scholarly research and the development of multiple clinical trials within our teaching hospital her efforts have led to the development of new approaches to diagnose and treat cancer in animals that will eventually lead to similar advances in the treatment of cancer in people and are indicative of why she is so deserving of this recognition it is notable that dr fred a palmer is not only an outstanding alumnus of cvm but he is also a distinguished alumnus of texas a&m university
the beauty of an endowment is that the funds are invested and the earnings from the investment are used to support the faculty members work said dr guy sheppard director of development at the cvm the support from endowed chairs allows us to recruit and retain the finest faculty members
dr fred a palmer a 1969 graduate of the cvm was a successful veterinary practitioner in fort worth for many years and served as president of the texas veterinary medical association fred and vola who are great friends of the cvm and of texas a&m university serve on the cvm development council the friends of the libraries council 12th man foundation board and the association of former students board fred was also named an outstanding alumnus of the cvm as well as being one of only three veterinarians named as a distinguished alumnus of texas a&m
the palmers are stellar college advocates and tremendously gracious donors to the college and we are truly grateful for their generosity in establishing a chair in comparative oncology green said
dr wilson-robles has distinguished herself in the field of comparative oncology a field for which the palmers are very passionate said sheppard her clinical and research work in the field make her well suited for this honor
i am both honored and thrilled to be given this opportunity to further develop our comparative oncology program at texas a&m said dr wilson-robles the palmers have been very supportive of the oncology department here at texas a&m and i feel privileged to be given the opportunity to advance this very important area of research in their name
college station texas – dr sharon kerwin professor and interim department head at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been named to the tom and joan read chair in veterinary surgery
mrs joan read and her late husband tom have been very generous to the cvm and to texas a&m establishing numerous scholarships and providing support to a wide variety of areas within the universitydr sharon kerwin has served our college as an exceptional veterinary surgeon and as a model of selfless service and leadership said dean eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine her dedication to supporting the growth of her service area in the veterinary medical teaching hospital the teaching and research endeavors of her colleagues and the continued development of staff and students on the surgical service has created an engaging work and teaching environment based on teamwork in recognition of her exemplary leadership and surgical expertise we are proud to recognize dr kerwin with this chair
i am honored to be appointed to the tom and joan read chair in veterinary surgery; it is only one of the many wonderful things the reads have done for texas a&m university kerwin said it has been my privilege to be part of a team that has had a long tradition of excellence and innovation in small animal surgery in the cvm
we are proud and honored to have the tom and joan read chair in our college supporting an excellent faculty member and recognizing the generosity of mrs joan read and her late husband tom green said
kerwin is one of three newly appointed chair holders at the cvm sharing recognition alongside two of her colleagues dr jonathan levine and dr heather wilson-robles
two of my departmental colleagues drs jon levine and heather wilson-robles were also appointed chairs kerwin said they are both are tremendously deserving and its exciting to see their talent and hard work recognized
college station texas – dr jonathan levine associate professor in neurology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has recently been appointed to the helen mcwhorter chair in small animal medicine
a chair is established to support and enhance the professional activities of an accomplished faculty member the chair is usually created by a donation that is placed into an endowment where the funds are invested and earnings from the investment are used to support the faculty members work the principal amount from the donation is not spent and will remain in place to provide supportdr levine is an established leader not only on our veterinary neurology service but also within the neurology discipline said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his translational research approach is building impactful collaborations with his counterparts in human medicine in an effort to improve the health of both animals and people he is truly deserving of this recognition recognizing outstanding faculty through a chair appointment such as the helen mcwhorter chair in small animal medicine is tremendously beneficial to the college and we are grateful for the support received from this endowed chair
the support from endowed chairs allows us to recruit and retain the finest faculty members said dr guy sheppard director of development at the cvm
ms mcwhorter who was a generous benefactor to the cvm from baytown texas established this endowed chair and another generous scholarship endowment through a gift from her will in addition to her support of the cvm ms mcwhorter also placed her dogs to be cared for at the stevenson companion animal life-care center when she was no longer able to do so
i am humbled and honored to receive the mcwhorter chair in small animal medicine said levine this will be a tremendous resource to further develop and support our programs in translational medicine
college station texas – the genetic changes that transformed wild animals into domesticated forms have long been a mystery however an international team of scientists has made a breakthrough by showing that many genes controlling the development of the brain and the nervous system were particularly important for rabbit domestication according to a study published today in the journal science
the domestication of animals and plants a prerequisite for the development of agriculture is one of the most important technological revolutions during human history domestication of animals started as early as 9 000 to 15 000 years ago and initially involved dogs cattle sheep goats and pigs the rabbit was domesticated much later about 1 400 years ago at monasteries in southern france when domestication occurred the wild ancestor the european rabbit (oryctolagus cuniculus) was confined to the iberian peninsula and southern france
there are several reasons why the rabbit is an outstanding model for genetic studies of domestication said miguel carneiro from cibio/inbio-university of porto one of the leading authors on the paper its domestication was relatively recent we know where it happened and this region is still densely populated with wild rabbits
the scientists first sequenced the entire genome of one domestic rabbit to develop a reference genome assembly then they re-sequenced entire genomes of domestic rabbits representing six different breeds and wild rabbits sampled at 14 different places across the iberian peninsula and southern france
no previous study on animal domestication has involved such a careful examination of genetic variation in the wild ancestral species said leif andersson of uppsala university swedish university of agricultural sciences and texas a&m university this allowed us to pinpoint the genetic changes that have occurred during rabbit domestication
this domestication has primarily occurred by altering the frequencies of gene variants that were already present in the wild ancestor our data shows that domestication primarily involved small changes in many genes and not drastic changes in a few genes continued andersson
the team observed very few examples where a gene variant common in domestic rabbits had completely replaced the gene variant present in wild rabbits; it was rather shifts in frequencies of those variants that were favored in domestic rabbits
the results we have are very clear carneiro said the difference between a wild and a tame rabbit is not which genes they carry but how their genes are regulated-when and how much of each gene is used in different cells
the study also revealed which genes have been altered during domestication most noticeably strong enrichment in domestic rabbits of genes involved in the development of the brain and the nervous system
the study shows that the wild rabbit is a highly polymorphic species that carries gene variants that were favorable during domestication and that the accumulation of many small changes led to the inhibition of the strong flight response-one of the most prominent phenotypic changes in the evolution of the domestic rabbit
we predict that a similar process has occurred in other domestic animals and that we will not find a few specific ‘domestication genes that were critical for domestication andersson said it is very likely that a similar diversity of gene variants affecting the brain and the nervous system occurs in the human population and that contributes to differences in personality and behavior
my children need to see a world that has the beauty and wonder of species that we live in now said dr donald brightsmith assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) biodiversity and ecosystems matter because were all part of it

brightsmith has been passionately pursuing research aimed at gaining a better understanding of the delicate balance of ecosystems and the many species that rely on them through his work with the tambopata macaw project based in tambopata peru also as co-director of the applied biodiversity science program at texas a&m part of an integrated research and teaching grant brightsmith oversees multiple projects that advance understanding of the majestic macaws that feed on the clay licks near the research station and also provide educational opportunities for government officials naturalists and other researchers to learn more about the importance of conservation
with a growing logging enterprise in many heavily forested areas in peru as well as increasing urbanization there are a number of threats to the native species of plants and animals that depend on the heavily wooded area for food and shelter those that live in developed countries are often insulated from the impacts of ecosystem degradation so brightsmith his collaborators and a team of volunteers are working to measure the impact of environmental change on multiple species
we are working on research projects that we hope will help define the direction for conservation and education efforts so that future generations will be able to appreciate the unique role each species plays in a successful ecosystem brightsmith said when you tip the balance away from healthy ecosystems the environment can collapse for animals and humans we spend a lot of time documenting the surroundings measuring how things are working in protected areas and monitoring the animals we learn the scale at which different species live
using satellite telemetry to track the macaws that frequent the nearby clay licks brightsmith and his team have been able to identify that many of them fly out of the protected area which is currently the size of connecticut and over urban areas extending their territory much further than previously thought information like this may then be used by governments to determine appropriate boundaries for designated protected areas
natural resources and feeding habits are also important to improving conservation efforts brightsmith has been studying the feeding of macaws at the nearby clay licks contrary to similar clay licks in costa rica the ones near tambopata appear to fulfill a different nutritional need for the peruvian macaws
in costa rica the clay licks are made up of different minerals than those in peru said brightsmith and appear to fulfill a need for high sugar content the clay licks near tambopata were created when the ocean encroached into the soil leaving a higher sodium content so this difference in nutrient need is key to understanding the successful protection and growth of the macaw population if we dont do our part by increasing what we know about macaws and their behaviors we can push this species and others to the point of being ecologically extinct which means they are unable to fulfill their full ecological purpose for being in the ecosystem at that point we lose something valuable for future generations
however brightsmiths work is about more than just macaws peccaries and other species that live in close proximity to the clay licks have led to new questions for the researchers and volunteers at the tambopata station
we recognize that herbivores in the area like the peccaries serve as seed dispersers as do other species of birds said brightsmith we observe them as they visit the clay lick area to try to gain a better understanding of the role the clay lick serves as a sodium source and then we question how the concentration of herbivores near a sodium source can potentially change seed/seedling forest dynamics
through outreach efforts based in tambopata like the amazon field school and with additional volunteer opportunities brightsmith is finding new ways of looking at conservation by bringing people into the picture
by keeping a broad focus on what we are doing here said brightsmith we are able to create new perspectives on conservation where we can look at what we are doing from both anthropological and biological points of view
brightsmith also encourages the next generation of conservation researchers to embrace this one health approach through his teaching role in the schubot center for exotic bird health located within the cvm the center is under the leadership of dr ian tizard distinguished professor of immunology in the department of veterinary pathobiology tizard through his own teaching and research efforts also recognizes the inextricable link between animal human and ecosystem health that is at the core of the one health initiative

of all emerging diseases approximately 70 percent are zoonotic meaning they affect both humans and animals said tizard also nearly 95 percent of emerging diseases are derived from animals while we have known for example that sick birds can lead to sick cats which in turn lead to sick humans we are taking a much deeper look at disease chains in doing so we cannot be too narrow in the approach
work within the schubot center not only includes brightsmiths parrot and conservation projects but also genomics of multiple species of birds and a growing number of projects focused on waterfowl
we have a constituency of aviculturists said tizard we need to deliver to the concerns of bird enthusiasts and bird owners there are an awful lot of questions to answer out there when it comes to providing evidence-based information to improve the health and welfare of birds whether wild or domestic
one of the more pressing concerns for the researchers within the schubot center is that it appears some ecosystems are approaching a tipping point tizard pointed out that these ecosystems are witnessing less genetic diversity increased predatory stress increased environmental stress disease introduction and nutrition stress
our focus has been on the health of populations of birds be it captive or wild said tizard we are fortunate to have a strong partnership with clinical specialists here at the cvm and that provides added depth to what we are able to accomplish from a research perspective
one important study that tizard says represents the growing focus on avian infectious diseases and the interplay between animal health and the environment is the centers work on proventricular dilatation disease (pdd) which the center conclusively proved is caused by the avian bornavirus pdd was primarily thought of as a lethal disease affecting large parrots it is described as a devastating and complicated disease to study however once avian bornavirus was determined to be the cause it has led the research team at the schubot center in some interesting directions
we have now seen the virus in a number of waterfowl species said tizard in fact nearly 10 percent of texas ducks have tested positive for the virus this disease which spreads similarly to influenza has the potential to wipe out a species and even small changes in the environment can increase the risk for this disease in some species
avian bornavirus affects the vision and eyesight of infected birds and may be shown one day to be the reason birds often fly into planes and other obstacles the virus also poses other questions for the schubot team researchers in the center are trying to determine how the virus is able to infect parrots and waterfowl-two genetically different species at the same time some birds are able to live with the virus while others get sick of particular concern is if this disease occurs in wild birds and if it is able to jump between both wild and domestic birds this finding would have huge implications for avian release and recovery programs as it would become important to determine if the birds released back to the wild are healthy and disease-free and if not what the impact on the environment and other wild bird populations would be the team is also investigating the reported appearance of the virus in populations of ground squirrels in west texas which would be a significant jump in species to monitor
there is no denying that the health of animals humans and the ecosystem are linked tizard said for this reason researchers like dr brightsmith and others have to continue to use this one health perspective to ensure that we have a healthy and sustainable level of biodiversity of all species for future generations to enjoy
whether through improving conservation and outreach or solving the complexities of avian diseases the work of the schubot center is essential to advancing knowledge for future generations of researchers as it extends the research and clinical expertise from the cvm to tambopata and beyond
college station texas – dr sarah hamer assistant professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was named a montague-center for teaching excellence scholar for 2014-15
with the grant provided by the montague-cte scholars program hamer will develop a new high impact undergraduate course focused on field and laboratory methods in vector-borne disease ecology she will teach the new course with a medical entomologist as a co-instructor and offer it to undergraduate students in a broad range of degree programs including biomedical science and entomology this diverse mixture of students should allow a rich exchange of ideas and experiences vector-borne disease will be the focus because disease-causing organisms transmitted by arthropod vectors (such as ticks) are a major public health burden that is increasing due to climate change the montague-center for teaching excellence (cte) scholar award has been given annually since 1991 to one tenure-track faculty member from each college based on their early ability and interest in teaching awardees receive a $6 500 grant to encourage further development of undergraduate teaching excellence
dr hamer joins a distinguished group of young faculty members in our college who have been recognized with this honor for their excellence in teaching said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are proud of dr hamer for her commitment and dedication to providing an excellent learning environment for students both within our college and from other programs across the university
hamer teaches the undergraduate-level vibs course in introductory epidemiology in the spring semester each year she also gives guest lectures in undergraduate classes in a multitude of disciplines including biology bioenvironmental sciences and wildlife and fisheries science
i am very excited for and about the new high impact undergraduate learning opportunities that will result from the montague scholarship being awarded to dr hamer said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni department head of vibs her research expertise is in vector-borne disease ecology the new course will allow undergraduates to participate in hands-on research projects as the course is repeated year after year by new cohorts of students it will help yield long-term datasets and meaningful contributions to science this is a great opportunity for students and for the college
the montague-cte scholars awards are named in honor of kenneth montague texas a&m class of 37 a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of the texas a&m foundation who had a long and storied career in the texas oil industry the award is designed to benefit aggies who are life-long learners and contributors to their communities
the object of the center for teaching excellence is to stimulate the development of innovative teaching strategies and technologies at texas a&m university and to recognize excellence in teaching early in a faculty members career
college station texas – over the course of the summer 19 students from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) had the opportunity to move from the classroom into research laboratories to further their education through the veterinary medical scientist research training program (vmsrtp) working closely with faculty mentors in the program this dedicated group of students conducted research projects on various topics that encompass the full range of the one health initiative
my research focus was to evaluate the microbial communities termed microbiota residing in the small intestine of healthy dogs during periods of withholding food said alyssa kasiraj a student participant in the vmsrtp we discovered profound changes in the microbial communities during periods of withholding food compared to the periods of regular feeding which is important when considering therapeutic options in clinical situations that involve withholding food
the vmsrtp encourages veterinary medical students to explore a side of veterinary medicine that is not typically a part of private practice including career paths in clinical research and academia said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine it provides students with a new look at the breadth of career opportunities in the veterinary profession as well as a better understanding of veterinary and biomedical research and the various roles that veterinarians fill in those endeavors
the standards for accreditation by the american veterinary medical associations council on education tell us that the curriculum should provide ‘opportunities throughout the curriculum for students to gain an understanding of the breadth of veterinary medicine career opportunities and other information about the profession ' said dr roger smith the programs faculty coordinator the vmsrtp provides one such opportunity
the conference which was held on july 29th 2014 gave these students the opportunity to present their research results in advance of traveling to the merial-national institutes of health veterinary scholars symposium held at the college of veterinary medicine on the cornell university campus
i came into the lab with very little computer knowledge and i learned how to use python-based software by the end of the summer as well as getting to work on my writing and presenting skills said kasiraj the experience showed me the amazing impact of research in the medical field i am very grateful for this program and all it allowed me to do!
although human in vitro fertilization (ivf) has been successful since the 1970s similar reproductive technology in horses has lagged behind success rates stubbornly hover between zero and 30 percent and only two live foals have been born using ivf

the main problem seems to be with the ability of sperm to penetrate the egg ongoing research much of it at texas a&m university has led to the ability to successfully mature horse oocytes in vitro however achieving in vitro sperm capacitation – which involves a series of changes that sperm must undergo in order to be able to fertilize an egg-has proven to be more complicated a solution may soon be at hand though; dr leticia vivani a phd student working jointly in dr katrin hinrichs and dr dickson varners labs at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is working on the reasons behind this problem
we are trying to understand the factors that regulate the process of sperm capacitation vivani said of course this happens perfectly well when we breed a mare but not when we try to mimic this in vitro we do not know the reason but i am almost sure there is something ‘special within the mare reproductive tract something that might not be needed in other species but that makes stallion sperm undergo all these changes
hinrichs lab has determined that for some reason equine sperm are different from those of other species for example incubation conditions that successfully induce hyperactivation (the whip-like tail motion needed to penetrate the egg) and subsequent fertilization in other species fail to do so with equine sperm there can be so many things that can be affecting capacitation and there is very little research done on equine sperm physiology vivani said this is good in a way because anything you do is new is innovative but at the same time the research can be very challenging and frustrating
some progress is being made in understanding equine sperm capacitation in 2009 by inducing hyperactivated motility with a substance called procaine researchers at cornell university achieved the highest fertilization rate to date (61%) unfortunately this is not a practicable solution for embryo production because procaine is toxic to the embryos this was nevertheless an important finding vivani said because it showed us that the failure of ivf was likely due to a sperm-related problem we now know that there is something difficult about inducing appropriate equine sperm motility in vitro and that may be why ivf rates have been so low
vivani who earned her doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) degree in her native argentina in 2001 and her master of science degree at the university of massachusetts in 2010 has long wanted to study at texas a&m with this team of researchers
i have been fascinated with equine reproduction and the reasons behind the failure of ivf in the horse in particular since my dvm graduation vivani said therefore ive been dreaming of working with dr hinrichs and with dr varner since i was in argentina i had been writing to them and calling them for years before i was eventually able to make it work to come to texas a&m first as a visiting researcher and then as a phd student she began her program in may 2012 and plans to graduate in 2016
one health
horses are an excellent model for human comparative studies mice for example do not age as women do but the changes that mares undergo are very similar to womens changes with aging vivani said when mares reach a certain age their reproductive efficiency decreases as a result; changes in hormone levels follicular development and oocyte quality are very similar in older mares and older women so its a great model for human medicine
just as in human medicine owners of horses for whom natural reproduction has failed turn to assisted reproduction technologies in horses this often means using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (icsi) a technique of bypassing standard ivf by injecting a sperm directly into the egg (see sidebar) the icsi technique is also sometimes used in humans especially when more traditional ivf has not worked at the moment the only way to successfully produce a horse embryo in vitro is through the use of icsi which many breeders are increasingly using however is not the most physiological way vivani said and is not always practical as it requires time sophisticated equipment and trained personnel that is why i focus on how to make ivf work
ironically the one health approach which usually means translating findings from animals into human medicine works backward in this case ivf works well in humans and has for more than 30 years however it is not yet successful in horses and perhaps going back to the basics of reproduction can help explain why that is the case
in the beginning basic research was hard for me vivani said because i was trained as a veterinarian and i just wanted to see results my advisor for my masters degree who is a basic researcher made me stop and ask why things work or not and im very grateful that he did in fact the ivf technique was pioneered through basic research that led to the discovery of capacitation
dr hinrichs and other researchers like her have focused on really understanding physiological processes related to reproduction vivani said for many years we working in equine reproduction tried one thing and if it didnt work we tried a completely different thing without trying to figure out why it didnt work and this process explains why there is so little information in this area
despite all of the challenges vivani says that she finds her work extremely satisfying partly due to her excellent mentors dr hinrichs and dr varner are so encouraging with their students and really value their work vivani said they always encourage me to learn as much as i can studying with them has been a wonderful experience-truly a dream come true
a select group of texas a&m veterinary students were recently given the unique opportunity to communicate their knowledge of various animal health issues during their participation with the houston spca for animal planets filming for animal cops houston
animal cops is a show featured on the animal planet network that follows and highlights the work of animal cruelty investigators this particular series was set in houston and followed the houston society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (hspca) to investigate animal cruelty and take necessary measures to protect the animals
this is the first time we have worked with veterinary students on an animal cops show and witnessing their experiences of working with the houston spca agents and veterinary team gives us a new perspective on the work carried out at the shelter said david terry production manager for animal cops the presence of the students in the series really helps us layer our stories by weaving interviews from experienced professionals with reactions from those seeing animal cruelty for the first time
laura saunders a texas a&m veterinary student who participated in the filming explained her experience working and communicating alongside professionals on the show i think the big thing i learned was that you have to be able to communicate at a level where everyone will understand said saunders there would be times during an interview where the film crew would ask me or the veterinarian what a specific term was and we would get the chance to further explain it it was a great experience
the students not only gained valuable communication skills and new experiences but also learned about animal cruelty issues as they worked alongside this influential organization and ultimately helped to save many animals lives
working with the texas a&m veterinary students on the making of animal cops houston was a great experience said terry we were and continue to be very impressed with the caliber of students coming to the shelter and the ‘can do attitude they bring with them
denver colorado-this week the american veterinary medical association (avma) awards linda logan dvm phd of texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences the 2014 xiith international veterinary congress prize
during the avmas annual convention in denver july 25–29 the avma honors some of the nations top veterinarians individuals and organizations during several events and ceremonies each recipient has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of both animals and people across the country and around the globe these recipients represent the very best in all areas of veterinary medicine from education and public service to research and private practice
the xiith international veterinary congress prize is given annually to recognize outstanding service by a member of the association who has contributed to international understanding of veterinary medicine logan receives the award during the avma presidents reception 6 pm on monday july 28 in the centennial ballroom ab in the hyatt regency denver
logan spent many years researching vector-borne disease in livestock both at the plum island animal disease center in new york and in africa currently she is the department head of veterinary pathobiology in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university where she is also a professor much of the departments research focuses on infectious diseases with an emphasis on zoonotic and transboundary diseases logan is also the colleges director for international programs
dr logan spent most of her childhood outside of the united states so it was natural that her veterinary career took her around the globe said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine with her training as a pathologist and interest in tropical diseases of livestock international livestock disease control and international agricultural trade she has made a difference in the world here at texas a&m she has helped take the cvm international programs to new heights i can think of no one more deserving of this recognition
she has worked for both the us department of agriculture animal and plant health inspection service (usda aphis) and the usda animal research service (usda ars) while at usda aphis she was the departments international services attaché for north and east africa and the middle east and eventually assumed the usda aphis senior post in kadar senegal as the senior attaché for africa and the middle east
during her career with the usda ars logan was the national program leader for animal health later she served as the texas animal health commission executive director which is the texas state veterinarian
the texas a&m university institute for advanced study (tias) established by the texas a&m university system board of regents in december 2010 provides a catalyst to enrich the intellectual climate and educational experiences at texas a&m it is a mechanism for attracting world-class talent to the university the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has benefited from the program with the addition of dr leif andersson a 2013-16 tias faculty fellow from uppsala university sweden to the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs)
andersson was chosen as a recipient of the 2014 wolf prize in agriculture often referred to as equivalent to the nobel prize
dr andersson is highly deserving of the wolf prize in agriculture said dr david threadgill professor and director of the whole systems genomic initiative (wsgi) at texas a&m he is the leading geneticist using the latest genomic tools to reveal the genetic control of many important production traits in agricultural animals there is no other scientist who has been as successful over the last 10 years as dr andersson has been in studying many different species and traits
as a tias fellow dr andersson has been collaborating with faculty in the cvm since november 2013 (see sidebar) his research involves comparing the genomes of many species of domestic animals to discover the molecular mechanisms and underlying traits that are important to human and veterinary medicine texas a&m university system chancellor john sharp who initiated the investment in tias said we are all very proud of tias and specifically dr andersson his work will influence the future of sustainable food production for the entire world
dr andersson analyzes interbreeding among species of domestic animals to identify the genes and mutations that affect specific traits this research has led to the development of genomic and marker-assisted selection as a means to identify breeding stock with specific useful and economically important characteristics these advances in livestock selection have replaced the more classic selection methods based on visible traits and are an essential contribution to sustainable feeding of a growing world population
i congratulate dr andersson on being awarded the prestigious wolf prize his breakthrough work in genomic technologies is an example of the positive impact that he and our texas a&m university faculty are having on texas the nation and the world said dr mark hussey interim president of texas a&m university
one area of dr anderssons research with potential crossover to humans is his work on the genetic basis of muscle physiology and motor coordination in horses this has led to insights into how their genes affect their gait these discoveries may also have important implications for human diseases such as cerebral palsy
we are excited about dr anderssons recognition as a recipient of the wolf prize in agriculture said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his international reputation and expertise in functional genomics combined with the world-class genomics faculty already in place at the cvm will be integral in fostering innovative one health collaborations and leading-edge discovery special thanks to tias and to our university leadership who provided the opportunity to bring these world-renowned scholars to our campus this effort led by texas a&m university chancellor john sharp and directed by dr junkins has provided a wealth of opportunity to texas a&m and to the communities we serve
the new wolf prize laureates will receive their awards in may from the president of israel and israels minister of education during a ceremony at the knesset building (the seat of israels parliament) in jerusalem i am extremely proud to be recognized with an international prize of this dignity dr andersson said five or six wolf prizes have been awarded annually since 1978 to outstanding individuals in the fields of agriculture chemistry mathematics medicine physics and the arts according to the wolf foundations website a total of 253 scientists and artists from 23 countries have been honored to date this year five prizes were awarded to eight individuals in four countries dr andersson is the fourth agriculture winner of the wolf prize associated with texas a&m: dr perry adkisson won in 1995 dr james womack in 2001 and dr fuller bazer in 2002
this recognition of the excellence of his work is also reflective of the overall quality of the stellar talent tias is attracting as faculty fellows said dr john junkins distinguished professor of aerospace engineering and founding director of tias each year tias is bringing the finest academics in the world to texas a&m for collaboration with our faculty and students of the first 15 scholars that tias has brought to texas a&m two have won the nobel prize one has been awarded the national medal of science and now one has been awarded the wolf prize indeed we are delighted by the ongoing contributions to our programs by all 15 of the highly distinguished scholars attracted to date as tias faculty fellows
andersson has also contributed to two major ongoing texas a&m research projects: development of new mouse models for comparative genomics and animal genome re-sequencing he has been instrumental in the latter by opening possibilities for collaboration with groups conducting next-next generation single cell sequencing (such as evan eichler at the university of washington seattle; pacbio sequencing group at biomedical center uppsala sweden)
we are extremely fortunate to be hosting dr andersson as a tias fellow in our department where he is a delightful and inspiring colleague said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni associate dean for undergraduate education professor and head of vibs dr andersson works across a broad range of species; this and his extraordinary powers of observation have been of tremendous value to faculty and students in the college
andersson directed the animal genetics component of the nordic centre of excellence in disease genetics (ncoedg) that was in operation until 2011 and his research group has done pioneering work in this field ncoedg involved investigators from denmark finland and sweden working in five nordic universities pooling their expertise methodological power and resources to study the genetic background of metabolic syndrome autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and colon cancer dr anderssons expertise in animal model development and experience with multi-institutional collaborative research in ncoedg can provide exceptional insights as the cvm positions itself to become a major contributor to the wsgi and the one health program
a world-renowned scientist who has published more than 330 scientific articles and has received six patents and filed applications for two more dr andersson has mentored 25 students to doctorate or professional degrees he has also been uniquely elected to four major scientific royal societies in sweden (royal swedish society for agriculture and forestry the royal swedish academy of sciences royal society of sciences in uppsala and the royal physiographic society in lund) and was recently elected as a foreign member of the us national academy of sciences dr andersson has received numerous other prizes: the thureus prize in natural history and medicine from the royal society of sciences the linneus prize in zoology from the royal physiographic society in lund the hilda and alfred erikssons prize in medicine from the royal swedish academy of sciences and the olof rudbeck prize from uppsala medical society
dr bhanu chowdhary dr terje raudsepp and her graduate student sharmila ghosh:
dr jim womack his postdoctoral fellow dr mi ok lee and his graduate student jungfeng chen:
dr gus cothran:
dr loren skow and graduate student erica downey:
dr david threadgill:
dr jonathan levines research on spinal cord injuries in dogs may one day help humans with similar injuries the united states department of defense seems to think so as they have funded a large-scale three-year clinical trial of dogs with injuries resulting from intervertebral disc herniation while humans with spinal cord injuries (scis) usually sustain these due to trauma canine disc herniation does mimic certain facets of human injury
importantly canine disc herniation results in spinal cord bruising and compression as is the case with trauma in humans additionally the treatment for canine disc herniation is amazingly similar to that which is administered to humans with spinal cord trauma
the animals get an mri they get surgery and they get rehabilitation said levine who is an associate professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
using dogs with naturally occurring neurological conditions as opposed to rodents with induced injuries gives a much more realistic view of how a drug might perform in humans however the study is also much more complicated because the researchers dont have control over a number of factors unlike rodents dogs vary widely in their genetics the location and severity of the injury and time before treatment begins human scis of course have similar variability
if a drug doesnt work on dogs that is a good indication that it might not work in humans either levine said on the other hand of course something that does work well in dogs is very promising for human injuries
one of the ways to determine if a treatment works is to measure recovery of various functions especially movement using infrared cameras that can track limb movements levine and his team measure how normal versus injured dogs walk then in separate collaborative projects with bioengineers at the university of louisville the team can determine which muscles are activated
it is a very collaborative process levine said there are about 20 people at a number of different institutions who are vital to our entire program the study with the us department of defense is a joint effort with investigators at uc san francisco medical school scientists at university of louisville methodist hospital and ut houston medical school are participating in an array of other projects
dr levines approach is a perfect example of one health research said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the goal of his trial is to determine how best to treat dogs with this common injury but in so doing he is gathering valuable data that can be used to benefit future human clinical trials
the drug levine and his colleagues are evaluating in the us department of defense canine clinical trial is a type of neuro-protective therapy meaning it is thought to protect the cord by stopping events that happen soon after injury that actually make injury worse specifically the drug blocks enzymes called metalloproteinases that are released after injury these enzymes break down the extracellular matrix and allow white blood cells into the spinal cord which only does more damage however these same enzymes can be useful at later stages of injury after the body has started the healing process and has begun to form scar tissue when the enzymes are inhibited at later stages the patients tend to do poorly which is why the drug therapy has to be timed perfectly
if we can get to these dogs in the first 48 hours after their injury levine said we can give this drug-and the dogs-their optimal chance
if you have a dog or a patient you think might be a candidate for levines clinical trial please contact alisha selix (aselix@cvmtamuedu) or elizabeth scanlin (escanlin@cvmtamuedu) at 979-845-2351
college station texas – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) held its annual staff awards ceremony thursday july 17 honoring 11 dedicated staff members for their excellence and showing recognition for their many successes as superheroes of the cvm
dr mark stickney clinical associate professor at the cvm or stickneyman as he was called for the ceremony emceed the superhero-themed award show which began with the musical performances of anna morrison and lauren pluhar
the 2014 staff awards recipients were as follows:
cindy voelker business administrator in the department of veterinary pathobiology received the 2014 pearl enfield staff leadership award pearl enfield was a highly professional and committed mainstay of the administrative staff in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (then called the department of veterinary anatomy and public health) until her unexpected death in 1996 the pearl enfield award was established in her honor to recognize a staff member who exhibited that same caliber of leadership and dedication to the college voelker was not able to be at the awards ceremony so her granddaughter accepted the award on her behalf
the awards were presented to employees based on nominations from their colleagues which were reviewed by staff and faculty members serving on the staff awards committee and each recipient was presented with a plaque noting her achievement along with a monetary award
all recipients were especially deserving as indicated by the exceptional comments said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine as she congratulated the award winners and thanked all of the staff for their hard work and dedication to the cvm thanks to everyone for making cvm a better place
college station texas – the issue of antibiotic resistance may have only recently become front-page news but it has always been a concern of those focused on improving public health alexander fleming a recipient of the 1945 nobel prize in medicine for his discovery of penicillin warned during his acceptance speech for the award of the possibility of resistance developing if antibiotics were used inappropriately nearly seventy years later his cautionary words and those of other public health experts have become a troublesome reality
abr has developed over time similar to a 40- or 50-year smoldering fire said morgan scott a professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences although antibiotic misuse and overuse in humans and animals has stoked that fire and shortened the time between introduction of a given antibiotic and formation of resistance bacteria would have eventually developed a tolerance for the drugs even with thoughtful antibiotic use when it comes to antibiotic use and bacterial resistance the only thing we really know for certain is that less use is better; however zero use is clearly not an option scott saidantibiotic resistance (abr) develops when an antibiotic drug loses its effectiveness against bacteria through genetic mutation and selection bacteria can evolve defenses against a given antibiotic some superbugs such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) require difficult costly treatment; in some cases treatment may not even be possible or feasible
scotts research in antibiotic use and resistance began in biomedical science and epidemiology but soon included work in other fields as his interest in the subject expanded
most of my research has been on studying the use of antibiotics and the resistance and potential risk to public health that result he said ive used a multitude of scientific approaches from molecular biology to ecology and everything in between and ive looked at the changing risk that is associated with different uses of different antibiotics and different regimens but behind all of that was this nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that no matter what we find none of it will matter unless we actually understand what motivates people to use antibiotics in the first place what the barriers are to any potential behavioral change
one aspect of scotts research in collaboration with dr alex mcintosh professor in the department of sociology at texas a&m university examined the social psychology of antibiotic use among veterinarians they found that several factors influenced why and how antibiotics are used including policy economics social norms regarding treatment and a belief that antibiotics are a good thing to do
when you start understanding the behavior you start to realize that the aggregate that defines the perceived behavioral constraint is the policy and the regulations that oversee the use of antibiotics as well as the unwritten policy of why people do what they do said scott
scott along with collaborators at texas tech and hull university in the united kingdom is now looking at systems approaches as ways to understand policy and how it can be structured to include as many viewpoints as possible they have identified that numerous stakeholders-including physicians patients veterinarians livestock producers pharmaceutical companies public health agencies and healthcare and consumer advocacy groups-have both an interest and role in countering abr this dynamic has the potential to facilitate an unofficial town-meeting style of democracy among the stakeholders that would allow each group to have a direct impact on the creation and implementation of abr policy
however despite their mutual interest in combating resistance members of these stakeholder groups are not always in agreement: one group suggesting that antibiotics are overused and the other group countering by saying that the current use of antibiotics is essential to preserve health according to scott this division appears to be growing
i see the separation of thoughts ideas and opinions scott said it is a given that we must work together toward a well thought out coordinated response to abr he likened the use to drawing down a finite resource that has to be carefully managed for maximum benefit to both the individual and community
as you use more and more antibiotics you will have fewer and fewer bacteria that are susceptible he said my use today will diminish in some way your use in the future; these are the economics of a finite resource
scott strongly believes that this divide should be bridged by mutual understanding in the interest of finding workable solutions for dealing with abr
i would like both groups to step back and see aspects of the other sides argument that might hold some validity and should be considered scott said i think theres far more benefit to having reasonable people communicating to the majority of those who consume and feel comfortable with the products transparency is a key to successfully managing abr
the problem presented by abr arose slowly and through multiple decisions and actions creating policy to counter that problem will also require numerous decisions and then implementation in order to be successful
we always need to seek alternatives to antibiotics because of the documented potential for any antibiotic to select for resistance to almost any other antibiotic said scott
college station texas – dr michael criscitiello assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was one of six principal investigators at texas a&m university who was awarded nearly $300 000 ($50 000 for each principal investigator) in research funding through the newly established texas a&m–capes collaborative research grant program
together this international team of scientists will be studying the genes important in the adaptive immune system of amazonian manatees this species of freshwater manatee is threatened and this initial study will provide information about its immune systems ability to defend against infectious pathogens as well as the status of its population diversity-both crucial elements in the efforts to better manage these mammalscriscitiello is collaborating with dr leonardo sena and dr maria paula schneider of the federal university of pará in belém brazil the texas a&m research team also includes dr loren skow from the department of veterinary integrative biosciences and veterinary student ashley heard-ganir who is participating in the veterinary medical scientist training program
we will also be comparing this species immune genes to those of the west indian manatee and related terrestrial mammals such as elephants and armadillos said crisicitiello this will give us a better understanding to how these critical genes have evolved in different species to defend mammals in terrestrial marine and freshwater habitats
criscitiello recently earned honors with the 2014 cvm outstanding scientific achievement award the 2013 southeastern conference visiting scholar travel award and the 2011 montague center for teaching excellence scholar award
dr criscitiellos work in immunology and microbiology has resulted in significant discoveries in the disciplines of genomics and evolutionary biology said dr linda logan head of the department of veterinary pathobiology this research award will facilitate the colleges ability to share the expertise of dr criscitiello with international collaborators in brazil this advancement of knowledge coincides nicely with the global one health initiative as it will have a positive impact on animals and the environment
the texas a&m–capes collaborative research grant program is open to researchers in the fields of science technology engineering and mathematics the lead texas a&m principal investigator (pi) must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty and have served as a pi or co-pi on a competitively awarded state federal or major foundation grant in the past five years the lead brazilian pi must have served as a pi or co-pi on a competitively awarded capes research grant in the past five years the awards are for two years
we are so proud of dr criscitiello and all the collaborators on this project said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm the opportunity to share knowledge through a global interdisciplinary initiative such as this extends the concept of one health across borders and advances our understanding of the relationship between population health and environmental health
the other texas a&m awardees are:
criscitiello also serves as a member of the interdisciplinary faculty of genetics the interdisciplinary faculty of toxicology the whole systems genomics initiative the ecology and evolutionary biology interdisciplinary program and the professional program in biotechnology most recently he assumed a joint appointment in the department of microbial pathogenesis and immunology in the college of medicine texas a&m health science center criscitiello also holds memberships in the international society of developmental and comparative immunologists the american association of immunologists the society for experimental biology and medicine and the society of mucosal immunology he has authored or co-authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and is engaged in three ongoing externally-funded research projects (national science foundation usda formula animal health instituto nacional de pesca) and has successfully completed projects funded by the usda formula animal health and two by the national institutes of health
college station tx – dr randolph winter dvm a veterinary resident at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been named one of two 2014 acvim resident research award winners by the american college of veterinary internal medicine (acvim) that are working on projects funded by the american kennel club canine health foundation
we are so proud of dr winter on this achievement said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm this recognition is indicative of our high caliber faculty and the talented interns and residents we have recruited to texas a&m the discoveries they make in our robust clinical research program will continue to improve the quality of life for humans and animals alikewinter is working with his faculty mentor dr ashley saunders associate professor and veterinary cardiologist in the department of small animal clinical sciences to investigate improved methods of treatment of mitral valve disease in dogs their project titled biologic variability of n-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and cardiac troponin i in health dogs and dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease is aimed at identifying important biological markers of the disease
funding for the project came from the akc canine health foundation that supports high impact canine health research
chf is committed to funding research that helps move canine health forward said dr shila nordone chfs chief scientific officer [both winners] represent our commitment to supporting young clinician scientists and we expect that these two men will be among the next generation of key opinion leaders in veterinary medicine
the prestigious acvim research award is presented annually and recognizes ten active researchers who are on the cutting edge of veterinary medicine

dr sandee hartsfield head of the department of small animal clinical sciences retired june 20 2014 he leaves a legacy of excellence in service having been recognized with many awards during his time with the college including the texas a&m university association of former students distinguished teaching award on both the college and university levels he was recently honored by small animal clinical sciences and at an executive council meeting by dr green and the department heads for his work and service to cvm we hope to still see him in the halls of the college!
dr matt miller director of the texas a&m institute for preclinical studies (tips) retired on june 27 2014 dr miller plans to remain engaged in tips as this will allow him the opportunity to continue his work as a pi on important contracts and grants dr miller has had a long and successful career at texas a&m in the cvm and he will be missed he was recently honored at an executive council meeting by dr green and the department heads for his work and service to cvm

with the fall 2014 semester just around the corner students are arriving to attend the biomedical sciences (bims) new student conferences bringing in a total of 865 enrolled students for the fall this number is up by 114 students from last year
when we run an orientation we spend approximately eight hours with students giving presentations meeting one-on-one with students to customize their courses according to their ap/dual credits and previous coursework and finally registering the students so that they dont have to wait in the computing centers and the chaos said dr elizabeth crouch director of the bims program at texas a&m university the biomedical sciences association which meredith permenter and dr tawfik omran oversee is also present and helps with the orientation
by the end of the summer there will have been approximately 1800 visitors to the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) including all prospective students and their families the new student conferences are a wonderful opportunity for people to see the cvm and to get excited about being part of bims the cvm and texas a&m
the bims staff is outstanding as you can imagine that it is difficult to process that many students while keeping everyone happy and keeping up the accuracy of our advice said crouch i am proud to work with them
on june 17 the office of the governors compliance and oversight division met in college station with the center for cell and organ biotechnology (ccob) regarding the emerging technology fund award and received a detailed update of the status of the project
the ccob was launched in august 2013 with a public announcement by governor perry on september 13 2013 while visiting the governors compliance team reviewed the organizational structure the different advisory boards facilities at the thi and cvm our nominees for ccob membership ccob objectives research activities and commercialization opportunities there were a number of milestones that must be met on a yearly basis and those were reviewed for year 1 at this meeting
the 64th annual james steele conference on diseases in nature transmissible to man (din) was held june 25-27 2014 in irving texas and the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was well represented
additionally many cvm faculty were co-authors on many other presentations
the conference was highly informative and attendees included numerous professionals from many disciplines such as veterinarians mds nurses sanitarians animal control officers wildlife experts and many others who were affiliated with national state or municipal government agencies the military academia private practices private hospitals and many other organizations
please think about joining us next year as a presenter or attendee; presenters are eligible for reduced or waived conference fees the conference provides great information wonderful networking potential and relatively inexpensive 17 hours of ce credit
next years din will be held on may 20-22 at the san luis resort spa & conference center in galveston texas

professors james derr and linda logan recently returned from leading a group of 10 students on a unique study abroad opportunity the group spent two weeks in south africa immersed in the fields of pathology applied physiology infections and parasitic diseases pharmacology of game capture and wildlife conservation methods
this course is designed for students who are serious about learning how to capture handle treat and transport exotic african wildlife species said derr who is a professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) we learn from the most knowledgeable and respected wildlife veterinarians in all of africa dr cobus raath who spent 15 years serving as the director of veterinary services for kruger national park he is the pioneer of modern game capture methods for dangerous wildlife
on this trip the students dealt with a number of wildlife species including elephants crocodiles rhinos cape buffalo wildebeest nyala and even venomous snakes
if you want to learn how the professionals do their job in remote regions of southern africa with dangerous exotic wildlife said logan who is the vtpb department head then this is the course that may just change your life
one of the major themes of the course was conservation in the face of poaching and other threats the students were exposed to lectures from experts on such topics as animal rehabilitation centers and the role of zoos conservation genetics research with african wildlife how veterinarians contribute to global efforts to protect species the role of sport hunting in conservation and finally black markets for wildlife products
these lectures though were integrated into hands-on work with animals for example during their first days in south africa the students had the opportunity to dart cape buffalo for tuberculosis testing in the morning and then help dehorn rhinos in the afternoon to protect them from poachers
it was when i was kneeling next to a white rhino with his enormous nostril pressed to my hand taking respiration while he was being dehorned that i realized how truly amazing this course was going to be said emily mccann a senior animal science undergraduate who hopes to attend veterinary school you get dirty bloody your brain is constantly being challenged and you find yourself experiencing and taking part in situations you never thought possible
the group also learned how to identify similar-looking animals safely capture crocodiles and operate various types of commercially available dart guns
the remarkable experiences and the exceptional people made for a truly life-altering journey that may only begin to be described with one word: extraordinary said julia lemaistre a third-year veterinary student these two weeks have beautifully highlighted the vast array of opportunities that veterinarians have across the globe and has presented professional opportunities that i would not have considered in my wildest dreams
contact information
megan palsa phd executive director communications media & public relations office – (979) 421-3121
our veterinary students have been busy lately spreading the word about veterinary medicine they have presented to 1 992 students and 70 teachers at 12 public schools on topics such as careers in veterinary science human impact on wildlife cell theory and taxonomy comparative anatomy life as a veterinarian and animal behavior in mid-june students traveled to san antonio to present to over 100 high school students and spent the afternoon with a seaworld veterinarian
by devin smith peer veterinary student leader 2014
this summer work for the peer (partnership for environmental education and rural health) program has been very busy for our veterinary students the hours are long the travel can be exhausting and the many presentations can leave your throat begging for a lozenge but the rewards are incredible!
not only do these veterinary students get to share their passion for veterinary medicine with young students all over texas to inspire them to pursue careers in science but they also get amazing opportunities to network and hang out with some very neat people
just last week the peer students traveled to san antonio to give a presentation for over 100 high school students and got to spend the rest of the afternoon with a seaworld veterinarian
the seaworld staff was beyond kind to our group of four veterinary students and allowed them to interact with dolphins aquarium fish rays baby sharks flamingos and golden conure chicks they were even introduced to a famous pacific dolphin named kai who starred in jaws 3 the seaworld veterinarian that met with the students took time out of his busy schedule to explain his job in immense detail and answered hundreds of questions from our extremely inquisitive group the experience was far more enriching than the students had ever anticipated and will remain a fond and unforgettable memory for the rest of their lives
contact information
megan palsa phd executive director communications media & public relations office – (979) 421-3121
dr kenita rogers associate dean for professional programs and ms belinda hale assistant dean for finance participated in the penn executive veterinary leadership program june 23-26 at the university of pennsylvania wharton school the university of pennsylvanias school of veterinary medicine and the wharton school partnered together on a leadership development program designed for veterinarians who seek to contribute at a high level to the maintenance and promotion of global public health for animals and humans

the penn executive veterinary leadership program combined the knowledge and experience of a veterinary school with that of a business school to help veterinarians refine their leadership skills and get involved in the most pressing global issues that affect animals and humans: zoonotic diseases food security disaster preparedness poverty and others
the format of the program allowed veterinarians to learn understand and apply a variety of tools to expand the professions impact on the well being of animals and society discovering new ways to get involved in promoting global public health and animal productivity while also learning how veterinarians can influence public policy is important in veterinary education today
this program was customized for current and aspiring veterinary executives or leaders participants from across the profession across industries and around the globe attended with a common goal to hone and refine their individual leadership skills and become more involved in veterinary public health issues at the regional national and/or global levels
i had been aware of the penn executive veterinary leadership program at the wharton business school for several years after experiencing this training i can see why this program came so highly recommended incredibly interactive instruction was provided in topics such as leading change managing uncertainty and envisioning the future of veterinary medicine and professional education it was also a great time to network and learn from the other attendees that included deans teaching and research faculty hospital administrators colleagues from industry leaders from the avma and aavmc a lobbyist and two veterinary students the conversation was engaging robust and fun i would go again in a heartbeat!
#NAME?
contact information
megan palsa phd executive director communications media & public relations office – (979) 421-3121
college station texas – dr sharon kerwin has accepted the position of interim head of the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and will officially assume the role on june 20 2014 following the retirement of dr sandee hartsfield
like hartsfield kerwin is also a highly recognized educator having been awarded the texas veterinary medical association faculty research achievement award in 2007 the texas a&m university association of former students distinguished teaching award on both the college and university levels in 2009 and many other reputable honors her combined interest in orthopedics and neurology/neurosurgery encompasses lameness gait analysis fracture healing osteoarthritis and spinal cord injuryhartsfield upon his retirement leaves a legacy of excellence in service having been recognized with many awards during his time with the cvm including the texas a&m university association of former students distinguished teaching award on both the college and university levels hartsfield earned his bs in veterinary science and dvm from texas a&m then received his ms in small animal surgery & medicine from michigan state university
kerwin graduated from texas a&m university with her bs degree in veterinary science in 1986 and her doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1988 after graduation she went on to earn her ms degree in veterinary physiology in 1993 from louisiana state university (lsu) after interning and teaching at lsu for several years kerwin returned to texas a&m in 2001 to begin her role as associate professor and has been serving as a professor in vscs until her appointment as interim department head
we thank dr kerwin for her willingness to step in as interim department head she will be a valuable addition to the administrative team of the college said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are also grateful to dr hartsfield for his many years of service and wish him the best in his retirement
the center for educational technologies (cet) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science (cvm) was named the winner of the blackboard catalyst awards programs student impact award which recognizes individuals and institutions that have successfully increased levels of student engagement or retention the center is led by dr jody korich clinical assistant professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences
new to the blackboard catalyst award program this year the student impact award was created to honor successful efforts to address the major educational issues of student engagement and retention award winners were selected from dozens of submissions as the best examples of improving engagement and retention through new academic student support or administrative strategies
the blackboard catalyst awards program annually recognizes and honors innovation and excellence in the blackboard global community of practice where teachers and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology
its an honor each year to recognize forward-thinking educators who are helping create a world inspired to learn through the work they do every day said jay bhatt blackboard ceo we congratulate catalyst award winners on their vision and innovative approaches to education and celebrate their accomplishments with them
cet will be honored alongside other blackboard catalyst award winners during bbworld® blackboards annual user conference to be held in july in las vegas nev
blackboard is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day blackboards solutions allow thousands of higher education k-12 professional corporate and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online
for a complete list of blackboard catalyst award winners please visit: http://blackboardcom/catalyst
college station texas – dr john august professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been named the new associate dean of faculties for texas a&m university he will also serve as the director of the center for teaching excellence at texas a&m august whose term begins september 1 succeeds professor x ben wu who held the position for five years
august is a board certified veterinarian in internal medicine and joined the cvm faculty in 1986 as a professor and head of the department of small animal medicine and surgery he also served as deputy dean of the cvm from 1995–1997 during his term as department head he was recognized with the association of former students university-level distinguished achievement award in administrationaugust has received several teaching awards including the association of former students distinguished achievement award for teaching (college level) the texas veterinary medical association award for teaching and university-level teaching awards at auburn university and virginia tech
dr august is a clinician a scholar and an engaging instructor with an international reputation said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his innovative teaching methods and extensive experience with curricula and pedagogy will be a benefit to the faculty at texas a&m we are proud of dr augusts many accomplishments and look forward to his contributions to excellence in teaching across the university in his new role
known for his engaging teaching style august lectures in core and elective classes for third-year veterinary medical students and instructs and supervises third- and fourth-year students interns and residents on the feline internal medicine service within the veterinary medical teaching hospital he has also written several textbooks on feline internal medicine and is widely sought after as a speaker for veterinary continuing education programs while in his new role august will maintain a 30 percent appointment within vscs
college station texas – dr joe kornegay a professor in the departments of veterinary integrative biosciences and veterinary pathobiology in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) at texas a&m university and the texas a&m institute for neuroscience (tamin) has been appointed director of the texas a&m institute for preclinical studies (tips)
established in 2007 the institute serves as a state-of-the-art research facility supporting preclinical studies translational research and endeavors that require good laboratory practice (glp) methods
tips is an innovative concept in preclinical drug and medical device development and also offers excellent opportunities for collaborative research and scholarship said kornegay the facility is the only one of its kind in the world we are particularly positioned to extend studies to large animal models through our specialized imaging and surgical facilities with that said any facility is only as good as its people tips is blessed with a dedicated well trained staff committed to meeting the needs of our clients and collaborators my goal as director will be to work with other faculty and staff to build on the vision and hard work of founding director dr terry fossum and the current director dr matt miller
kornegay received both his undergraduate and dvm degrees from texas a&m and completed residency and graduate training at the university of georgia he previously held faculty positions at the colleges of veterinary medicine at north carolina state university and the university of missouri at missouri dr kornegay also served as clinical department chair/hospital director and later as dean immediately before coming to texas a&m he was on the faculty of the university of north carolina at chapel hill school of medicine his research on a canine model of duchenne muscular dystrophy (dmd) relates to the broader concept of one health an initiative that connects veterinary human and environmental health to benefit all life forms
most recently kornegay was selected to present the recognition lecture at the 2014 annual conference of the association of american veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) this honor is given to an individual whose leadership and vision has made a significant contribution to academic veterinary medicine and the veterinary profession
dr kornegays experience as a senior research scientist and administrator make him the perfect choice to assume the role of director at tips said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his research expertise in comparative veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences will ensure the continued growth of tips as a core laboratory supporting researchers from across the texas a&m system and beyond as well as developing strong mutually beneficial public-private partnerships which support the tips mission tips is a key piece in the spectrum from basic discovery to commercialization which ultimately improves the health of people and animals i am confident that dr kornegay will lead tips with great vision and dignity
as a part of the cvm the tips team specializes in the preclinical phase of research required to gain food & drug administration approval for both drugs and devices the team at tips has a tremendous amount of experience in research particularly in medical device testing said dr robert burghardt associate dean for research and graduate studies at the cvm we are excited to have this level of cutting-edge technology and world-class expertise combined in one facility and we are pleased that dr kornegay has agreed to lead this team
the research conducted at tips is advancing efforts to find cures develop devices and investigate novel therapies for diseases and injuries that impact both animals and humans said kornegay working with distinguished scientists engaged in innovative and cutting-edge research we are poised to play a role in bringing medical discoveries from bench to bedside
college station texas – sankar p chaki phd a postdoctoral research associate working under the guidance of dr gonzalo rivera in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been awarded a two-year postdoctoral fellowship from the american heart association this prestigious highly competitive award will provide more than $100 000 to support chakis project on molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the formation of blood vessels
chakis proposed research focuses on understanding how new blood vessels form from the remodeling of pre-existing ones a process called angiogenesis during angiogenesis endothelial cells (the cells lining blood vessels) undergo a series of changes that alter their shape and their ability to respond to chemicals that promote vessel development some of these chemicals allow endothelial cells to invade surrounding tissues to begin the complex task of forming new structures that will expand the existing vascular network
its very new chaki said weve generated some preliminary data but there is still much to be learned from these key cellular processes driving blood vessel formation i have plans to tackle this fascinating problem using a broad range of tools to improve our understanding of angiogenesis from the molecular to the organism level
chaki hopes that his work could help to improve understanding of vascular formation in aggressively growing tumors
sankar is a distinguished colleague and collaborator said rivera chakis postdoctoral mentor since 2009 his initiative dedication and advanced training have been instrumental in the development of this line of research in my laboratory i have no doubt that this award will foster the development of dr chakis career as an independent scientist
i am lucky to receive this important award chaki said i appreciate the guidance from my mentor dr gonzalo rivera as well as the support and advice from drs robert burghardt rola barhoumi andreea trache and linda logan
college station texas – spring 2014 graduation ceremonies at texas a&m university kick off thursday (may 8) when the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) awards 133 doctor of veterinary medicine degrees
the awarding of degrees at the 2:00 pm ceremonies in rudder auditorium will follow an address by bo brock dvm a 1990 magna cum laude graduate of texas a&m university
the owner of brock veterinary clinic in lamesa texas he has operated this growing and thriving clinic since 1992 he typically sees approximately 10 000 equine patients per year
brock also serves as an adjunct professor and instructor in the department of animal sciences at texas tech university where he teaches care and management of companion animals and animal diseases he was awarded the prestigious equine practitioner of the year by the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) in 2007
brock is very well known for his humorous articles and presentations
he is involved in a large family farming operation near lubbock texas and is married with three daughters
a reception will be held in the john 74 and debbie 76 bethancourt family grand ballroom of the memorial student center following the ceremony texas a&ms commencement ceremonies continue thursday with a 5:30 pm convocation also in rudder auditorium the universitys graduation exercises for degree candidates at the undergraduate and graduate levels will be held during six ceremonies the following two days (may 9-10) at reed arena
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences join us on facebook at http://facebookcom/tamuvetmed


to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in veterinary medicine for texas administrators from the texas a&m university system texas a&m university and the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) broke ground for the new veterinary & biomedical education complex the capital project represents a major expansion for the cvm and will also be one of the largest construction projects on the texas a&m campus

the new facility represents a tremendous opportunity to bring the latest in teaching technology to the cvm and to texas a&m university said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are very excited that the board of regents and the administration of texas a&m university decided to invest in the future of our college our faculty and our students the impact of having state-of-the-art teaching and clinical facilities will be felt not only by those who receive their education here in the future but also by those that we serve
the new building will house state-of-the-art classroom and teaching laboratory space that will enhance the learning environment for students combined with the expansion of the small animal hospital the new facilities will provide opportunities for innovations in teaching and will nurture collaboration and creativity in addition they are expected to be a notable factor in recruiting the best faculty staff and students
the $120 million needed for completion of both facilities will be funded solely from the permanent university fund (puf) which was established in the texas constitution of 1876 as a public endowment contributing to the support of the institutions of the texas a&m and university of texas systems
green noted that the opportunity to launch a construction project such as this is once in a lifetime and it was important to the planning team to look across the country at not only the current trends in classroom innovation and teaching technology but also what new advances may be on the horizon
we wanted to design a building that would not only meet our needs now but also would be flexible enough to meet our education needs in the next 50 years in 2016 we will be celebrating our 100th anniversary said green we will step into our new facilities as we step into a new century
print
the likelihood that a crop of leafy greens will be contaminated by e coli an indicator of fecal contamination before harvest is strongly influenced by both farm management and environmental factors according to a study spotlighted on the cover of the new issue of the journal applied and environmental microbiology the work led by dr renata ivanek and her lab in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was a collaborative effort between researchers at texas a&m university colorado state university texas tech university and texas a&m agrilife extension service
this study exemplifies the one health approach to research as it highlights the link between animal human and environmental health said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr ivaneks work will help the food industry provide safe products by accelerating biomedical research discoveries enhancing public health efficacy and expeditiously expanding the scientific knowledge base we appreciate her excellent work and look forward to future advances in this focused area of food safety
produce safety concerns have been on the rise due to large multi-state outbreaks of illness attributed to contaminated produce including spinach and other leafy greens according to the centers for disease control and prevention between 1998 and 2008 of the 68 000 illnesses in foodborne outbreaks assigned to one of the 17 considered food commodities 13 percent were associated with leafy greens topped only by poultry at 17 percent not only were leafy greens responsible for a significant portion of outbreaks and food product recalls but the number of illnesses thought to have been caused by leafy greens was on the rise jumping from 6 percent between 1998 and 1999 to 11 percent between 2006 and 2008
in this study the research team cross-referenced environmental data with information from participating farms in multiple test areas then the team determined how three groups of factors-farm management location and weather-affect spinach contamination with e coli the team studied spinach samples from 12 farms in colorado and texas and compared variables including the local temperature precipitation wind speed soil characteristics proximity to roads and water bodies and such farm management practices as the farm workers hygiene and manure application practices
this study would not have been possible without the help and support of the spinach growers who participated ivanek said i hope that our findings will be of use to them and the produce grower industry as a whole
overall the study found that farm management location and weather factors should be considered jointly in developing agricultural methods and interventions that reduce the threat of e coli contamination at the pre-harvest level the odds of spinach contamination decreased to approximately 1 in 17 with implementation of good hygiene practices for farm workers but they increased to approximately 4 in 1 for every millimeter increase in the average amount of rain in the month before harvest furthermore applying manure fertilizer on the field increased the odds of contamination to approximately 52 in 1
hygiene practices and fertilizers used are relatively easy to change ivanek said the challenge however will be to use the information about how rainfall affects produce safety into an intervention or plan that growers could implement on a daily basis
as consumers we all depend on producers food handlers and food safety regulators to ensure the food we eat is safe especially foods that are consumed raw said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni head of the vibs department in order to increase food safety legislators and food producers need objective evidence about sources of contamination dr ivaneks group provides scientific evidence that will inform farm managers about where improvements can be made before harvest to help reduce contamination of spinach with e coli and pathogens while it may seem intuitive that farm worker hygiene can be a source of bacterial contamination of raw leafy greens it was an unproven concept until this careful epidemiologic study from dr ivaneks group this is an excellent example of the contributions of veterinary epidemiologists to the improvement of human health and the food industry
the study financed by a grant from the united states department of agricultures agriculture and food research initiative (usda-afri) program was published in the april 2014 issue of applied and environmental microbiology this research is an excellent example of colleagues from various disciplines working synergistically to solve universal health and well-being issues said dr mike chaddock assistant dean for one health and strategic initiatives at the cvm

college station texas – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) honored seven of its alumni for their contributions to the veterinary medical profession at a dinner held on april 4th as part of homecoming activities at the cvm the recipients of the 2014 rising star award and the 2014 outstanding alumni awards were nominated by fellow alumni in recognition of their leadership and service
we take great pride in recognizing our former students and the impacts of their contributions on our college our state our nation and the world said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine through their ongoing commitments to service leadership and education these incredible veterinarians are outstanding ambassadors not only for the cvm but also for our profession
dr aaron c rainer 06 graduated from texas a&m university with degrees in both veterinary medicine and public health he started in private practice in 2006 and since 2009 he has been an associate veterinarian at rose-rich veterinary clinic since 2012 he has also been a partner at the animal emergency center of temple-belton
rainer has been an active member of the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) since 2002 he is a past member of the north central texas veterinary medical association and a current member of both the harris county veterinary medical association and the american veterinary medical association (avma) rainer served as a member of the community services advisory board for the city of temple and has also served as the marketing chairman and a member of the board of directors for the tem-bel division of the american heart association he continues to support the cvm as a mentor to the classes of 2011 2015 and 2018
dr charles doc anderson graduated from texas a&m university with a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1981 he had the distinct honor of serving as class president for all three years of veterinary school and has since served as a small animal veterinarian in waco texas
after over 20 years of advocacy for small business through service on statewide committees with the texas association of business and the national federation of independent business as well as an appointment by governor rick perry to the texas small business advisory council anderson was elected in 2004 to represent district 56 (which includes waco & mclennan county) in the texas state legislature he has been re-elected four times anderson is also consistently ranked in the top tier by organizations dedicated to reviewing pocketbook issues for texas taxpayers including texas conservative coalition americans for prosperity the texas association of business and young conservatives of texas
dr jimmie don aycock 70 served as a captain in the united states army until 1972 and was awarded the army commendation medal he owned and operated veterinary clinics in killeen copperas cove and harker heights through 1998 during that time he offered opportunities and encouragement to many young people with an interest in veterinary medicine and because of his mentorship many went on to become practicing veterinarians
aycock was elected to the texas legislature in 2006 he represents house district 54 which includes the western portion of bell county and lampasas county he is currently the chairman of the public education committee and a member of the culture recreation and tourism committee in addition he served as an appointed member of the appropriations subcommittee on education throughout his tenure as a representative he has worked on a number of issues important to veterinary medicine
dr charles l hall ‘64 is a member of the phi zeta veterinary honor society hall served as a lieutenant in the us army from 1955-1957 he then worked as an assistant co-agent for the texas agricultural extension service prior to completing his dvm degree afterwards he entered private veterinary practice in palestine texas before joining the cvm faculty in 1967
as a respected veterinary neurologist and clinician he gave over 50 professional presentations and authored or co-authored 14 scientific publications he served as the co-principal investigator of a three-year study researching the comparison of combination anticonvulsant therapies in the treatment of refractory epilepsy his teaching responsibilities included courses in both the departments of large and small animal clinical sciences and those designated as veterinary medicine interdisciplinary courses
dr dale s lonsford 72 served as a captain in the us army veterinary corp from 1972-1975 in 1978 lonsford established the center animal hospital which he later merged with the animal hospital of deer park the practice has been known as the deer park animal hospital since 1985 he earned accredited hospital status from the american animal hospital association in 1986 in 1997 he became a charter member of texas group one a group of veterinarians who scrutinize each others clinics staff and records to maximize each members quality of practice he was also the charter owner and operator of the banfield pet hospital in pasadena from 2002-2012
from 1989-1995 he was the district director for the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) for harris county and chairman of the board from 1995-1996 lonsford served on the executive board of the tvma from 1995-2001 was its president in 2000 and has participated as a member and/or chairman of a multitude of tvma committees
dr daniel e scott 54 was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the us air force after getting his dvm degree he served in its vet corps for two years and was promoted to captain in 1957 scott began practicing veterinary medicine in tyler texas in the fall of that year he entered the university of texas southwestern medical school in dallas while studying human medicine he continued to practice veterinary medicine during the summers and on holidays he graduated in the top 5% of his class in 1961
after completing a two-year internship in salt lake city utah scott returned to dallas where he completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology as well as a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at parkland hospital he joined the university of texas southwestern medical school faculty as an assistant professor in 1966 and was appointed chair of the ob/gyn department and director of residents at presbyterian hospital of dallas in 1978 he was elected president of the texas perinatal society in 1982 the trustees of presbyterian hospital of dallas honored scott with a distinguished professorship in ob/gyn in 1998
dr ed smallwood 69 also holds bachelors and masters degrees from texas a&m after receiving his dvm he taught anatomy and radiology at the cvm until 1981 when he moved to nc state universitys new college of veterinary medicine as professor of anatomy from 2003-2013 he served as the director of cvm alumni relations since 2002 he has been a part-time professor at st georges university school of veterinary medicine in grenada west indies in 2013 he retired from nc state and was named professor emeritus
smallwood has received numerous recognitions and teaching awards including election to the nc state academy of outstanding teachers and chairman of the nc state faculty senate he has also served on the board of directors of the north carolina physicians health program and as a member of the north carolina veterinary health program in 2013 the north carolina veterinary medical foundation established and endowed the dr james edgar smallwood endowed scholarship for student excellence
the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences annually recognizes graduates from the dvm professional program who have made significant contributions to society through veterinary medicine and who have not only brought honor and recognition to themselves but also to the college
graduates of the cvm may be nominated for the outstanding alumni and rising star awards a resume or curriculum vitae that summarizes major career accomplishments and two letters of support are required to nominate an alumnus or alumna additional information or letters may also be helpful to the selection committee
to receive a nomination form and eligibility criteria please call 9798459043 or email noell vance at nvance@cvmtamuedu
college station texas – texas a&m universitys timothy d phillips phd ats has won the 2014 society of toxicology (sot) translational impact award for his work on improving public health the translational impact award was developed in 2009 by sot a professional association of more than 7 700 toxicologists to distinguish scientists whose research is in improving human health in areas of toxicological concern phillips was formally presented with this peer-nominated award at sots 53rd annual meeting and toxexpo in phoenix ariz on march 23 2014 and he delivered a lecture at the meeting on march 26 2014
the sot translational award recognizes phillips for his pioneering research with dioctahedral smectite clays in the us and africa his research shows that the clays which were used as medicine more than 2 000 years ago can bind and render toxins such as aflatoxin b1 harmless toxins like aflatoxin b1 are food-borne and are associated with liver disease and cancer they cause the most damage in places like asia and africa where food shortages lead people to eat contaminated food or feed it to their livestock which means the toxicants are then passed along to humans through the animals milk or meat
dr phillips is an internationally recognized leader in food safety and toxicology said nominator dr jia-sheng wang head of the department of environmental health science at the university of georgia his research endeavors on detoxification of food-borne toxins with clay-based technology have greatly impacted food and feed safety
phillips discovered that certain clays can be added to ones diet without harmful effects to prevent the human digestive system from absorbing the aflatoxin it is estimated that up to 10 percent of the worlds animal feeds now contain a clay-based sorbent that phillips research developed clinical trials are underway to see if the product is safe for human use as well phillips and his team are also conducting research to see if clay can also serve as a solution for polluted drinking water
dr phillips research is exemplary and is in perfect alignment with texas a&m universitys one health grand challenge-the recognition that animal health human health and environmental health are inextricably linked said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr phillips is playing an important role in advancing the boundaries of one health and in developing new ideas to ensure a safer healthier world for animals and humans we congratulate him on this prestigious and well-deserved award
phillips has been named a distinguished professor at texas a&m university and holds the reed endowed chair in toxicology in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences since joining the faculty in 1979 he has published more than 185 papers phillips received his bs from mississippi state university and his ms in science education and chemistry and his phd in chemistry from the university of southern mississippi
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) will be hosting its 21st annual open house on saturday march 29 2014 from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm open house is an exciting student-run event where the public can explore one of the nations top veterinary schools inside and out the texas a&m university veterinary medical students enjoy the opportunity to sponsor an event that provides the public an educational and entertaining experience that emphasizes the roles veterinarians and animals play in our society
open house features exciting indoor and outdoor exhibits a variety of hands-on events and tours of several areas in both the large and small animal hospitals that otherwise are inaccessible to the public
visitors to the small animal hospital have the opportunity to observe live spay and neuter surgeries and explore specialty rooms such as cardiology oncology and zoological medicine veterinary students will answer questions about specimens in the pathology parasitology and anatomy rooms
one of open houses most popular events is teddy bear surgery where children can experience veterinary medicine first-hand by entering a real operating room and performing surgery on their favorite stuffed animal
new to open house this year will be demonstrations by the bryan police department canines search and rescue demonstrations and presentations by representatives from the texas a&m veterinary emergency team
children will be thrilled to learn about various breeds of dogs at the dog exhibit and will experience exotic animals as part of this years zoomagination animal encounters the texas a&m polo team will also be putting on an exhibit in the outdoor arena and the whole family can visit the outdoor petting zoo and watch a farrier make horseshoes
indoor events include observing an ultrasound in the large animal hospital and learning how x-rays are made informational events include exhibits by animal-related organizations from throughout the state and a variety of talks given by veterinarians previous topics have included a day in the life of… and what should i feed my pet prospective veterinary students will also have the opportunity to attend q&a sessions with both admissions committee members and current veterinary students
open house is free welcomes people of all ages and does not require registration the veterinary students of texas a&m university invite you to attend this fun and unique event there is so much to do and something for everyone at open house so bring your family and friends see the open house website for schedules maps and more! visit the vet school on march 29 2014 for an animal-filled day of fun!
college station tx – the texas a&m association of former students (afs) honored three members of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) faculty with a university-level distinguished achievement award one of the highest honors presented by the afs dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni professor and head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences; dr ann kier professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology; and dr christopher quick associate professor in the department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology were announced as this years honorees from the cvm
recipients are recognized for their efforts in one of several categories: teaching; research; staff; student relations; administration; extension outreach continuing education and professional development; and graduate mentoring
tiffany-castiglioni kier and quick earned the award in recognition of their excellence in the administration graduate mentoring and teaching categories respectively
the faculty and staff of the cvm are dedicated to excellence in all they do every day to make our college great said dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine it is exciting to be recognizing these three leaders from our college for their extraordinary efforts in making the cvm successful and for creating a dynamic and welcoming learning environment for our students
dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni joined the cvm faculty in 1982 and currently serves as a professor and department head for the department of veterinary integrative biosciences tiffany-castiglioni also serves as associate dean for undergraduate education – biomedical sciences program (bims) within the cvm she has served as the major professor for 18 graduate students three of whom have been honored with afs distinguished awards for doctoral research in addition to her administrative duties in the cvm tiffany-castiglioni has also served the university as part of the faculty senate and the vision 2020 task force
dr tiffany-castiglioni is an outstanding mentor educator researcher and administrator said green she has provided outstanding leadership to create a department where faculty staff and students work together to lead and succeed at the national and international level
dr ann kier received a bachelors degree from the university of texas and dvm from texas a&m in 1974 after completing a residency and earning a phd from the university of missouri she served on the faculty at the university of cincinnati medical school before returning to her alma mater as head of the department of veterinary pathobiology in 1994 as a professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology kier currently directs two nih training grants: a nih t32 training grant recruiting dvms for phd training and a nih r-25 training residents in comparative medicine in these roles she facilitates the development of veterinarians in biomedical research as a graduate mentor kier has served as an advisor committee member and/or mentor for over 70 graduate and professional students
as a program director of two national institutes of health (nih) training grants in veterinary pathobiology dr kier has mentored not only our dvm graduates but also those from other institutions and has encouraged them to continue learning and expanding their knowledge base said dr linda logan department head of veterinary pathobiology veterinary medicine extends far beyond the walls of the veterinary clinic and dr kier has worked diligently to recruit the best and brightest students to our phd program and then position them for success when they graduate
dr christopher quick joined the cvm department of veterinary physiology & pharmacology in 2002 after graduating with a phd in biomedical engineering from rutgers in 1999 quick has developed a novel approach to break down barriers between students and professors called the research-intensive community model this led to the creation of the debakey undergraduate research program in 2004 which has provided research opportunities for more than 100 students per semester as a winner of multiple teaching awards and a sigma xi outstanding science communicator award quicks ability to make scientific research accessible to students from k-12 and beyond through outreach programs and research-based classroom experiences has been recognized with the awarding of four competitive grants from the national institutes of health and the national science federation
dr quick is a recognized leader in education and teaching said dr john stallone acting department head of veterinary physiology & pharmacology he has developed dynamic programs that are bringing laboratory science into the classroom and classroom lessons into the research lab the idea of community in teaching and learning is one that is gaining national and international attention and dr quicks efforts to advance this concept has helped to put his programs and the cvm in a leadership role
each honoree will receive a framed certificate from the afs along with a $4 000 monetary award in a ceremony scheduled for monday april 28 at 1:30 pm in rudder theater the awards begun in 1955 recognize outstanding members of texas a&ms faculty and staff for their commitment performance and positive impact on aggie students texas citizens and the world around them
college station – the iconic bobwhite quail a favorite among hunters and wildlife enthusiasts alike throughout the united states has literally flown the coop – its numbers have been decreasing alarmingly for decades but a groundbreaking project led by a team of texas a&m university researchers could prove to be a big move toward understanding historic and future bobwhite population trends
the project which took two years to complete also involved colleagues from the university of missouri (drs jerry taylor and jared decker) texas a&m agrilife research (drs charles johnson and dale rollins) texas a&ms department of wildlife and fisheries sciences (dr markus peterson) and two private-industry scientists (dr scot e dowd and paul m seabury) dr chris seabury and research associates (yvette halley and eric bhattarai) along with members of the schubot exotic bird health center (drs ian tizard donald brightsmith) at texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences have completed the first-ever draft genome assembly for a wild bobwhite quail named pattie-marie and their work has been published in the current issue of the scientific journal plos one
by sequencing and assembling the bobwhite quail genome the team produced the most comprehensive resource currently available for cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in the bobwhite seabury says
one of the most prized american hunting birds and a cultural icon among outdoor enthusiasts the bobwhite quail has undergone a mysterious decline that has been documented for more than 50 years once present by the millions in the midwest south and southwest bobwhite numbers are down as much as 80 percent in some areas
in oklahoma declining bobwhite quail numbers are especially alarming with one study relating that decline to the number of quail hunters which has dropped from 111 000 in 1986 to only 30 000 last year
the bird was recently named the no1 bird in decline in north america by the audubon society
in texas equally serious declines have also been noted according to texas parks and wildlife department figures the bobwhite quail has declined every year since 1981
at present there appears to be no single or specific reason for the decline loss of natural habitat changes in land use pesticides the potential for bird diseases and even climate change have all been mentioned but no definitive explanation has been discovered for the quail decline
our study is important because prior to this we had no ability to use whole-genome technologies to monitor levels of genetic diversity over time define the genetic relationships among existing populations or draw important inferences regarding bobwhite physiological interactions with their environment seabury explains
we now have a formal resource for studying the bird and identifying new or perhaps even more specific reasons for its serious decline this resource gives us a way to look at new population and management strategies but also a means to conduct very detailed molecular studies focusing on ecotoxicology reproduction and physiology
now we can peel back new layers of science to thoroughly look at many different levels of the quail problem including the utilization of whole-genome information for monitoring modern genetic diversity reconstructing historic population trends and even considering genetic similarity in relation to the translocation of wild bobwhites to suitable habitats
the study was funded by private donations from joe crafton members of park cities quail and the rolling plains quail research foundation
contact
chris seabury
(979) 845-2720
cseabury@cvmtamuedu
keith randall
(979) 945-4644
keith-randall@tamuedu
college station tx – the 19th annual english tea benefiting members of the brazos valley multiple sclerosis patients support group (bvmspsg) was held in the mark francis room at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) on feb 8 2014 dr jane welsh and dr jianrong li-who are both professors in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm-and their scientific teams hosted the meeting and provided tea and crumpets for everyone
in ms patients the immune system attacks myelin membranes that surround nerves making it difficult for the nerves to conduct electrical impulses when myelin is damaged as a result of ms a scar forms in its place these scars prevent nerve signals from traveling through the body at the onset of ms more than 80 percent of those diagnosed had suffered a highly stressful life event in the preceding yearever since the first english tea held in 1994 it has provided a forum for discussion of advances in multiple sclerosis (ms) and allowed graduate students to present their research to members of the bvmspsg demonstrating the vital role that biomedical research plays in promoting public health
research from the welsh lab suggests that viral infections combined with stress are important factors in developing ms the li lab presented their recent findings on critical roles for myeloid cells in triggering neuro-inflammation and myelin damage in animal models of ms myeloid cells include several types of cells that regulate the immune response results from their animal studies also suggest that drugs targeting specific signals in the brain can confer protection against myelin destruction
members of the bvmspsg welcomed the scientific information and shared their own unique perspectives on living with ms which included suggestions on which medications to take how to deal with depression and finding the right doctor or neurologist to care for their needs
the narrowing of the research focus on ms by the students and professors at the cvm holds hope that new interventions may be developed that will emphasize the good that medical treatment can achieve while minimizing the awful side effects that may develop said peggy brannon a community member who attended the first meeting in 1994 and has never missed a meeting
the members of the bvmspsg have greatly inspired our students and postdoctoral fellows and contributed to the development of research ideas welsh said we look forward to our annual meetings with them and also regular emails from them about current ms research-they really keep us on our toes!
st simons island georgia – february 7 2014 – texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences student daniel brown has been selected to receive the simmons educational fund (sef) national business aptitude award the award is given to senior students to bring attention to the importance of business education in veterinary practice this years case study was to present a new modern marketing plan for a veterinary practice brown was selected from among 30 national and international candidates based upon his exceptional response
i am honored that my project was selected and attribute any success on my part to the great education ive received at texas a&m said brown the sef business case competition gave me a great opportunity to work through a real-life scenario and put together a plan for marketing a practice i know a lot more now than i did just a few months ago about online marketing and feel confident ill get to apply a lot of what i learned in the not so distant future after graduating from texas a&m brown plans to move to the california bay area to work with his dad as a small animal veterinarian his interests include surgery practice management and veterinary consultingthe sef awarded brown with $15 000 and an all-expense paid trip to the north american veterinary conference in orlando the award was presented at the national vbma meeting
about the sef business aptitude award:
its exciting to see the students submissions for a marketing plan for a veterinary practice what you see today in a marketing plan is not what you would have seen even just five years ago said david king dvm cva a simmons professional and sef trustee our award winner shows us that business education is more important than ever in veterinary medicine
about sef
the sef is a non-profit corporation founded in 2002 by simmons & associates it was created to educate practitioners and students about the business of veterinary medicine since its founding the sef has reached thousands of veterinarians through its newsletters and sponsorship of speaking engagements ce meetings and veterinary organizations such as vbma vle and others with similar goals additional information about the sef can be found at wwwsimmonsedfundorg or by calling 208-664-5548
about simmons & associates
simmons specializes exclusively in veterinary practice sales valuations and negotiations for over 36 years simmons has been a trusted business advisor and broker to thousands of veterinarians buying and selling practices veterinarians can learn more about buying or selling a practice at wwwsimmonsinccom or by calling 8003331984
from the cows that provide the milk for a bowl of cereal to the deer nibbling on a shrub in the park and from sea lions working with their trainers at the zoo to puppies chasing balls in the yard the connections humans have with animals are vast this special relationship is explored in a new mobile exhibition from the smithsonian
animal connections: our journey together a custom-built exhibition housed on an 18-wheel truck that expands into 1 000 square feet of space will be at texas a&m university at college station feb 20-21
located in front of the george bush library and museum the free exhibit will be open to the public from 11 am to 6 pm thursday feb 20 and from 10 am to 4 pm friday feb 21
for the safety of animals and people visitors are asked not to bring pets
the affection that people everywhere have for animals sparked our enthusiasm for an exhibit about veterinary medicine that would inspire lively conversations about the human–animal bond said lori yarrish acting director of sites
animal connections was created by the smithsonian institution traveling exhibition service (sites) to mark the 150th anniversary of the american veterinary medical association in 2013 the exhibition is made possible through the generous support of founding sponsor zoetis inc and the american veterinary medical foundation
of the more than 74 million american households that include pets nearly two-thirds consider their pets family members said dr clark fobian president of the avma the deep connection americans have with animals and the pivotal role veterinarians play in that relationship are wonderful and worthy of celebration
divided into five sections the exhibition focuses on animals in the home on the farm at the zoo in the wild and at the veterinary clinic visitors are offered a variety of ways to learn through informative displays dynamic videos and interactive experiences in the home section visitors will learn how to select the right pet and the possible dangers to pets such as household items like plants and holiday decorations and feeding pets food prepared for family members a display in the farm section highlights the mobile clinics that large-animal veterinarians stock with a variety of tools-from dental speculums to cow magnets-to ensure they are prepared for any procedure a virtual clinic at the center of the exhibition provides visitors the opportunity to play veterinarian through touch screens they can examine and diagnose what ails their virtual patients-a dog a piglet and a cheetah
at zoetis we work every day to better understand and address the real-world challenges faced by those who raise and care for animals said christine jenkins chief veterinary medical officer-us zoetis a company that discovers develops and manufactures veterinary vaccines and medicines as part of our commitment to veterinarians we are proud to join with the smithsonian and the avma in supporting ‘animal connections as a means to inspire young people to pursue careers in veterinary medicine and its allied professions
the free exhibition explores the shared responsibility for animals health and well-being it also highlights the varied roles veterinarians play in the health of animals videos showcase that even suburban areas have a great diversity of wildlife-from the squirrels trying to break into a birdfeeder to a bear lounging in a hammock
at the avmf we are committed to advancing the well-being and medical care of animals said michael cathey avmf executive director this exhibition will not only help inspire the next generation of veterinarians but improve current animal care through a better understanding of the role animals and veterinarians play in our lives
visitors to animal connections can continue the learning experience online at animalconnectionscom the site includes resources on animal care and careers in veterinary medicine
about smithsonian institution traveling exhibition service (sites)
sites has been sharing the wealth of smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside washington dc for 60 years sites connects americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art science and history which are shown wherever people live work and play
about american veterinary medical association
the avma established in 1863 is a not-for-profit association representing more than 85 000 veterinarians working in private and corporate practice government industry academia and uniformed services the mission of the association is to improve animal and human health and advance the veterinary medical profession
about american veterinary medical foundation
the avmf is the charitable arm of the avma for 50 years avmf has been dedicated to embracing and advancing the well-being and medical care of animals charitable contributions and support to the foundation help veterinarians help animals the avmf a three-time four-star rated nonprofit by charity navigator has awarded more than $50 million in grants since it began in 1963
about zoetis
zoetis (zō-eh-tis) is a leading animal health company dedicated to supporting customers and businesses focused on raising and caring for livestock and companion animals building on a 60-year history as the animal health business of pfizer zoetis discovers develops manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines complemented by diagnostic products and genetic tests
dr doris taylor director of the center for cell and organ biotechnology and adjunct professor at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences appeared on cbss 60 minutes on sunday february 9 2014 in the episode dr taylor discussed the brave new world of regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies that hold much promise for the future of cardiac medicine
videos of the interview can be found at:
college station tx – medical imaging saves lives mammograms find breast cancer ultrasounds show the extent of injuries after an accident and mris detect brain aneurysms diagnostic imaging is also an increasingly important tool in veterinary medicine
when a canine patient with a heart murmur was referred to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) a team led by dr ashley saunders used a computed tomography (ct) scanner and a software program to create a three dimensional model of the dogs heart the images were used to help the team develop a detailed treatment plan for a complex problem: correcting an uncommon heart defect that was causing the murmur and associated health problems
the dogs case was highlighted in a recent issue of the journal of veterinary cardiology due to the unique aspects of the case; successful treatment; and the overall clarity and quality of the accompanying images one of the three dimensional reconstructed images of the heart defect was selected as the journal cover
the images allowed us to visualize the dogs anatomy identify the abnormalities and make quick decisions about his surgical plan said saunders an associate professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) the information from these images helped us perform a successful procedure that resulted in an excellent outcome for the patient
at texas a&m we work to put the very best tools in the experienced hands of our clinicians said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine our diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment center is a leading-edge facility that enhances our ability to treat difficult cases and to provide an advanced level of care the article and cover photo are a tribute to dr saunders and to our excellent cardiology team the collaborations they establish and the advanced technology they use in their daily patient care allows them to make a positive difference in the lives of those we serve
the ct scanner used for the angiogram study is housed within thediagnostic imaging and cancer treatment center at the cvm one of the only facilities of its kind the 3d reconstruction was performed with software at the texas a&m institute for preclinical studies (tips) access to these resources and this technology aids veterinarians at the cvm in providing the very best patient care and saving animals lives
being featured on the journals cover is a notable accomplishment dr sandee hartsfield professor and head of vscs noted only a limited number of submitted papers are recognized with a cover image and both the articles and the images must be of the highest quality
college station tx – the smooth movement of gaited horses is caused by a genetic mutation that can be found across the world according to a recent study
the paper worldwide frequency distribution of the ‘gait keeper mutation in the dmrt3 gene was published tuesday in the journal animal genetics
we have previously demonstrated that a single mutation in the dmrt3 gene has a large impact on gaitedness in horses and it was therefore named ‘gait keeper ' said dr leif andersson one of the authors of the article and a texas a&m university institute for advanced study faculty fellow collaborating with researchers at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) this gene codes for a protein in a specific subset of neurons in the spinal cord that coordinates the movements of the animals legs the mutated version of the gene causes a truncation of the dmrt3 protein a genetic mistake that allows horses to pace and amble
the cvm has a reputation as a world leader in genomic research said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the collaborative efforts of our genomic scientists will continue to make an impact not only in the equine industry through studies such as this one but also in other species including humans through the application of the lessons learned from this investigative approach this study is yet another example of contributions to one health
this recent research shows that the mutation arose only once and then spread across the world via positive selection andersson said in other words early humans probably noticed that some horses had the ability to move in unique ways and they then selected those horses for breeding most likely because they offered a smoother more comfortable ride called a running walk in some breeds horse breeds that are known to perform these ambling gaits are referred to as gaited and the researchers found that the mutated version of the gene is common in these breeds they analyzed genes of 4396 horses from 141 breeds and found that the mutation is spread across eurasia from japan to the british isles in iceland in south and north america and in breeds from south africa
during such ambling gaits the horse has at least one foot on the ground which means that the vertical movement of the rider is minimal andersson said for instance paso fino is a breed from latin america in which the frequency of the ‘gait keeper mutation is nearly 100 percent it is claimed that the paso fino gait is so smooth that you can have a glass of wine in your hand without letting it spill!
now that we have the genetic tools with enough power we are beginning to find unexpected insights into how genes influence movement said dr e gus cothran a clinical professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm and another of the articles authors dr andersson and i are hoping to continue this work with the goal of understanding how other genes can influence the basic gait pattern inferred by dmrt3
college station tx – dr joe n kornegay texas a&m university professor in the departments of veterinary integrative biosciences and veterinary pathobiology at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and the institute for neuroscience was recently selected for the recognition lecture award by the american association of veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) this is an honor given to an individual whose leadership and vision has made a significant contribution to academic veterinary medicine and the veterinary profession
the award will be presented during the aavmc annual conference on saturday march 15 at the westin alexandria in alexandria virginia
kornegay plans to speak about his research in a canine model of duchenne muscular dystrophy (dmd) and how this relates to the broader concept of one health in which human and animal medicine are inextricably linked
for more than thirty years kornegay has studied a spontaneous canine disease termed golden retriever muscular dystrophy (grmd) which serves as an animal model for dmd in humans both conditions are x-linked meaning they are caused by mutations in a gene on the x chromosome his research has defined key clinical and pathologic features of grmd to better understand the causes of the disease and analyze possible treatments in recent years kornegays laboratory and collaborators have studied various treatments in affected dogs and results of these preclinical studies should guide the use of similar treatment strategies in dmd patients
we are proud of dr kornegay and his recent recognition by the aavmc said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr kornegays work has been a cornerstone example of what weve come to embrace as the one health approach and has helped to demonstrate the importance of the connection between human and animal health his research with canine dmd patients is at the forefront of a revolution in biomedical sciences in which purebred dog populations are ideal subjects for identifying specific genes associated with diseases that affect both dogs and humans such as cancer epilepsy muscular dystrophy heart disease and many others
after receiving his veterinary degree from texas a&m kornegay spent three years in private practice in ohio and texas followed by six years in residency (neurology and pathology) and graduate (masters and phd) training at the university of georgia college of veterinary medicine upon completion of this training he served on the faculty of the college of veterinary medicine at north carolina state university for 11 years before moving to the college of veterinary medicine at the university of missouri where he eventually became the colleges dean
he moved to the university of north carolina at chapel hill in 2006 and to his current position at texas a&m university in 2012 in both of these positions his responsibilities have focused on research
kornegay is a diplomate and past president of the neurology specialty of the american college of veterinary internal medicine (acvim) and currently serves as acvims president-elect
dr kornegay has made exceptional contributions to veterinary medicine as an academic dean skilled clinician visionary leader and accomplished researcher said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni professor and head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences the list of recipients of the aavmc recognition lecture reads like a whos who of veterinary medicine i have had the honor of knowing some of the individuals on the list and i know that dr kornegay brings additional honor to an already distinguished company
college station tx – dr leif andersson a 2013-16 texas a&m university institute for advanced study (tias) faculty fellow from uppsala university sweden was chosen as a recipient of the 2014 wolf prize in agriculture the wolf foundation announced thursday dr andersson will be sharing the award and its $100 000 prize with jorge dubcovsky of the university of california davis as they are both being honored for their use of cutting-edge genomic technologies that contribute to animal and plant research respectively the wolf prize is often referred to as equivalent to the nobel prize
dr andersson is highly deserving of the wolf prize in agriculture said dr david threadgill professor and director of the whole systems genomic initiative (wsgi) at texas a&m he is the leading geneticist using the latest genomic tools to reveal the genetic control of many important production traits in agricultural animals there is no other scientist who has been as successful over the last 10 years as dr andersson has been in studying many different species and traits
as a tias fellow dr andersson has been collaborating with faculty in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) since november 2013 his research involves comparing the genomes of many species of domestic animals to discover the molecular mechanisms and underlying traits that are important to human and veterinary medicine texas a&m university system chancellor john sharp who initiated the investment in tias said we are all very proud of tias and specifically dr andersson his work will influence the future of sustainable food production for the entire world
dr andersson analyzes interbreeding among species of domestic animals to identify the genes and mutations that affect specific traits this research has led to the development of genomic and marker-assisted selection as a means to identify breeding stock with specific useful and economically important characteristics these advances in livestock selection have replaced the more classic selection methods based on visible traits and are an essential contribution to sustainable feeding of a growing world population
i congratulate dr andersson being awarded the prestigious wolf prize his breakthrough work in genomic technologies is an example of the positive impact that he and our texas a&m university faculty are having on texas the nation and the world said dr mark hussey interim president of texas a&m university
one area of dr anderssons research with potential crossover to humans is his work on the genetic basis of muscle physiology and motor coordination in horses this has led to insights into how their genes affect their gait these discoveries may also have important implications for human diseases such as cerebral palsy
we are excited about dr anderssons recognition as a recipient of the wolf prize in agriculture said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his international reputation and expertise in functional genomics combined with the world-class genomics faculty already in place at the cvm will be integral in fostering innovative one health collaborations and leading-edge discovery special thanks to tias and to our university leadership who provided the opportunity to bring these world-renowned scholars to our campus this effort led by texas a&m university chancellor john sharp and directed by dr junkins has provided a wealth of opportunity to texas a&m and to the communities we serve
the new wolf prize laureates will receive their awards in may from the president of israel and israels minister of education during a ceremony at the knesset building (the seat of israel´s parliament) in jerusalem i am extremely proud to be recognized with an international prize of this dignity dr andersson said five or six wolf prizes have been awarded annually since 1978 to outstanding individuals in the fields of agriculture chemistry mathematics medicine physics and the arts according to the wolf foundations website a total of 253 scientists and artists from 23 countries have been honored to date this year five prizes were awarded to eight individuals in four countries dr andersson is the fourth agriculture winner of the wolf prize associated with texas a&m: dr perry adkisson won in 1995 dr james womack in 2001 and dr fuller bazer in 2002
this recognition of the excellence of his work is also reflective of the overall quality of the stellar talent tias is attracting as faculty fellows said dr john junkins distinguished professor of aerospace engineering and founding director of tias each year tias is bringing the finest academics in the world to texas a&m for collaboration with our faculty and students of the first fifteen scholars that tias has brought to texas a&m two have won the nobel prize one has been awarded the national medal of science and now one has been awarded the wolf prize indeed we are delighted by the ongoing contributions to our programs by all fifteen of the highly distinguished scholars attracted to date as tias faculty fellows
the prizes are given by the wolf foundation which was established in 1975 by dr ricardo wolf a german-born inventor diplomat and philanthropist who lived the last few years of his life in israel the winners are chosen by international prize committees made up of experts in each field
we are extremely fortunate to be hosting dr andersson as a tias fellow in our department where he is a delightful and inspiring colleague said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni associate dean for undergraduate education professor and head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm dr andersson works across a broad range of species; this and his extraordinary powers of observation have been of tremendous value to faculty and students in the college
dr andersson directed the animal genetics component of the nordic centre of excellence in disease genetics (ncoedg) that was in operation until 2011 and his research group has done pioneering work in this field ncoedg involved investigators from denmark finland and sweden working in five nordic universities pooling their expertise methodological power and resources to study the genetic background of metabolic syndrome autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and colon cancer dr anderssons expertise in animal model development and experience with multi-institutional collaborative research in ncoedg can provide exceptional insights as the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences positions itself to become a major contributor to the wsgi and the one health program
a world-renowned scientist who has published more than 330 scientific articles and has received six patents and filed applications for two more dr andersson has mentored 25 students to doctorate or professional degrees he has also been uniquely elected to four major scientific royal societies in sweden (royal swedish society for agriculture and forestry the royal swedish academy of sciences royal society of sciences in uppsala and the royal physiographic society in lund) and was recently elected as a foreign member of the us national academy of sciences dr andersson has received numerous other prizes: the thureus prize in natural history and medicine from the royal society of sciences the linneus prize in zoology from the royal physiographic society in lund the hilda and alfred erikssons prize in medicine from the royal swedish academy of sciences and the olof rudbeck prize from upsala medical society
college station tx – texas a&m second-year veterinary student anastasia koinis was recently selected to receive a morris animal foundation veterinary student scholar program award supporting her summer research project on avian bornavirus (abv) each year the morris animal foundation funds the veterinary student scholars (vss) program to help provide students hands-on exposure to veterinary medical research
i have worked for the schubot exotic bird health center for the last couple of years and became interested in the abv research they have been doing koinis said i plan to use the award to help pay for vet school and living expenses
the vss program awards grants up to $4 000 to veterinary students who hope to establish a career in clinical or basic animal health and/or welfare research students are carefully chosen based on their academic standing a proposed research project consistent with the foundations guidelines and endorsement from a research mentor
our college encourages not only our graduate students but also our undergraduate and veterinary students to engage in research programs and to seek external funding awards to support their research said dr robert burghardt acting associate dean for research and graduate studies at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) the faculty in our college has provided strong mentorship to students like anastasia and as a result our students who participate in research programs continue to be recognized nationally and internationally for their efforts
her research project investigates the synergism between an antiviral drug with a flavonoid on the avian bornavirus; this virus causes a fatal neurological wasting disease in parrots preliminary results suggest that the combination may increase the antiviral activity
while in her first year of the professional veterinary program i was able to interact with her and observe her skills in the veterinary microbiology course where again she impressed me with her abilities and knowledge said dr jeffrey musser koinis mentor i could think of no better student to assist me in our research on viral diseases in birds so i approached morris animal foundation and forwarded her as an maf veterinary student scholar candidate
this program provides a unique opportunity for students to expand their knowledge of veterinary medicine as well as provide research experience before beginning a career of their own
college station tx – for the past several years representatives of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have been attending the houston cat club annual charity cat show at this years show held last weekend veterinary students interested in feline practice staffed one of more than 40 booths and answered questions from the public about veterinary medicine the college its teaching hospital and its programs
it was fun to talk to kids of varying ages because our advice changed depending on how old they were said lexie kremenezky president of the cvm student chapter of the american association of feline practitioners and one of the organizers of the booth at one point we spoke with a girl who had just started as a freshman at a&m and our advice was to focus on grades and getting experience in a clinic the next minute we were talking to a ten-year-old girl who wanted to be a vet so we told her parents about the cvms annual open house
we had many visitors at our booth said dr john august professor of feline internal medicine at the cvm and the faculty advisor for the group and the students represented the cvm wonderfully well
the students also enjoyed learning more about cat shows and the cats who compete in them-an aspect of feline practice many had never seen before in addition to the judging circles the show included a cat agility area a trick course in which cats performed various stunts a cat costume contest and designated pet me cats
to my knowledge we are the only veterinary college in the united states with a separate feline internal medicine service in the teaching hospital said august so compared to other schools cats are a prominent part of our educational and patient care programs
college station tx – dr heather wilson-robles of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has recently been appointed to serve on the small animal scientific advisory board (sab) for the morris animal foundation (maf) a nonprofit organization dedicated to investing in research the work of maf and their investment in research has a global impact on animal health wilson-robles a veterinary oncologist is an assistant professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences (vscs) at the cvm


dr wilson-robles is widely recognized for her excellence in patient care and clinical research said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm she oversees multiple clinical trials in veterinary oncology that will one day lead to improved therapies in humans and animals we are proud that her efforts have been recognized with this important opportunity to advance veterinary research and one health initiatives
wilson received her first grant from the maf several years ago for a project involving canine osteosarcoma (osa) and the identification of tumor initiating cells in the cell cultures of canine osa her work serving on the sab requires time and effort to ensure that the maf funds are used to support high quality research and to provide critical feedback to unfunded investigators improving their research proposals
she has endeavored to investigate spontaneous tumors in animals with the goal of defining innovative and effective treatments while collaborating with medical oncologists to discover potential applications to management of human cancers said dr sandee hartsfield professor and head of vscs her expertise will be very valuable to the maf small animal scientific advisory board
each member appointed on the sab serves a four-year term and contributes more than 100 volunteer hours in addition to the time spent volunteering these elite board members must review and provide written comments for approximately 16 grant proposals submitted to the foundation and devote up to three days for an in-person grant review meeting integral to the advancement of veterinary medical research the sab ranks proposals for scientific merit relevance and impact
i believe that we as veterinarians have a very important role to play in the one health initiative and we can only do that by continuing to perform high quality research said dr wilson-robles maf is one of the few entities that help to financially support veterinary clinician scientists and because of this i am happy to help them in any way i can
college station tx – with a higher concentration of veterinary colleges than any other conference in the country the southeastern conference boasts premiere college sports and a region with a strong focus on animal care
mississippi state university college of veterinary medicine and the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences are teaming up to promote their partnership in sports and veterinary medicine jackie sherrill who coached football at both universities has worked with faculty and administrations at both veterinary colleges and came up with the idea of having a yearly competition called the dog bowl: a taste of victory the veterinary college of the winning football team will get to keep the dog bowl trophy on display for the year
this fun competition just seems fitting as the two colleges are so interwoven dean eleanor green at a&m was on faculty at msu at one point and ive worked at both universities sherrill said the two schools have a lot in common and the trophy competition signifies that
the colleges also will host alumni tailgate events and other activities in the future to celebrate the partnership between the colleges
this is all in good fun and we look forward to seeing how this all evolves said dr kent hoblet dean of the msu-cvm texas a&m has a great veterinary college and weve shared a lot academically over the years and now we get to throw football into the mix i see this as an opportunity to collaborate even more
dr eleanor m green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m and a founding faculty member of the college of veterinary medicine at mississippi state in the 1970s is a strong supporter of texas a&ms move into the southeastern conference dean green said these two universities have much in common – school colors of maroon and white fans with undying loyalty passion for football coach jackie sherrill as a head football coach colleges of veterinary medicine and even canine mascots each of which receives superb veterinary care the faculty staff and students of the respective veterinary medical teaching hospitals are the preferred health care providers for reveille and bully the dog bowl is a fitting and fun competition
the football teams will face-off on nov 9 in college station
college station tx – work underway at texas a&m university sponsored by two foundations with a deep interest in autism may one day provide clues to one type of autism autism spectrum disorders (asd) are a set of complex developmental disorders characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction as well as restricted behaviors interests or activities

dr scott dindot assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences recently received two grants to create mouse models of chromosome 15q duplication syndrome (dup15q syndrome) one of the most frequent known genetic mutations in those with asd in this disorder an individual has too many copies (as many as seven or eight) of a series of genes located on a region of chromosome 15q (hence the name dup15q)
oddly only duplications on the chromosome inherited from the mother seem to determine whether an individual will be affected rarely are paternally derived duplications seen in patients with autistic-like behaviors this is because genes within 15q including one called ube3a are subject to genomic imprinting a phenomenon where the allele from one parent is active and the one from the other is silent in the brain the ube3a gene is active only on the maternal chromosome therefore scientists believe that an overabundance of ube3a in the brain causes the neurological deficits seen in patients with dup15q syndrome
mouse models are essential to advance understanding of the biological processes that cause asds as well as to test potential therapies a good model-which dindot is trying to create-has both construct validity (meaning that they carry a mutation in a known risk gene) and face validity (some physical or behavioral resemblance to the human disorder)
the first grant from the dup15q alliance (a nonprofit run entirely on grants and donations with over 900 affiliated families from around the world) for $40 000 has allowed for the creation of dindots first mouse model of dup15q syndrome although the first mouse was an important initial step more than one model is needed the second grant from the simons foundation autism research initiative (sfari) for $85 000 will help dindot and his team to generate and characterize a series of five more mouse models of dup15q syndrome
in the brain the gene codes for at least three separate isoforms or types of ube3a each a slightly different protein with very subtle variances in their amino acid sequences however researchers dont currently understand what these differences mean
each line of mice we are generating will overexpress a particular ube3a isoform dindot said this will allow us to determine the role of each isoform in the development of dup15q syndrome
furthermore mouse models of human genetic conditions express in some instances different characteristics depending on the genetic background of the mouse the researchers originally used this can be a particularly important issue when performing behavioral studies in mice so to account for the effect of the background strain (as the genetic backgrounds are called) dindot and his colleagues are making each of the three models using two very different strains of mice for a total of six the texas a&m institute of genomic medicine will be assisting in this collaborative effort
once these models are molecularly validated (in other words shown to be expressing high levels of ube3a in the brain) they will be made widely available to the scientific community through a partnership between sfari and the jackson laboratory a nonprofit genetics research organization that maintains a vast database of mice that can be ordered and used by scientists around the world
dr dindots work on mouse models for dup15q syndrome has the potential to unlock new pathways of discovery for treatments and therapies for autism spectrum disorders said dr robert burghardt acting associate dean for research and graduate studies these two grants recognize the importance of his work and the tremendous expertise that is brought together through this collaborative effort
the development of an inducible ube3a transgenic mouse model will facilitate studies of the behavior associated with ube3a over-expression in the brain on a cellular level the model could also be used to test potential therapies and to determine the period of development during which a therapeutic intervention could be optimal
dr dindots research encompasses basic clinical and translational research and is therefore ideally suited for the veterinary medicine setting said dr linda logan professor and head of vtpb given that most successful investigators tend to take either one path or the other it is very difficult to find high quality scientist who can fluently speak the languages of basic science and clinical research dr dindot has been successful in both arenas which is a rare accomplishment the impact and scope of his current work along with his passion for research bodes well for his future endeavors and i am confident that he will continue to be successful in his scholarly pursuits
we are very grateful to the dup15q alliance and sfari for providing funds to generate these mouse models of dup15q syndrome dindot said i would like to particularly thank kadi luchsinger and guy calvert at the dup15q alliance alice luo clayton and marta benedetti at sfari and larry reiter at the university of tennessee who is a co-principal investigator on the dup15q alliance grant this is an important project; we are humbled and honored to be a part of it
college station tx – over the course of the summer twenty-three veterinary medical students from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences had the opportunity to move from the classroom into the laboratory to learn about veterinary medical research through the veterinary medical scientist research program (vmsrtp) which culminated with a conference working closely with faculty mentors in the program this dedicated group of students conducted research projects on various topics that are vital to veterinary medicine today the conference held on july 31 2013 gave these students the opportunity to present their work
the vmsrtp expands veterinary students understanding of their profession they meet veterinary scientists engaged in research disease outbreak investigations laboratory animal medicine investigative pathology and more said dr roger smith director of the vmsrtp every year the quality of the students research and presentations increases and this year was no exception
during the conference the students gave brief presentations regarding the research they have been working on throughout the summer genetic enhancements of the innate immune system as a defense against viral disease optimization of feline in vitro fertilization using frozen-thawed spermatozoa and the infectivity of avian bornavirus in urine were just a few of the more than twenty topics presented at the conference
veterinary medicine extends well beyond the clinic and the classroom said dr robert burghardt acting associate dean for research & graduate studies faculty-supported programs such as the vmsrtp encourage our students to engage in meaningful research that helps to define new treatments and diagnostic tools which in turn puts our students on the leading edge of veterinary medicine
students involved in the vmsrtp conducted in depth research on topics even broader than veterinary medicine their research really did encompass the full range of the one health initiative with research related to fetal alcohol syndrome muscular dystrophy human metabolic and cardiovascular disease as well as conservation biology related to the snow leopard said smith
trevor tenney a vet student that participated in the vmsrtp spent the summer researching the prevalence of chagas disease and other infectious parasites in shelter dogs around the state of texas participating in the vmsrtp has been a richly rewarding experience for me explains tenney it opened my eyes to the world of research and taught me to become a better scientist and future veterinarian
programs like the veterinary medical summer research training program encourage veterinary medical students to see the bigger picture of how they can make contributions to veterinary medicine outside the realm of private practice including career paths in clinical research and academia
college station tx – dr jessica rodriguez a veterinarian and graduate student at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been selected as one of the first merial residents in veterinary parasitology from the national center for veterinary parasitology (ncvp)
the ncvps goals are to train graduate veterinarians in clinical applied veterinary parasitology while providing balanced science-based consulting expertise on parasite treatment and prevention strategies this unique program awards funding to rodriguez and other selected veterinarians for salary and benefits while pursuing their phd and residencies in veterinary clinical parasitology
there are currently four ncvp residents and two affiliate residents nationwide said rodriguez this year there were two awarded through the ncvp rodriguez received $100 000 for two years and will be eligible for another 2-year renewal
under the direction of dr karen snowden professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm and a leading veterinary parasitologist and current diplomate of the acvm rodriguez will continue her research on heterobilharzia americana an important trematode pathogen of dogs in addition to her phd research rodriguez will gain clinical parasitology experience and training toward board certification in parasitology
i have known jessica rodriguez since her undergraduate days at texas a&m and she has always been a model for academic excellence said snowden completing a phd and a residency in veterinary parasitology is almost unique in our academic field and dr rodriguez is building a great career path through this program
with the resurgence of support for neglected tropical disease many of which are parasitic dr jessica rodriguez should have a bright future as a researcher contributing to global health initiatives said dr linda logan head of the department of veterinary pathobiology
the application material for the ncvp involved rodriguez and snowden designing a training program to broaden the breadth of parasite knowledge this program will also include rodriguezs parasitology training at the veterinary colleges of oklahoma state university kansas state university the university of prince edward island and colorado state university i will also be required to teach veterinary parasitology as well as publish continuing education articles on veterinary parasitology said rodriguez
we appreciate industry partners such as merial for recognizing the important impact clinical research makes on advancing the veterinary profession and for honoring the hard work of our students said dr robert burghardt acting associate dean for research & graduate studies dr rodriguez is one of a select few to pursue a phd and a residency both of which will place her on the leading edge of the one health initiative working to advance the global health of humans animals plants and the ecosystem
bringing together partners from academia and industry to address emerging issues the ncvp seeks to serve the veterinary profession by developing future leaders like rodriguez to promote outstanding clinically relevant veterinary parasitology research
college station tx – the only two zoetis-morris animal foundation veterinary fellowships for advanced study awarded this year went to residents at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
sarah schneider who passed her anatomic pathology board exams last month and sabrina vobornik have both been at the cvm completing their post-dvm residencies with the help of the fellowship they are now beginning phd programs in the fall of 2013 zoetis morris animal foundation and the college will each contribute $20 000 per year for four years toward each recipients expenses
we are so proud of these students said dr robert burghardt acting associate dean for research and graduate studies at the cvm in addition to completing demanding residency programs they are building upon their knowledge base to advance veterinary research which may one day lead to improved quality of life for animals
both schneider and vobornik would ultimately like to pursue careers in academia so they thought the fellowship requirement for recipients to work in some area of animal health research for at least four years following completion of the phd would be a good fit
i love teaching vobornik said but i also love research ideally when i am done with my phd id like to work at a college of veterinary medicine both teaching and doing research
in addition to research opportunities at academic institutions both vobornik and schneider will have the opportunity to get exposure to other careers paths fellows will spend two or three months during the fellowship at zoetis research facility at kalamazoo michigan
im really very excited about it said schneider although i do think i want to work in a university setting it will be great to get some industry experience as well
securing funding for graduate student stipends is challenging particularly when trying to provide a phd opportunity for veterinary residents who have already spent seven or more years continuing their post-baccalaureate education said dr mary nabity voborniks faculty mentor therefore this fellowship was instrumental in retaining two highly motivated and bright students for their graduate studies and im excited to have sabrina join my laboratory
vobornik who earned her dvm from oklahoma state university has been a clinical pathology resident at the cvm for the past two years she studies chronic kidney disease in dogs with the hope of eventually developing less invasive diagnostic tools for the disease
schneider earned her dvm at the university of tennessee before working in private practice and finally doing her anatomic pathology residency-which she finished at the end of june-at the cvm her phd research will focus on a group of golden retrievers with muscular dystrophy one of the muscles affected by the disease is the heart which tends to create cardiomyopathy potentially leading to heart failure schneider would like to study how the expression of genes in the heart muscle is different in these dogs with the ultimate goal of learning how to identify the disease earlier and potentially stop it from progressing
sarah expressed an interest in studying cardiac effects of muscular dystrophy said dr joe kornegay schneiders faculty mentor through these studies shell be building on experiences from both practice and the pathology residency were excited by the commitment that has been made to dr schneider and know that shell make us all proud
texas a&m has some very good resources for studying heart disease schneider said the facilities the people-it all just comes together very well to be a wonderful place to do this research
the research track record of the applicants academic institution was a major criterion in the evaluation of the proposals and the cvm had to demonstrate a strong commitment to animal welfare in its research activities
it wasnt an easy application process schneider said but everyone was so helpful and im very grateful
im so appreciative of my mentors and all the people who helped me apply for this fellowship and who made this possible vobornik said it still feels surreal
college station tx – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) is offering a course this fall that is somewhat different from its typical topics of anatomy and physiology dr wr klemm professor of neuroscience at the cvm is teaching neuroscience and religion as an upper-division undergraduate bims elective
we will explore how neuroscience and religion should inform and enrich each other klemm said although the course will be based in reading assignments from his textbook titled core ideas in neuroscience those principles will be accompanied by religious and philosophic perspectives for example when discussing evolution of the nervous system the students will also consider the biblical book of genesis and other creation stories the lesson about action potentials-the cellular process that transmits information within and between neurons-will also include a discussion of descartes and dualism between mind and brain
many people struggle with the conflicts between evolution and religion klemm said as a neuroscientist i know that the human mind has a material basis and that may cause even more cognitive dissonance for people in other words if physical processes in the brain give rise to the concept we call the mind what does that mean for free will the concept of self and even the soul
many polls show that most scientists are atheists klemm said i think that is unfortunate to say the least
one of klemms goals for the course is to show students that science and theology dont have to contradict each other i am hoping that the students learn to be more introspective open minded and mature about their spirituality klemm said i fully expect this course will change the beliefs of everyone involved and that includes me
when asked why they wanted to take the class students cited curiosity the opportunity to challenge themselves and a general interest in the two subjects of science and religion several noted the uniqueness of the combination of topics with one student commenting that she enrolled to get a different perspective on both finally some students just went with a reason one doesnt often hear: i just thought it would be fun
the course which is limited to 20 students to facilitate discussion and interaction filled the same day it was announced these students are mostly biomedical science (bims) majors but four are majoring in something else-anthropology and psychology for example-and pursuing the religious studies minor
the course satisfies the university standards for a writing (w) certification klemm requires students to write comment on and lead class discussions of their essays and summaries of research papers in both fields that integrate neuroscience and religion writing can develop student abilities to organize and clarify their thinking and klemm critiques every essay to help students develop communication skills
i was so delighted when dr klemm contacted me and told me he was going to offer a course in neuroscience and religion said dr donnalee dox director of the texas a&m religious studies program in the college of liberal arts the relationship between science and religion is an up and coming field and im very excited about this class
dox spoke to the students for a few minutes during the first class session about how to study religion in an academic setting noting the different approaches researchers can take speaking to the bims majors in the class she noted that the study of religion has more grey areas than they might be used to in some of their other courses and advised trying to accept those ambiguities
klemm and dox have also submitted a pre-proposal to the templeton foundation to enhance the course and to develop an academic discipline around the theme of belief neuroscience with an emphasis on why humans believe things-religious and otherwise-even with incomplete evidence
college station tx – texas a&m phd student rachel curtis developed a way to educate the public while enlisting their help in tracking an emerging disease that threatens wildlife and humans chagas disease is caused by the parasite trypanosoma cruzi and can cause a variety of symptoms and can even lead to sudden death currently no cure exists the parasite is transferred among humans-or animals-by kissing bugs named after their tendency to bite around the mouth

curtis who is also a national science foundation graduate research fellow and a texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) merit fellow is a member of the epidemiology research team in dr sarah hamers laboratory at the cvm
as a first-year phd student curtis traveled to chicago in july for the opportunity to present her ongoing research at the american association of veterinary parasitologists (aavp) annual meeting even though it was her first major oral presentation she won first place in the best student presentation competition among other graduate students at the event
rachels success is a tribute to her hard work and dedication and the support from her faculty mentor said dr robert burghardt acting associate dean for research and graduate studies at the cvm our graduate students and faculty are exceptional and committed to the excellence that defines our research programs
i was happy to be there to hear her presentation and to support her said hamer curtiss advisor and assistant professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the cvm im very fortunate that shes a part of our team
curtis tracks this disease in nature to determine the risk of becoming infected with chagas disease a better understanding of this disease could lead to interventions that break the infection cycle and reduce the disease risk
as of january first of 2013 it became a notifiable disease so if a person or a veterinarian diagnoses chagas disease in a patient they have to report it to the state curtis said our efforts are augmenting the texas department of state health services ability to track this disease
to track chagas disease curtis has to collect blood samples trap wild animals alive-and catch kissing bugs initially she struggled to catch enough bugs because they were hard to find she turned to the community for help


as soon as we started talking to land owners and the public theyd say ‘oh yeah i had one of those in my house yesterday or ‘i found some in my barn or ‘they were in my dog kennel hamer said
curtis developed the citizens science initiative to educate the public about chagas disease and ask the public to collect these hard-to-find bugs on the hamer laboratory web site curtis provides the public with educational pamphlets pictures and articles
rachel really started this initiative up said hamer the public has been really eager to send in these bugs to her shes had almost 600 bugs submitted to her this way
although she is very early in her dissertation research her studies on chagas disease in the southern united states are already yielding new insights into maintenance of the chagas parasite in nature said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni associate dean for undergraduate education and professor and vibs department head
im grateful for all the financial support that the college the department and dr hamer have given curtis said without all of the financial resources there would have been no way for the research or for the award to be possible
college station tx – the partnership for environmental education and rural health or peer provided a unique opportunity this summer for grade school children all over the country to learn more about health issues involving both pets and people second and third year veterinary students from texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) presented three one health webcast sessions aimed especially at elementary and middle school students about pet nutrition skeletons and bones (also called orthopedics) and animal behavior
the three topics of nutrition orthopedics and animal behavior are subjects that interest children and provide them with information they need to know about their pets and themselves said dr larry johnson professor of veterinary integrative biosciences and the principal investigator of peer at the cvm groups viewing peer webcasts numbered 514 this summer
the first live webcast the scoop on nutrition aired on july 1 2013 and gave children in grades k-12 a veterinary students perspective on what nutrition is and the impact that it has on our animals it included a discussion of the consequences associated with poor nutrition how nutrition can be the first line of defense against serious health issues and how people can live happier healthier lives with our pets
the second live webcast orthopedics down to the bone! aired on july 15 2013 during this live webcast the veterinary students explained-using anatomy specimens and x-ray radiographs-what exactly bones are and how they function in the human and animal body they also informed the students about innovative new research that is helping humans with bone disorders as well as what a bone fracture is and how the body can fix them
the final webcast behavior: decoded! aired on july 29 2013 this final segment interpreted and explored important animal behavior questions that every child should know this fun and interactive presentation taught students some of the many ways animals can communicate with humans and answered various important questions such as: what do i do if i encounter a wild animal what is rabies and why do we need to vaccinate our pets against it how do i know if my pet is feeling happy anxious or aggressive
the webcasts provided students an opportunity to access interesting engaging educational materials from current veterinary students said johnson they allowed the students to view them from home with their family members or friends
along with launching its webcasts this summer peer has launched free online complete science curricula for grades 6-8 at http://peertamuedu which has received over 1900 downloads from various states in the first 48 hours these animal-based/veterinary-related lessons including obesity clinical trials and animal research with non-animal related science were molded to meet the state learning standards as students learn about the health of animals themselves and their surroundings
the webcasts are now available on peers website at http://peertamuedu/ under videos
october 14-18 marks this years national veterinary technician week (nvtw) a celebration the united states congress declared 21 years ago to be celebrated during the third week of october this years theme for nvtw is your trusted partner in lifelong care
veterinary technicians often work behind the scenes throughout animal clinics and hospitals providing nursing care patient assessment and surgical assistance additionally veterinary technicians work as radiography technicians dental hygienists client communicators educators medical laboratory technicians and often as hospital and practice managers although many work in private veterinary practices technicians may also find employment with universities animal shelters stables reproductive facilities zoos wildlife facilities pharmaceutical sales the military and homeland security
technicians act as the patients advocate in much the same way as registered nurses do for humans said melanie t landis dvm mba director of the veterinary technology program at blinn college not only do they ensure that treatments are performed but also monitor responses and keep the veterinarian informed
the veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences in addition to employing many veterinary technicians hosts second-year veterinary technology students from nearby blinn college for up to seven weeks each spring semester
after they graduate and have passed both the veterinary technician national examination and a state jurisprudence exam these students will become a credentialed veterinary technician blinn is one of only eight schools in texas that offer a veterinary technology program accredited by the american veterinary medical association
recently the texas state legislature adopted a bill which will change this credential from registered veterinary technician (rvt) to licensed veterinary technician (lvt) beginning in september 2014 this moves technicians from a voluntary registration overseen by the texas veterinary medical association to a licensed profession with legal standing that will be monitored by the texas state board of veterinary medical examiners current rvts will be able to make this transition fairly easily; all they will need to do is fill out an application and pay the annual licensing fee before next september
working at texas a&m is a dream come true for me said liz wood a registered veterinary technician working in internal medicine at the vmth i have the opportunity to utilize every aspect of my training i help care for and treat some of the most baffling cases in the country i work with some of the most renowned specialists in their fields most importantly i have the pleasure of training and influencing future veterinarians they leave us knowing the gold standard with which to care for their patients as well as the best ways to utilize their technicians they know that their clinic and hospital staff are a part of the veterinary care team and when used appropriately can be very efficient and successful i am very proud to be a part of the future of veterinary medicine
the american association of bovine practitioners (aabp) student quiz bowl team from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) won the national quiz bowl competition at the 46th annual conference of the aabp on friday in milwaukee wisconsin the team members were third-year veterinary students jayton bailey and bryan weaver and fourth-year student john david nicholson
teams from many north american veterinary schools competed in the tournament with some entering more than one team for 27 teams in total each team generally has four members but the team from the cvm even with only three members won the entire competition for the first time since participating in the quiz bowl
we are proud of our students for winning but not surprised they did said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm their performance reflects the hard work dedication and commitment to learning this win also reflects the quality and dedication of our outstanding food animal faculty who prepared them for this competition as they do for their veterinary careers congratulations to the team for earning this special award and for exemplifying the excellence in education for which texas a&m university and our college are known where else but texas #1 in the nation in cattle where else but aggieland
the format is a single elimination tournament with brackets that pits teams together to move on to the next round until a champion is determined the teams sit on opposite sides of a table and each member has a buzzer to press when the question is answered
the questions asked during the competition were mainly in the areas of bovine medicine as well as beef and dairy production said weaver the first team to buzz in gets a chance to answer the question if they miss the question the other team has a chance to steal
over 200 conference attendees watched the final match between texas a&m and ohio state university the texas aggie team was down to the buckeyes at one time by over 30 points and rallied back to win the competition said dr john davidson former cvm faculty member and aabp president-elect
we are very proud of the students on the team and the faculty members who taught them in the classroom and coached them during their preparation said dr allen roussel professor and head of the department of large animal clinical sciences in addition i know that these young men were great representatives for texas a&m university not only as quiz bowl champions but also as gentlemen and professionals
this win represents many hours of hard work and study said dr kevin washburn associate professor at the cvm and faculty advisor to the group and demonstrates how well our students retain the knowledge picked up from their formal training here at texas a&m
typically the students that go to the conference from a&m are automatically on the quiz bowl team the three members of this years team had varied reasons for attending the conference: nicholson and weaver were both student delegates and bailey was presenting a case
to be the first team from texas a&m to win is really exciting bailey said it was great to be able to represent a&m in this way
college station tx – creating a learning environment where students from all walks of life come together and learn from each others experiences in an atmosphere of mutual respect is at the very core of being an aggie dr kenita rogers associate dean for professional programs at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) received the national faculty of the month award from the national residence hall honorary in recognition of her efforts to improve the diversity and enhance the learning environment in the cvm
in addition to including diversity elements as part of the classroom experience for students in the cvm rogers has encouraged the formation of student organizations representing different cultures most recently the student chapter of the lesbian gay veterinary medical association was recognized by the cvm and with support from administration chapter leaders have taken on national leadership rolesdr rogers is truly deserving of this honor said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the cvm the north american veterinary medical education consortium (navmec) outlined in its recent report on the future of veterinary medical education seven core competencies that all veterinary students should have upon graduation diversity is one of these core competencies as part of our commitment to ensuring diversity was addressed throughout the curriculum dr rogers was asked to take on the additional role of director of climate and diversity for our college her efforts to foster inclusivity and to celebrate the diversity have created a welcoming and collaborative environment that not only serves as an example to the rest of the university but also as an example across the nation
we have so much to learn from one another added green through dr rogers outreach our students leave the college more equipped for success in a multicultural society her inclusive approach in the classroom setting and beyond has demonstrated our commitment to ensuring that every student is valued and appreciated for what he or she adds to the learning experiences of others we thank the national residence hall honorary for recognizing the tremendous impact that dr rogers has made on our students our college and our university
the national residence hall honorary represents the top one percent of student leaders at the more than 400 colleges and universities that are members of the national association of college and university residence halls
houston – gov rick perry today announced a $3 million investment through the texas emerging technology fund (tetf) to create the center for cell and organ biotechnology in collaboration with the texas heart institute (thi) and texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
this center represents another step toward making texas the forefront of biotechnology for generations to come gov perry said the investment is all a part of the culture of creation weve nurtured in texas built upon the concept that if you give bright and visionary people the freedom to innovate and pursue their dreams good things will happen i could not be prouder that this life-affirming research will be conducted here in our state and i cant wait to see it put into action
the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is home to the michael e debakey institute for cardiovascular sciences the institute is known as a leader in biomedical research programs in vascular studies and cardiovascular devices making it a natural fit for the partnership
in the us alone one in three individuals suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease and more than one million die from end-stage organ failure each year the new center will take a multi-faceted approach to chronic disease for both human and veterinary health care based on cell and organ failure it will be led by dr doris taylor director of regenerative medicine research at thi and will include scientists engineers physicians veterinarians and business managers from both thi and the university
dr taylor is certainly one of the stars in the adult human stem cell field and we feel extremely fortunate to have her at the texas heart institute said dr james t willerson president and medical director at thi with the work already underway at texas a&m dr taylor will be able to draw from expertise at both institutions to position the center for cell and organ biotechnology as a world leader in adult stem cell research organ transplantation and personalized medicine
we are grateful to governor rick perry and the state of texas for the vision to create the tetf which is rightfully the envy of many said dr eleanor green dean of the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences it was clear from the beginning that this partnership between two highly regarded institutions and the state of texas was special we know that the health of animals and people is inextricably linked and this unique center will advance both human and animal health texas a&m veterinary students medical students undergraduate students graduate students in biomedical sciences and other students from the texas medical center and beyond will benefit from participating in the use of advanced stem cell technologies to advance the research of cardiovascular science personalized medicine organ replacement regeneration and repair and more there are many others to thank for their support including chancellor john sharp and president bowen loftin
gov perry is committed to enhancing the quality of the texas higher education system and enhancing its research potential through the tetf by attracting world class researchers to institutions in the state this provides a dynamic environment for graduate and doctorate students while building a culture of commercialization for research projects
the tetf is a $200 million initiative created by the texas legislature in 2005 at the governors request and reauthorized in 2007 2009 2011 and 2013 a 17-member advisory committee of high-tech leaders entrepreneurs and research experts reviews potential projects and recommends funding allocations to the governor lieutenant governor and speaker of the house to date the tetf has allocated more than $203 million in funds to 142 early stage companies and over $216 million in grant matching and research superiority funds to texas universities additionally since the inception of the tetf more than $167 billion in additional investment from other non-state sources has followed on to the tetf investment more than quadrupling the amount invested by the tetf
college station tx – dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences along with three other distinguished cowgirls will join 211 previous honorees when they are officially inducted into the national cowgirl museum and hall of fame (wwwcowgirlnet) at its 38th annual induction luncheon ceremony on thursday oct 24 2013
eleanor green dvm dabvp dacvim the 2013 honorees are:
these inspiring role models are fitting additions to the other 211 extraordinary honorees in the hall of fame said patricia riley executive director of the national cowgirl museum and hall of fame the cowgirl preserves the history and highlights the impact of extraordinary western women from the mid-1800s to the present: the artists and writers champions and competitive performers entertainers ranchers (stewards of land and livestock) trailblazers and pioneers
about eleanor green dvm
dr eleanor green currently serves as the first female dean of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university she was one of only three women in her graduating class of 100 from auburn universitys college of veterinary medicine her perseverance was easily recognizable after four years as a partner-owner of a veterinary practice she became one of the founding faculty members and the first female veterinarian of the college of veterinary medicine at mississippi state university in 1976
dr green has a long list of other firsts:
this scholar is also a passionate horsewoman and has owned and shown horses for nearly 60 years winning numerous circuit and state championships she has also served on the boards of directors of a number of horse industry organizations green is a true leader in the industry
about the other honorees:
college station tx – dr waithaka mwangi assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was named a montague center for teaching excellence scholar for 2013-14 on tuesday
the montague-center teaching excellence (cte) scholar award has been given annually since 1991 to one tenure-track faculty member from each college based on their early ability and interest in teaching awardees receive a $6 500 grant to encourage further development of undergraduate teaching excellence
mwangi said the grant money will be used to acquire contemporary computer-based technology and teaching platforms that will enable him to teach better and to help him acquire new teaching skills and ideas by attending training that is focused on equipping him to be more effective in undergraduate teaching
in being recognized as the cvms montague-cte scholar dr mwangi has clearly demonstrated a commitment to enhancing the teaching of immunology to undergraduate students said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr mwangis students leave well-prepared for the rigors of a professional curriculum due to his engaging and dynamic teaching methods
mwangi has been teaching the undergraduate-level course introduction to immunology since 2007 the class mostly taken by biomedical science students tries to familiarize the students with the basic features of the immune system and how it functions
dr mwangi is one of the most passionate and inspiring professors i have ever had class with said angela bordin who took the graduate version of dr mwangis immunology course somehow he is able to infuse his students with that passion about immunology
dr mwangi is an excellent teacher with great knowledge of his field said megha bijalwan a former student of mwangis he is very approachable and always ready to help
other students echoed this sentiment; many noted how much mwangi seems to truly care about his students and their education
winning this award means a lot to me i am a product of great teachers who captivated my passion for learning said mwangi being selected for this award is a great encouragement to me and it has motivated me to put my best efforts in imparting knowledge to students by guiding them and equipping them with skills that will help them to take charge of their learning
i enjoy imparting knowledge to students to enable them realize their dreams mwangi added motivating students to be engaged and to love learning is a source of joy and gratification since educating students is the catalyst that is transforming young minds to become world-class innovators
the montague-cte scholars awards are named in honor of kenneth montague texas a&m class of 37 a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of texas a&m foundation who had a long and storied career in the texas oil industry the award is designed to benefit aggies who are life-long learners and contributors to their communities
the object of the center teaching excellence is to stimulate the development of innovative teaching strategies and technologies at texas a&m university and to recognize excellence in teaching early in a faculty members career
college station tx – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) held its annual staff awards ceremony wednesday recognizing staff members for their many contributions to the success of the college
dr jeffrey musser clinical associate professor in the depart­ment of veterinary pathobiology wel­comed attendees as emcee and entertainment was provided by anna morrison and lauren pluhar on the guitar
in addition to recognizing the 55 staff members who had reached anniversaries of five ten 15 20 25 35 or 40 years-and who collectively had amassed 775 years of service to the college-awards were also presented to 10 people in recognition of their exceptional work ethic and passion for their jobs the 2013 staff awards recipients were
the awards were presented to employees based on nominations from their colleagues which were reviewed by staff and faculty members serving on the staff awards committee
in addition deb anderson hospital business manager received the 2013 pearl enfield staff leader­ship award pearl enfield was a highly professional and committed mainstay of the administrative staff in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (then called the department of veterinary anatomy and public health) from 1990 until her unexpected death in 1996 at age 51 in her honor the pear enfield award was established to recognize a staff member who exhibited the same caliber of professionalism and dedication to the college as enfield
each recipient was presented with a plaque noting his or her achievement along with a monetary award
this is truly one of my favorite days of the year said dean eleanor m green as she congratulated the award winners and thanked all of the staff for their hard work and dedication to the cvm success in any organization is about its people and we have exceptional people in our college whose contributions play an important role in our ability to realize our vision of excellence
college station tx – research conducted at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) may eventually explain and help prevent the chronic health conditions that often accompany obesity
wei ying a second-year phd student in the veterinary physiology & pharmacology department (vtpp) at the cvm won an american heart association pre-doctoral award for his work in this area the award spread out over two years totals $50 000
this is a prestigious award for a graduate student said beiyan zhou vtpp assistant professor and co-chair of yings phd committee
we are excited to see wei ying recognized for his talent future potential and the quality of this work in a supportive research environment dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine said this work is important with implications in many species this award speaks to his excellence as well as that of his faculty mentors
im very lucky ying said not many students would have these opportunities
ying who works in zhous lab came to the cvm from the animal science department in the college of agriculture and life sciences he originally wanted to create leaner higher quality beef and that interest led him to his current research into human weight gain and obesity
obesity is an epidemic worldwide that contributes to adverse health outcomes including insulin resistance type ii diabetes mellitus obstructive sleep apnea osteoarthritis stroke hypertension and certain types of cancer (such as colon and breast cancers) and cardiovascular diseases that are collectively referred to as metabolic syndrome said fuller bazer regents fellow distinguished professor & o d butler chair physiology of reproduction department of animal science and co-chair of yings phd committee
yings study represents the true spirit of the one health initiative said dr bhanu chowdhary associate dean for research & graduate studies at the cvm the interdisciplinary research focus he and mentors have developed will potentially lead to discoveries that improve the health of both animals and humans it is an important area of research with broad impacts on human and animal health and this recognition from the american heart association is well-deserved
specifically ying is focusing on the role of tiny rna strands called microrna that are thought to indirectly lead to metabolic syndrome these little pieces of genetic material influence the abundance of a type of cell called the macrophage although macrophages are a normal and important part of the immune system in obese people they seem to have the negative effect of increasing the inflammation that can lead to insulin resistance and development of metabolic syndrome
the fellowship received by wei ying from the american heart association will allow him to conduct in-depth studies on roles of microrna 223 bazer said microrna 223 can affect the number of a certain type of macrophage that has the opposite result of most macrophages; it favors an anti-inflammatory state in white fat deposits and in turn actually reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome
yings research will also explore how key molecules influencing the development of obesity are regulated to reduce proliferation of white adipocytes that make up white fat deposits in which inflammatory macrophages exist
the three criteria for the american heart association award are the students potential the research environment (including mentors and institutional support) and the research proposal (including its significance and originality) ying has all three
he has outstanding potential said stephen safe distinguished professor in vtpp and a member of yings phd committee and is guided by dr beiyan zhou who is making exciting new discoveries about the role of non-coding rnas in the cardiovascular system
bazer safe and guoyao wu who is a distinguished professor in animal nutrition in the college of agriculture and life sciences wrote letters of reference for the award and act as yings mentors
these three distinguished professors give me so much support ying said im very grateful to them
what hes doing is original zhou said after all the discovery of microrna was only about 10 years ago
when you are doing something you like you dont mind spending 16 hours a day working on it ying said i absolutely love what im doing im very proud to have won this award
ultimately he hopes to develop improved therapies to decrease inflammation and insulin resistance in obese individuals which would then prevent them from developing metabolic syndrome
the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university has announced the implementation and first student enrollments in two exciting new educational programs as initiatives in the new program for executive leadership in veterinary medical education which was established in 2002 the veterinary medical scientist training program is a combined dvm/phd degree program designed to prepare highly motivated students for career leadership roles as the next generation of scientists in experimental biology and biomedical sciences the program provides advanced rigorous research and clinical training that will lead to career opportunities in academia industry clinical practice and specialty areas and government and will take seven to eight years to complete the first two students tanya gustafson (class of 2006) and virginia snell (class of 2005) were first enrolled this past academic year ms gustafson was also the first veterinary medical student recipient of a howard hughes fellowship being selected one of only 47 students nationally from more than 2 000 applicants
the second new program is the dvm/mba program wherein a dvm professional student may take deferment between the second and third or third and fourth years of the professional curriculum and complete the mba coursework in one year and then return to the dvm curriculum or may receive the dvm degree and immediately matriculate the mba coursework in the texas a&m university mays school of business the first four students enrolled are amber williams (class of 2005) and dana boehm erin mitchell and shawna walters (class and dvm of 2003) these graduates will be prepared for leadership roles in many areas of veterinary medicine and business with mba training in leadership management human resources teambuilding communications marketing business finance and accounting
the program for executive leadership in veterinary medical education is directed by dr e dean gage holder of the charles and mildred kruse bridges chair in veterinary medical education dr gage stated we are excited to implement these two new programs which reflect our commitment to graduate veterinarians who are not only highly competent from the scientific and technological perspective but who also have enhanced skills to be the real leaders of tomorrow we owe this to the profession and are very proud of these outstanding students who are paving the way for others to follow
college station tx – beiyan zhou assistant professor in the department of physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) recently received a $154 million grant from the national institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases (niddk)-part of the national institutes of health-to study the role of microrna in diabetes the grant which is spread over five years comes soon after zhou won a junior faculty award from the american diabetes association (ada)

the award from the ada which is designed to provide support to junior faculty who are establishing their independence as researchers will provide $120 000 per year for three years (2013-2015) for the direct cost of research zhous application was supported by letters of recommendation from scientists at institutions across the united states including harvey lodish professor of biology and professor of biological engineering at the massachusetts institute of technology and zhous postdoctoral advisor; daniel linzer provost of northwestern university; rajesh miranda associate professor in the department of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics interdisciplinary program in neuroscience at a&m and stephen safe distinguished professor in vtpp
dr zhou is an outstanding member of our faculty both in her research and her mentorship of our graduate students said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we congratulate her on earning these awards in recognition of her outstanding research endeavors faculty members such as dr zhou continue to raise the bar of excellence in scientific discovery and we are fortunate to have her here at the cvm not only is her work highly relevant it is well-aligned with one health one of the grand challenges for texas a&m
diabetes is one of the leading causes of mortality in the united states and worldwide said zhou who joined the cvm in september of 2009
most of the current insulin-sensitizers and anti-diabetic drugs focus on improving diabetic symptoms but not curing diabetes zhou said my long-term career goal is to provide the basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat insulin resistance-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes
dr zhous novel approach to finding a solution for the epidemic of diabetes is moving this type of research to a whole new level said dr bhanu chowdhary associate dean for research & graduate studies at the cvm the future of scientific discovery that addresses the ongoing health problems for people and animals will be led by innovative researchers such as dr zhou we are excited to see her efforts recognized through these highly competitive grants and awards we are proud to have her as a faculty member colleague and outstanding mentor for undergraduate and graduate students
macrophages which are an important and normal part of the immune system undergo a distinct phenotypic switch known as macrophage polarization from one that is anti-inflammatory in lean tissues to one that is pro-inflammatory in obese tissues this inflammation can then cause trouble with insulin resistance which then in turn leads to type-2 diabetes
the polarization of macrophages in fat tissue is regulated by a specific microrna called microrna-223 and by the protein peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (ppar -gamma) but the interactions between the two and just how they affect macrophages remains unclear zhous research seeks to understand just how this regulation happens with the ultimate goal of perhaps being able to regulate and stop the chain that leads to diabetes targeting the micrornas in macrophages to inhibit macrophage-mediated inflammation could offer a novel approach to preventing or treating insulin resistance and insulin resistance-associated diseases such as type-2 diabetes
im so appreciative of all of the support i have received here both scientifically and from the department zhou said one of the criteria for the ada award is institutional support
guoyao wu distinguished professor in the department of animal science in the college of agriculture and life sciences; robert chapkin regent professor in department nutrition and food science; and safe all supported zhou in her application for the nih grant
i believe the strength and expertise of this team contributed to the success of the funding zhou said im very proud to receive the award
view renderings: rendering 1 rendering 2 rendering 3 | view location
college station tx – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) officially broke ground friday on a new exotic & wild bird aviary scheduled for completion in may 2014
the new building will be approximately 11 000 square feet and will contain a functional hospital receiving area with quarantine capabilities two isolation rooms a biosafety level 2 laboratory for infectious disease research spacious teaching and classroom space and four offices

based upon its excellence our avian programs are growing said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine our faculty have made substantial contributions to the health and welfare of birds and to the avian industry in terms of educating future and current veterinarians providing the highest level of avian patient care and advancing the knowledge edge as leaders in avian medicine we also train the next generation of veterinarians and scientists to continue this important mission this facility will provide the laboratory avian housing and classroom space that will allow this program to continue to thrive
this is a beautiful facility that exemplifies the colleges commitment to exotic species and to conservation in general said dr ian tizard richard m schubot professor of exotic bird health and distinguished professor of immunology in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm it enhances our programs in environmental health and will be a magnificent resource for the whole college
the new climate-controlled aviary will be able to house a population of 200-250 birds-many more than is possible in the current facilities-in a comfortable and safe environment with separate spaces for infected and healthy birds which will help researchers conduct their studies for example one major research program into the prevention and treatment of proventricular dilatation disease involves birds infected with avian bornavirus in the new facility these birds can be kept separate from both healthy birds and birds infected with other diseases
with a newer more modern aviary we will be able to attract more interest in both the university and the college leading to more collaborative efforts and more student involvement said dr sharman m hoppes clinical associate professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at the cvm and a specialist in avian medicine
we will have much better teaching facilities not only for undergraduates and dvm professional students but also for continuing education and other courses tizard said the new building with its dedicated teaching space will better promote an understanding of avian diseases husbandry and conservation among current and future veterinarians the enlarged and enhanced facilities will also provide space for specialized birds such as raptors for which the students can learn appropriate care and treatment
the new facility will expand the capabilities of the schubot exotic bird health center at the cvm founded in 1987 by an endowment from mr richard m schubot with matching funds provided by texas a&m university the center conducts research into all aspects of disease in wild and captive birds as well as avian genetics genomics nutrition and behavior the results of research at the center are already being applied to improving the health of birds kept by zoos aviculturists and individual pet owners as well conserving threatened avian species in the wild
although the schubot exotic bird health center is already known internationally in the avian world many in our own university and community are unaware that we are here and what we have done or are doing in terms of both avian conservation and clinical diagnosis and treatment hoppes said this new and improved aviary will increase our exposure and hopefully excite the community and encourage them to support our work in avian research and the care and management of our birds
houston tx – the houston spca and the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences have partnered to create a new program which exposes veterinary students to animal cruelty neglect and trauma cases involving dogs cats and other companion animals horses and donkeys farm animals exotic animals and native wildlife the partnership is considered the largest between an animal shelter and a veterinary school in the united states to go beyond the scope of the typical treatment and care of cats and dogs
fourth-year students from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences will rotate through a required two-week program at the houston spca where they will work alongside experts in cases of animal cruelty neglect and trauma the goal of the program according to houston spca president patricia mercer is to ensure future veterinarians – many of whom will practice in texas – become more knowledgeable about the full spectrum of shelter medicine and animal welfare including rescue and forensics investigations for all species
the houston spca investigates over 9 000 cases of animal abuse and neglect each year the shelter is also the only animal welfare organization in the country that serves all species on one campus
as a leader in animal welfare both nationally and in our own community the houston spca is honored to partner with texas a&m to offer this unique learning opportunity for veterinary students says mercer the number of species the students will work with and the enormous number of animals we rescue from cruelty cases and through our 24-hour ambulance will provide students with an unparalleled opportunity which should serve as a national model
fully integrating students into the broad scope of operations at the houston spca the largest animal protection agency in the gulf coast gives the students the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of animal welfare animal abuse philanthropy and their societal responsibility to give of their time and talents within their communities while advancing the health and well-being of animals
theres no better way to gain immersive hands-on experience than at a shelter such as the houston spca which sees over 26 000 animals per year says dr eleanor m green dean of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences the only veterinary college in the state of texas we have a responsibility to provide a dynamic and engaging learning environment for our students that challenges them to perform at their very best and prepares them to be career ready at graduation
dr kenita rogers dvm dacvim associate dean for professional programs believes this extraordinary partnership will be a model for veterinary medical education and for academic/private endeavors that provide a true investment in the future of the veterinary profession
through this new and incredibly exciting partnership with the houston spca our students are not only exposed to a large complicated and medically challenging caseload but also have experiences that cannot be mimicked in any other setting namely exposure to animal cruelty investigation and the principles of high volume high quality shelter medicine the students are fully integrated into the operations of the houston spca and are surrounded by contemporary real-life examples of how and why veterinarians must be involved in animal welfare issues
the program is partially funded by petsmart charities inc a nonprofit animal welfare organization that helps find homes for more than 400 000 dogs and cats every year through its adoption program in petsmart stores and its signature adoption events
as the largest funder of animal welfare efforts in north america petsmart charities is committed to addressing pet overpopulation at the community level said jan wilkins executive director of petsmart charities inc we are proud to support this initiative that prepares the next generation of veterinarians to help sterilize pets prior to adoption including puppies and kittens while also educating about shelter medicine and the devastating effects of animal abuse and neglect
college station tx – texas a&m university the flagship institution of the texas a&m university system announced a new research initiative that will revolutionize scientific discovery and fundamentally reshape the world during the 21st century


the whole systems genomics initiative (wsgi) a strong faculty conceived program at texas a&m university developed as part of the chancellors research initiative (cri) will define the future of genomic science enabling researchers to address some of the most pressing challenges facing modern society through innovative and collaborative scholarly programs while recent advances in technology have led to impactful discoveries in deciphering and engineering genomes the next era of genomic science will push the frontiers of discovery as researchers work together in a coordinated effort to identify novel applications for this new knowledge
genomic science as the newest frontier in scholarly research is throwing open the door to a revolutionary way of approaching our health the health and welfare of animals and the sustainability of our environment said john sharp chancellor of the texas a&m university system strengthened by the collaborative efforts of faculty experts from across the system the whole systems genomics initiative announced today represents the catalyst for the next quantum leap in scientific discovery
the cri provides one-time funds to texas a&m university and prairie view a&m university for the recruitment and hiring of faculty members funding at $33 million for 2013 and 2014 with an anticipated $34 million in 2015 comes from the available university fund (auf) distribution and is available for the recruitment of key faculty who have a proven track record of success in developing and implementing large multi-investigator federally funded programs
dr david threadgill (83 89) a fellow of the american association for the advancement of science and a leader in genomics has been recruited from north carolina state university as the director for the wsgi equipped with a notable history of developing scholarly teams in highly successful interdisciplinary programs threadgill will be tasked with positioning texas a&m as a global leader in genomics by aligning teams from diverse expertise and disciplines currently located at texas a&m and establishing rich collaborations both nationally and internationally threadgill will have academic appointments as professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and professor and holder of the tom and jean mcmullin chair of genetics in the department of molecular & cellular medicine in the texas a&m health science center college of medicine
threadgill arrives at texas a&m with a solid framework for the wsgi already in place which represents 184 faculty members in 39 departments and units across nine colleges texas a&m health science center and other a&m system components in addition the establishment of the wsgi reinforces texas a&ms commitment to one health the concept that animal human and ecosystem health are inextricably linked and to the creation of a world class genomics program that will be preeminently positioned to serve societys changing needs
this innovative program has the potential to vastly improve the lives of humans and animals and to advance agricultural productivity said dr r bowen loftin president of texas a&m university by leveraging one of our strengths at texas a&m: collaboration by outstanding faculty students and staff from several disciplines to address real-world issues
the genome revolution will lead to rapid advancements in personalized medicine for human animal and plant disease management; genetically engineered organisms for improved biofuel production and environmental sustainability; and enhanced efficiency of food production and security at the same time researchers engaged in genomic discovery will also need to address new ethical social legal and policy challenges that arise as new discoveries profoundly impact animals people and the environment on a global scale
with a strong vision for the wsgi threadgill will lead a diverse team of researchers that will stimulate interdisciplinary research increase accessibility to critical infrastructure and funding for genomic investigations and create synergy among faculty members and trainees already engaged in genomic research in various species through enhancing these existing collaborations texas a&m university will be able to leverage its nationally and internationally renowned expertise in veterinary medicine medicine biomedical sciences agriculture engineering and public policy in a coordinated effort to solve future societal concerns of texas texans and the global population from the leading edge of scientific discovery
as the only college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences in the state of texas it has been our mission to engage in high impact research that serves the needs of texans the nation and the world said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine as director of the whole systems genomics initiative dr david threadgill will facilitate interdisciplinary research among university faculty from numerous departments and colleges across campus with decades of experience and knowledge in genomics he will be a leader in accelerating the advancement of new knowledge in this exciting field actively engaging current and future generations of genomics experts dr threadgills recruitment represents a solid partnership among the cvm texas a&m health science center texas a&m agrilife and others campus wide i extend a special thanks to chancellor john sharp for his vision in creating the chancellors research initiative which enabled this recruitment to president bowen loftin for his leadership in financially supporting key presidential faculty hires and to provost karan watson and interim vice president for research glen laine for overseeing the campus process its a dynamite team in aggieland
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences will serve as the home college for the wsgi but significant contributions supporting the initiative have come from texas a&m university system office of the chancellor; texas a&m university office of the president provost and vice president for research; texas a&m health science center and its college of medicine; and texas a&m agrilife research as well as leadership support from other texas a&m colleges and departments
college station tx – dr matt miller professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences and veterinary cardiologist at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been appointed director of the texas a&m institute for pre-clinical studies (tips)
established in 2007 as a vision of dr theresa fossum vice chancellor for global & corporate partnerships and the institutes first director the institute serves as a state-of-the-art research facility supporting research endeavors that require good laboratory practice (glp) methods
tips is a unique resource on this campus said miller there is most likely not another comparable facility in the world our medical imaging capabilities are superior to the imaging available in many human hospitals the availability of such an assortment of imaging equipment in one facility as well as access to highly talented individuals trained in optimal use of that equipment is oftentimes the difference between the success or failure of the potentially life-saving medical technology under investigation
miller arrived at the cvm in 1988 after completing a cardiology residency at the ohio state university once at texas a&m miller helped develop the clinical cardiology program that today is considered one of the top programs in the world while his early research emphasized improving the diagnosis and treatment of acquired and congenital heart disease in companion animals his research interests now range from developing novel therapies for hemorrhagic shock to the evaluation of biomedical devices that aid in the management of brain aneurysms
dr millers leadership in the colleges clinical cardiology program and his experience as a senior research scientist in tips made him a natural choice to assume the role of director at tips said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr miller worked side-by-side with dr fossum to bring tips from vision to reality his research expertise in comparative veterinary medicine and biomedical devices will ensure the continued growth of tips as a core laboratory supporting researchers from across the texas a&m system and companies seeking treatments for the nations important health problems i am confident he will lead tips from a young promising innovative facility to enormous success
as a part of the cvm the tips team specializes in the preclinical phase of research required to gain food & drug administration approval for both drugs and devices the team assembled at tips has a wealth of expertise in research said dr bhanu chowdhary associate dean for research and graduate studies at the cvm including a significant amount of experience in the research protocols necessary to move new drugs and biomedical devices from the laboratory to the next stage of clinical trials it is exciting to have this level of cutting edge technology and world-class expertise combined in one facility and to see the growing interest of college university system partners and the industry in accessing this resource to enhance research and support discovery that impacts society
in addition to supporting researchers with experienced scientists and the tools necessary to conduct glp-level studies working as a part of the cvm gives the tips program several advantages over other similar facilities
it is an asset to be a part of the cvm said miller the veterinarians technicians and scientists on staff at tips and within other departments in the college bring a perspective on comparative anatomy and physiology essential to the success of preclinical research we have a dynamic team supported by the latest medical imaging technology and are eager to assist other researchers who may benefit by utilizing our facility as a collaborative core laboratory for their endeavors
most recently miller served as interim director of tips while fossum assumed the role of interim vice president for research before being appointed vice chancellor for global & corporate partnerships
college station tx – dr qinglei li assistant professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences received the prestigious ralph e powe junior faculty enhancement award from oak ridge associated universities (orau)
the only awardee from texas a&m university li intends to use the award to advance his research program and leverage the findings for obtaining additional extramural funding
dr li is an outstanding member of our faculty said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his research program is a significant addition to our key signature program in reproductive biology we are so proud that his hard work has been recognized with this award giving him the opportunity to continue his discoveries in this important area of research
li a faculty member at the cvm for the past two years has developed studies to better understand how a certain protein called transforming growth factor beta regulates female reproductive function ultimately he hopes his work will lead to the development of treatments for reproductive disorders in female animals and potentially women as well
i am very proud of dr li as one of our newest young faculty members said evelyn tiffany-castiglioni associate dean for undergraduate education professor and head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences in addition to being an excellent reproductive biologist who has already garnered highly competitive funding and published important research dr li is also an excellent teacher and invaluable collaborator the orau award is well-deserved recognition of dr lis independent achievements as a young investigator as well as his promise for future achievements
the award provides seed money for junior facultys research projects that will eventually result in new funding opportunities the money can be used towards summer salary graduate student salary travel equipment or other assistance relevant to the faculty members research
this national level orau award not only recognizes dr lis current research said dr bhanu chowdhary associate dean for research and graduate studies it also highlights the potential for his research to earn additional funding in the future as well as the important implications his discoveries will make to the female reproductive health of humans and animals
as one of its signature programs reproductive biology research at the cvm has more than 20 associated faculty members whose work is internationally renowned
it is wonderful to work with these outstanding faculty members and students in such a supportive environment li said i am very pleased that our research is recognized by this competitive award
as a consortium of major phd-granting academic institutions oraus mission is to cultivate collaborative partnerships that enhance scientific research and education
college station tx – humans have been raising cows for their meat hides and milk for millennia now it appears that the cow immune system also has something to offer a study of an extraordinary family of cow antibodies led by researchers at the scripps research institute (tsri) and coauthored by three investigators from texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) points to new ways to make human medicines

the cvms faculty members expertise in immunology and infectious disease as well as their easy access to a herd of cattle made them a natural fit as collaborators
these antibodies structure and their mechanism for creating diversity havent been seen before in other animals antibodies said vaughn v smider assistant professor of cell and molecular biology at tsri and principal investigator for the study which appears in the june 6 2013 issue of the journal cell
antibodies large proteins in the immune system resemble lobsters with a tail and two identical arms for grabbing specific targets called antigens often parts of pathogens like bacteria or viruses at the end of each arm is a small set of protein loops called complementarity-determining regions (cdrs) which actually do the grabbing by rearranging and mutating the genes that code for cdrs an animals immune system can generate a vast and diverse population of antibodies-which collectively can bind to just about any foreign invader
in humans and in many other mammals most of an antibodys specificity for a target is governed by the largest cdr region cdr h3 researchers have been finding hints that an unusually long version of this domain can sometimes be the key to a successful defense against a dangerous infection such as hiv
waithaka mwangi assistant professor in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences (cvm) and an author on the cell paper suggests thinking of these long cdrs as a probe on a thin extended scaffold that can fit narrow crevices to reach and bind unique hidden pathogen determinants that ordinary antibodies cannot
as smiders area of research includes finding new ways to generate therapeutic antibody proteins reports of long cdr h3 use caught his interest we started thinking about how we could make these long cdr3s that are so rare in humans and we knew from the literature that cows make even longer ones all the time he said
although the structure of the long cdr h3 protein in previous studies of the human anti-hiv antibody had seemed unusual the corresponding structure in the cow antibodies turned out to be unique in the known world of animal antibodies: a long stalk element topped by an antigen-binding knob sequencing of the dna that codes for the knob region revealed an unusual abundance of cysteine-a sulfur-containing amino acid that is apt to bond to a nearby cysteine on the same protein chain thus forming a loop
analyses of these dna sequences some of which were conducted at texas a&m also indicated that in the cow b-cells where these antibodies are made the knob-coding gene segments are extraordinarily likely to develop point mutations that either add or subtract cysteines the effect of these tiny mutations is to create or remove-often radically-antigen-grabbing loops on the structure
in the cows binding of these antibodies to viruses is almost entirely done by the knob on the long cdr h3 which shows that these antibodies do have an important function in the immune system for the very first time we have an ultra-long cdr3 antibody binding to an actual pathogen said mwangi an expert in immunology who completed the initial assays that determined the binding target for these antibodies
one question that remains is why the cow immune system evolved to make such antibodies smider suspects that it has to do with cows unusual four-chambered grass-fermenting stomach with its extensive collection of bacteria and other microorganisms if some of these escape from the stomach and get into the bloodstream or other tissues there could be some pretty serious infections; so thats our starting hypothesis for why cows have this unusual immune defense he said
the stalk-and-knob structure of the cdr h3 loops on these antibodies which resemble structures found in some insect poisons and other proteins also suggest that they evolved to grab a particular type of target what comes to mind are ion channel or pore structures in the walls of cells smider said in any case were hoping to find out whether any of the structures targeted by these knobs exist on microorganisms that cause human disease
potentially the outcome of this research is going to be huge mwangi said not only for cattle but also for human health
michael f criscitiello assistant professor at the cvm and one of the studys authors said this was a wonderful chance to contribute to such a groundbreaking study as researchers at the cvm had experience with-and access to-cows the entire project was made possible through collaborations of various people and labs each contributing their expertise to add pieces to the puzzle
such collaborations bring together specialists in diverse fields and certainly facilitate future research said terje raudsepp associate professor at the cvm and another of the studys authors this is expected to lead to new collaborative projects in the future
the study was supported by the american cancer society national institutes of health skaggs institute for chemical biology scripps translational science institute texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and united states department of agriculture
college station tx – with the recent appointment of dr glen laine as interim vice president for research dr john n stallone has accepted the role and was officially confirmed as acting department head of veterinary physiology and pharmacology (vtpp) in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) effective may 1

stallone who earned his phd in physiology from the university of arizona has been a faculty member at the cvm since 1998 during that time he has served multiple terms on the faculty senate the senate executive committee and most recently as speaker of the faculty senate he has been a member of the texas a&m institutional animal care and use committee since 1999-during most of which time he was vice-chair-and has served as its chair for the past two years he has also been the vice-chair of the graduate instruction committee at the cvm and served for many years as a faculty interviewer on the cvm admissions committee
as dr laine steps into his new role in support of the universitys research enterprise we are pleased that dr stallone has agreed to assume the department heads role for veterinary physiology and pharmacology said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine dr stallone has distinguished himself as a full professor of veterinary physiology and pharmacology and his knowledge of his department our college and the university in particular his service on the faculty senate will make him a valuable addition to the administrative team
stallones research focuses on the differences in cardiovascular function between men and women-both in health and in the development of various diseases including hypertension and coronary artery disease-and how sex hormones play a role in these differences specifically stallone has looked at the so-called estrogen paradox: why there is a protective effect of this female sex hormone in younger women (and female animals) but deleterious effects in older females in more recent studies stallone has focused on the interactions between aging and estrogen in cerebral circulation specifically the development of and recovery from stroke
in his off time stallone is an avid horseman he and his wife janet are members of the east texas mounted search and rescue and they also breed and show miniature mediterranean donkeys
college station tx – devastating disease outbreaks among livestock in the united states are relatively rare and can generally be rapidly contained when they do occur however in the countries of east africa livestock disease outbreaks are common like our fifty states the countries of east africa are separate entities that nevertheless have a lot of interstate movement-of both people and animals they currently lack a unifying system of animal disease prevention and control furthermore when diseases do occur in east africa the results can be devastating to livestock producers cooperative safe and stable livestock trade would lead to improved incomes economic stability and therefore a better quality of life for many in the region
therefore veterinary leaders from many of these countries-with help from the united states department of agriculture and the usaid (united states agency for international development) are working to create a standard methods and procedures in animal health (smp-ah) that may then be implemented in east african nations
as part of this effort chief veterinary officers (cvo) epidemiologists and other leaders from six countries in east africa (kenya ethiopia south sudan tanzania djibouti and uganda) who collectively share oversight for more than 300 million animals recently spent two weeks in the united states with a week in oregon and washington state and a week in texas-during which the group visited the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
the cvm is taking a lead role in the one health plus initiative the recognition that animal human and ecosystem health are all inextricably linked said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine it is through collaborative projects such as this that we are able to build a global partnership that improves the quality of life for people and animals in other parts of the world
the visit hosted by both the norman borlaug institute for international agriculture at the texas a&m college of agriculture & life sciences and the cvm included a welcome from dean green a tour of the facilities-including the large and small animal hospitals and the necropsy facility-and lectures by several cvm and agrilife faculty members the group then spent the afternoon visiting the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory and the national center for foreign animal and zoonotic disease defense (fazd center) before boarding a bus to austin
were showing them how the us manages disease control in livestock in a wide variety of ecosystems said jeff austin of usaid-east africa on large ranches and small ones members of the cvm faculty helped with hosting the delegation from africa guy shepherd director of development; dan posey director of special programs and clinical associate professor; and clay ashley director of veterinary medical park led the tours of the cvm complex and answered questions about the practice of veterinary medicine in the united states dr kenita rogers associate dean for professional programs provided an overview of the cvm veterinary curriculum; dr michael chaddock assistant dean for one health and strategic initiatives lectured about the one health initiative; dr jason cleere associate professor in the department of animal science in the college of agriculture & life sciences and extension beef cattle specialist spoke about the texas beef industry and the effects of drought; and dr thomas craig professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology (vtpb) at the cvm discussed parasite management in small ruminants

there are so many resources at texas a&m we can take advantage of said james wabacha smp-ah manager african union – interafrican bureau for animal resources i really enjoyed going through the clinics-theyre such great facilities i have taken photos to share with other faculty members in my country
creating standard methods has to be a bottom-up approach several people noted that the producers themselves understand and support rather than regulations imposed from the top-down by the united states-or any other country furthermore simply taking our procedures and using them in africa wouldnt work because their needs-and the diseases-are different said andrew clark of usaid-east africa
you have africanize [the control methods] to match the diseases clark said
several of the visiting veterinarians mentioned the need for partnerships between their countries and the united states
i expect some relationships to develop said nicholas kauta cvo of uganda he and several other cvos mentioned that one of the most useful parts of the trip for them was the opportunity to meet veterinarians and researchers who might later be a source of help and advice
peter ithondeka cvo of kenya noted that texas is a perfect place to study procedures because it has similar weather as much of east africa
we can take the good things here said bewket siraw cvo of ethiopia and bring change in our own environments even when they cant apply them directly the methods used in the united states can then be adapted he said
we have found many things we want to take back to our own countries said kauta
one of the goals of this trip is to provide the east african cvos with knowledge and experiences that they can adapt to benefit their entire region said dr linda logan professor and head of vtpb at the cvm and one of the organizers of the visit livestock production is a key to food security in east africa developing a system to promote safe livestock trade was the objective of the program although many had been to the united states before this was the first time many of the cvos had seen livestock production methods first hand
college station tx – dr william murphy associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was chosen as the recipient of the 2013 avmf winn excellence in feline foundation research award
established in 2009 by the winn feline foundation and american veterinary medical foundation (avmf) this award honors contributions to advancing feline health and welfare through research
dr murphys research has contributed significantly to the body of knowledge in feline genomics said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are proud of his accomplishments and look forward to his continuing a stellar career here at texas a&m
dr murphys 2001 papers on mammalian evolution published in nature and science have been cited more than 1365 times according to the science citation index since then he has been working on maps of the feline genome to localize the genes for cat coat color and to find the places where mutations cause diseases such as muscular atrophy and infertility furthermore dr murphy has led the analysis of feline sex chromosomes and has identified cat-specific genes that regulate male fertility
dr murphy has also applied genetic tools from the domestic cat to the study of the evolutionary relationships and population genetics of the wild cats including snow leopards and the other big cats
many mapping studies that have led to identification of genes and development of genetic tests have been based on the structure of the feline genome discovered in murphys lab
i am honored that the avmf and winn feline foundation have selected me for this award said murphy i share credit with my fantastic students and staff who have shared my passion for applying genetic tools to study the interesting biology of cats and their charismatic wild relatives i am further thankful for the support of my mentors and colleagues my department and the cvm and the funding agencies like winn that have helped to make my job rewarding
dr murphy is an exceptional scientist whose career reflects truly outstanding achievement said dr evelyn tiffany-castiglioni associate dean for undergraduate education professor and vibs department head who nominated dr murphy for this award he is highly deserving of recognition by the avmf for his profound contributions feline genetics he is also a kind and generous colleague and a fine teacher and mentor for students postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members i am very proud of him and the honor he brings to our college
college station tx – the faculty and staff of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences (cvm) honored dr ian tizard university distinguished professor professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology and director of the schubot exotic bird health center at a reception tuesday april 23 2013
tizard was recently named a university distinguished professor by a six-person awards committee of previously-named distinguished professors this title is the highest faculty honor bestowed by texas a&m university and means the professor has made at least one seminal contribution to is pre-eminent in and has made a major impact on his discipline
dr tizards contributions to his discipline to teaching and to our college are immeasurable said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the impact he continues to make through research and student engagement helps create veterinary leaders that will be well prepared to make a difference wherever they serve
tizards studies on the health and welfare of both wild and captive birds and his books-which have been translated into at least seven languages-and articles on that research clearly qualify him as one of the leaders in the field and well-deserving of the honor said several speakers at the reception
dr tizards contributions are recognized around the world said dr linda logan department head for veterinary pathobiology logan noted that tizard had influenced a number of new faculty members during his career including serving as one of her first contacts when she arrived at the cvm in 2003
dr tizard is the embodiment of a distinguished professor said dr stephen safe distinguished professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology his work in immunology and parasitology is world-renowned
other speakers included dr fuller bazer dr donald brightsmith and dr james womack drs womack and bazer are also distinguished professors
tizard acknowledged it took the work of many to get to this point and thanked his colleagues for their support over the years he also recognized those who took their time to coordinate the nomination process for the award
other than three faculty members already mentioned only one other professor in the cvm dr tim phillips holds this designation
college station-spring graduation ceremonies at texas a&m university kick off thursday (may 9) when the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) awards 129 doctor of veterinary medicine degrees
the awarding of degrees at the 2:00 pm ceremonies in rudder auditorium will follow an address by r h (steve) stevens jr chairman of the board of the houston livestock show and rodeo and a member of the american quarter horse (aqha) hall of fame
stevens is a 1962 texas a&m graduate who earlier this year was named a distinguished alumnus the highest honor bestowed upon a former student of the university he served from 1999 to 2005 as a member of the texas a&m university system board of regents
he joined the houston livestock show and rodeo in 1975 was elected to its board of directors in 1992 and has been a member of its executive committee since 2005 in 2003 he served as president of the aqha the worlds largest equine breed registry with more than 340 000 members located in all 50 states and numerous foreign countries
stevens who earned his texas a&m degree in accounting was a member of the corps of cadets and served as executive officer of the corps elite ross volunteers unit after post-graduate work at the university of texas and service as an officer in the air force he worked at arthur andersen llp for 33 years before retiring in 1999 he started his own accounting firm stevens & matthews llp in 2002
texas a&ms commencement ceremonies continue thursday with a 5:30 pm convocation also in rudder auditorium the universitys graduation exercises for approximately 7 100 degree candidates at the undergraduate and graduate levels will be held during six ceremonies the following two days (may 10-11) at reed arena
college station tx – felipe avila a phd candidate in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) won the prestigious 2013 us senator phil gramm doctoral fellowship this award which includes a $5000 scholarship is given to recognize students exemplary contributions in research teaching and mentoring in their doctoral programs
felipe is a tremendous role model for not only our undergraduate students but also our graduate students through his mentorship and teaching he has touched many lives and has demonstrated the success that comes with hard work and dedication we are very proud of felipe and extend him our sincere congratulations said dr eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine
originally avila came to study horses but when the opportunity arose to focus on alpacas he took it alpacas a type of camelid originally from south america are prized in the united states primarily for their fiber working in the laboratory of animal molecular cytogenetics and genomics under the supervision of dr terje raudsepp avilas research focuses on chromosome structure and evolution in camelids particularly the alpaca as well as chromosomal abnormalities that affect the health of different camelid species his phd research project involves generating a whole genome map for the alpaca with this study avila aims to integrate genome sequence data with physical chromosome information to obtain the location of various genetic markers such as those for disease resistance congenital disorders reproduction fiber color and texture his goal is to lay the foundation for research on genetic contributions to traits of economic and biological importance in different camelid species
i couldnt have chosen a better project avila said
he enjoys teaching too as a teaching assistant for the undergraduate-level biomedical genetics course in the biomedical sciences (bims) program for two years he worked for three different professors
i was really disappointed he said when my advisor suggested i stop teaching and focus on my research now he focuses on mentoring the undergraduate students working in dr raudsepps lab
i like to mentor avila said its important to pass on our knowledge
only ten students throughout the university were awarded the us senator phil gramm doctoral fellowship this year dr bhanu p chowdhary associate dean for research & graduate studies at the cvm also sent his congratulations chowdhary who is on avilas graduate committee was the one who first encouraged him to apply for the fellowship
felipe has truly distinguished himself in both the classroom and the laboratory chowdhary said he is deserving of this honor and we couldnt be more proud that he has been recognized for his efforts
avilas advisor dr raudsepp nominated him and the professors for whom he served as a teaching assistant wrote letters of support
felipe is an exceptional graduate student and we are very fortunate to have him raudsepp said as a scientific advisor i certainly value his achievements in research though it is even more important that felipe is a wonderful person-intelligent knowledgeable invariably friendly patient and helpful always a gentleman our undergraduate students adore him as a mentor and we all love him as a good colleague i have no doubt that felipe will become an outstanding researcher scholar and teacher in his future career
avila obtained his bachelors degree in biology from the university of brasilia (brazil) in 2005 and joined the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) at the cvm in 2009
avila along with the other nine honorees was recognized at an awards ceremony on april 4th where dr karen butler-purry the associate provost for graduate studies presented him with a framed certificate avila and the other nine recipients were also special guests that evening at the 2013 community of scholars dinner program which was also attended by dr raudsepp and dr chowdhary
we are especially grateful to dr phil gramm former us senator and former professor of economics at texas a&m said butler-purry for his support that made this outstanding program possible
college station tx – supporters of the stevenson companion animal life-care center at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) gathered friday to celebrate the dedication of the recently completed building expansion
it is very exciting to celebrate 20 years of caring for companion animals when their owners are no longer able to provide for them said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine today not only do we reflect on the two decades of compassionate care provided within these walls we officially open the newly completed expansion to the facility that will enhance the comfort and care provided for residents now and in the future
the stevenson center provides for the physical emotional and medical needs of companion animals whose owners cannot do so either because they are entering a retirement home being hospitalized for an extended period or predeceasing a pet
people should know we are an option for them if they dont have anyone to care for their pets said ellie greenbaum associate director of the center
the new addition on which construction began nearly a year ago in july 2012 is 3 300 square feet and includes two rooms each for dogs cats and birds special features in the aviaries which are needed for the twelve birds currently enrolled to live at the center someday include soundproofing panels and solar tubes to allow natural light and to reduce reliance on electricity both the cat and bird rooms have enclosed sun porches and the dog rooms have separate fenced-in yards
the centers expansion was made possible by the generosity of 68 donors who made contributions totaling approximately $900 000
we are extremely grateful to our many donors and friends that have so generously supported the stevenson companion animal life-care center over the past 20 years said henry l sonny presnal dvm director of the stevenson center through the generosity of many the centers facility should be positioned to accommodate the resident pets that will enter the center in the foreseeable future
this is the second expansion of the stevenson center which opened in 1993 the total space of the center including the new addition is about 11 000 square feet and will be able to house about 100 pets it is completely self-sustaining with donations and income from the endowment
a stable behind the main building houses the centers resident llama with space for other large companion animals should the need arise
four veterinary students-currently a first-year two second-year and a third-year-live at the center to provide around-the-clock care to the resident animals the placement of cameras and video monitors around the center allows the staff to keep a constant watch on their charges living day-to-day with the pets-many of whom are older and thus have the health problems of older animals-makes the students very compassionate greenbaum said
we feel very privileged greenbaum said that so many owners have entrusted us with the care of their pets
enrollees at the center include dogs cats birds horses and donkeys to secure a spot for their pet owners need to establish an endowment the requirements for which vary depending upon the age of the owner at the time of the enrollment that can be paid up front or through a bequest or life insurance benefit
center staff will pick up enrolled animals anywhere in texas when necessary the first stop for the pets-before they even enter the center-is the cvm small animal hospital where they are thoroughly examined before joining the other animals the hospital and its veterinarians also provide care whenever a center resident is sick or injured ensuring the animals get the best care available
the center is situated on three acres beside the cvm campus its name honors the late madlin stevenson a major initial supporter of the project the building itself is the wp luse foundation building named in honor of the luse foundations support
were excited about this expansion and the added comfort it will bring to our residents greenbaum said weve been working very hard
we have strived to provide a home for pets when their owners can no longer care for them in as near a home-like environment as possible said presnal and we feel that we have been successful in accomplishing our goal
college station tx – katy w waddell rvt vts a veterinary technician at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was named the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) 2013 technician of the year waddell a feline and canine internal medicine and endoscopy services floater technician also specializes in ecc and anesthesia
veterinary technicians are nominated for this award by members of the tvma dr johnathon bert dodd clinical professor at the cvm and tvma member nominated waddell and described her as one of the most proficient techs with whom i have ever worked
her patience with students and her love for teaching is absolutely amazing dodd continued over and over she has been awarded the ‘student choice award at the college of veterinary medicine
katy is an outstanding member of our hospital staff said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine her excellent clinical skills make her a valuable member of our treatment teams in the small animal hospital and her ability to share that knowledge with our students and actively engage them in the learning process has made a tremendous impact in the education of future veterinarians
waddell has always enjoyed teaching she said which is one of the reasons she returned to the cvm in 2002 after 15 years in private practice she had previously worked at the cvm for seven years in the 1980s
i just love to see the light bulb go on when students understand something waddell said its incredibly rewarding
waddell said that one of the best ways she can help patients is by teaching students which she does above and beyond her job requirements in addition to speaking at regional and national meetings she teaches online courses that draw an international audience she even runs informal wet labs for student groups on weekends this work helps waddell enhance her ability to be a patient advocate while simultaneously fostering her profession she said
this work very much impressed the tvma awards committee said devorah jakubowsky the associate director of tvma one of the selection criteria used by the committee was leadership in and contributions to advancing the role and value of the veterinary technician
in addition to inspiring her students waddell remains committed to challenging herself she enjoys working at the cvm because she gets to work on a wide variety of cases
its learning opportunity for me every day waddell said in fact she went into anesthesia because she wanted to look at the whole patient or nose to toes as she put it
in her personal time waddell enjoys cooking and grows her own herbs including catnip for her six cats and the six others she is fostering until recently she had a dog as well but when he passed away she didnt feel like she immediately needed to get another one
i dont need to search for them; animals find me she said perhaps they can sense her deep love of and commitment to them one of the best parts of her job she says is when she sees an injured animal recover and get to go home
it was this passion for veterinary medicine that the tvma recognized in honoring her with the technician of the year award at the tvma awards and installation banquet on march 2 2013
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook
just like birds migrate as changes in the environment influence their internal compass cells in the human body have an inner compass that signals them to migrate in response to changes in tissues that make up the different organs shedding light on how cells use this internal compass to polarize ie establish a front-rear axis and migrate directionally is essential to understanding development and disease
after three years of intense work dr sankar p chaki a postdoctoral research associate in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has identified a molecular mechanism that coordinates an inner compass that enables directional cell migration chaki working in the laboratory of dr gonzalo rivera was looking for links between changes in the morphology of vascular endothelial cells and their ability to set and maintain a particular direction while crawling on two-dimensional surfaces
cell migration is currently an area of very active research rivera said recently our group joined hundreds of scientists from around the globe that gathered at the gordon research conference on directed cell migration held in galveston tx to discuss topics ranging from basic molecular and cellular mechanisms and function to new imaging technology to new therapeutic interventions understanding regulation of cell migration is the key to developing new therapies to alleviate conditions that involve either activation or inhibition of cell migration
rivera further explained that tissue repair and wound healing are examples of conditions that require stimulation of cell migration; whereas the progression of invasive cancers arthritis and certain cardiovascular-related disorders could be restricted by inhibition of cell migration
cells orient themselves during the process of migration by two essential regulatory mechanisms one of them is dictated by the presence of external signals – either attractants or repellents the other operates as a cells inner compass a built-in molecular mechanism that enables the establishment of cell polarity ie the formation of distinct front and rear ends and directional migration
cell polarization sets in motion a molecular process that enables directional cell migration by coordinating changes in cell shape cell-cell contacts and cell adhesion to the surface chaki explained using a combination of molecular genetics cell biology and advanced imaging techniques we showed that nck adaptors are key components of the molecular machinery that coordinates intrinsic cell directionality nck adaptors modify the actin cytoskeleton – a meshwork of filaments that controls cell shape and motility – and contribute to directional migration by coordinating the formation of crawling pseudopods – or foot-like extensions – that adhere to the surface

images showing normally polarized and unpolarized endothelial cells cell polarity and directional migration is indicated by the localized activation of cdc42 a critical component of the cells inner compass at the leading edge (left panel) loss of cell polarity on the other hand is evidenced by the altered pattern of cdc42 activation and abnormal morphology of the nck-depleted cell (right panel)
intrinsic cell directionality is observed when cells respond to a non-directional uniform signal that triggers the basic motility machinery in the absence of any external guidance factor vascular endothelial cells with depletion of nck adaptors exhibit loss of cell polarity – failure to establish a clear front and rear end – and impaired directional migration ie inability to sustain directionality while crawling
these findings from riveras laboratory accepted for publication in the highly regarded journal of cell science are significant because they establish new potential targets in diseases that involve altered cell migration and invasion such as cancer metastasis and atherosclerosis
rivera emphasized the multi-disciplinary nature of this research we succeeded in integrating a team that combines expertise in cell biology biophysics imaging technology and computer-assisted image analysis the team of collaborators includes drs andreea trache (tamu hsc) rola barhoumi (cvm image analysis laboratory) and shawn gomez (university of north carolina) we are also grateful for the support provided by the american heart association department of veterinary pathobiology and texas a&m university rivera said
an ongoing research project in the laboratory is examining the role of nck adaptors and cytoskeletal remodeling in the establishment of polarity and lumen formation in vascular networks developing in three-dimensional environments that more accurately resemble the organization of tissues in the body
the full research article can be accessed at: http://jcsbiologistsorg/content/early/2013/02/21/jcs119610long
ever wondered whos living in your gut and what theyre doing our trillions of microorganisms outnumber our own cells by as many as 10 to one in and on our own bodies and do important jobs ranging from chewing up the food we eat to building up the immune system
researchers at leading institutes around the world including the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) are collaborating on a new project where everyone is encouraged to participate and find out what type of microbiome or bacteria are in their gut the american gut project led by the human food project builds on the work of previous studies including the five-year $173-million national institutes of health-funded human microbiome project and provides a way for the general public their kids and pets to participate
this is an important study that revolves around everyone participating said jan suchodolski a clinical assistant professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at the cvm unlike previous projects anyone can participate allowing us to examine the microbiome from a wide variety of people and develop an understanding of how diet and lifestyle affect microbes
the gut microbiome has been linked to many diseases including obesity cancer and inflammatory bowel disease: interestingly all these diseases are much more common in western populations we should start thinking about diets not only from the perspective of what we should eat but what we should be feeding our entire supraorganism said jeff leach founder of the human food project and co-founder of american gut
this project truly brings together a dream team of microbiome investigators said rob knight an associate professor with the biofrontiers institute at the university of colorado at boulder and a co-founder of american gut and building a framework where we can join together to understand the microbiome is critical
the project builds on the success team members have had previously in other areas such as examining the microbiome of pets previous studies for example described the gut microbiomes of dogs and cats of different ages and sizes the researchers of these previous studies found that every animal has a unique microbial ecosystem that is partially influenced by diet and environment to help with the examination of companion animals microbiomes contributors to the american gut project are urged to bring their pets with them to participate
by being able to collect this massive dataset in healthy pet animals it will allow us to identify differences in gut microbiota between healthy and diseased dogs and cats which ultimately will lead to better treatment modalities for our furry companions suchodolski said
since companion animals are living in close quarters with humans as family members suchodolski said there is potential to transfer parts of the microbiome between humans and pets
the american gut project provides an excellent platform to study the microbiomes of humans as well as animals because it is a multi-center collaborative study including the leading experts in the microbiome field the results of this study will be made openly available which will drastically advance the research in this field suchodolski said
participants in the project include many of the key players in the human microbiome project including dirk gevers group leader of microbial systems and communities at the broad bnstitute of harvard and mit joseph petrosino director of the alkek center for metagenomics and microbiome research at baylor college of medicine and curtis huttenhower an assistant professor at the harvard school of public health; key players in the earth microbiome project including janet jansson professor and senior staff scientist at the university of california at berkeley and lawrence berkeley national laboratory jack gilbert assistant professor at the university of chicago and staff scientist at argonne national laboratory and j gregory caporaso assistant professor at northern arizona university and argonne national laboratory; and other experts on the human genome microbiome microbiome in human disease susceptibility and evolution including ruth ley assistant professor at cornell university george church founder of the personal genome project and professor at harvard medical school rob dunn an associate professor at north carolina state university and founder of yourwildlifeorg jeroen raes professor at the flemish institute of biotechnology (vib) brussels jonathan eisen professor at the university of california davis susan holmes professor at stanford university ramnik xavier chief of gastroenterology at the massachusetts general hospital director for the study of inflammatory bowel disease and senior associate member of the broad institute kelly swanson associate professor at the university of illinois at urbana-champaign and jan suchodolski clinical assistant professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
unlike traditional projects funded by grant applications to the government or private foundations american gut will be funded by donations from the public please visit http://wwwindiegogocom/americangut to learn more about the project and participation
college station tx-many of the health problems in the world today not only impact humans but also animals and the environment to find solutions researchers have increasingly taken a one health approach leading to the development of collaborations as unique as the answers they seek
one example of this one health approach involves the work of physicians veterinarians and environmental scientists at texas a&m university (tamu) and texas a&m agrilife research dr jules b puschett a physician and research professor in the veterinary pathobiology department at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) along with researchers at texas a&m agrilife research have developed an animal model they hope will lead to a way to predict and prevent preeclampsia in humans
preeclampsia a pregnancy-specific disorder seen in 3-10 percent of pregnancies is the second leading cause of maternal and fetal death in the united states it is also a leading contributor to the most common cause of maternal and fetal death in developing countries presently there is nothing physicians can do to predict prevent or cure preeclampsia
since there is no cure the most common treatment for this disorder is bed rest until the physician decides whether or not to do a cesarean section if the mother and child survive delivery the mother is at risk for having high blood pressure and diabetes later in life and the baby has a risk of developing mental abnormalities
using a rat model puschetts team discovered an elevation in a substance in preeclamptic rats that can be detected in the first few days of pregnancy in urine and blood in conjunction with the discovery of this substance these researchers have also developed a compound that prevents preeclampsia when given to pregnant rats with this elevated substance currently the team is in the process of collecting more data to receive us food and drug administration (fda) approval for human clinical trials
the team found that an elevation of the substance marinobufagenin (mbg) not only predicts but is a potential cause of the later development of preeclampsia a diagnostic test to measure mbg was developed in collaboration with drs luc berghman and daad abi-ghanem from the tamu department of poultry science after this discovery puschett and his team who have been working on this project for six years measured the blood and urine of human patients and found that mbg was elevated in those patients with a diagnosis of preeclampsia
our intention was not only to measure mbg in the blood but also in the urine because if we end up trying to screen thousands of patients it is much easier for the patient to give you a urine specimen than blood puschett said
their next step was to determine when the level of mbg becomes elevated in the preeclamptic rats elevated levels of mbg were present in the first few days of pregnancy
at that time in the pregnancy the rats didnt yet have high blood pressure or an excess of protein in the urine puschett said so this is a forecast of the later development of preeclampsia in the rat
with this discovery puschett explained that potentially every pregnant woman could be screened for preeclampsia through an examination of mbg levels in urine once the team realized they could predict preeclampsia they decided they needed to try and prevent it too
puschett approached chemists from the laboratory for innovative chemistry and natural products-based interdisciplinary drug discovery (linchpin) at tamu dr daniel romo a chemistry professor and director of the laboratory; dr jing li co-director of the laboratory and dr xinzhong lai who previously worked with romo; and asked them to create a compound that would block mbgs effects thus preventing preeclampsia
the goal of the ongoing collaboration is to broaden the studies of preeclampsia in the puschett group to investigate all possible predictive agents which appear in the blood and urine of preeclamptic patients in order to identify a reliable predictor which can be used to diagnose this disease at its earliest developing stage romo said
the group discovered resibufogenin or rbg may be a compound that could be used to prevent the onset of preeclampsia although it differs little from mbg rbg binds to the mbg substance preventing mbgs effects
collaborating with dr puschett we have discovered a potential predictive agent (mbg) as well as an antagonist (rbg) to this agent which can be used to prevent preeclampsia romo said
to test rbg the compound was given to rats in early pregnancy puschett said the compound completely prevented preeclampsia high blood pressure and abnormal protein levels in the rats urine
currently the team is in process of gathering enough data and funding to present to the fda for approval to start providing rbg to human patients puschett said it would probably take two to three years before enough data is collected to present to the fda after the fda approves the drug the human clinical trials for rgb will begin for pregnant volunteers who have elevated mbg levels to see if preeclampsia is prevented
if rbg does not prevent preeclampsia in human patients puschett said there are approximately 200 compounds similar to rbg that could be evaluated as antagonists for mbg these compounds he said could be used to help in an effort to establish a method for personalized medicine in preeclampsia personalized medicine is medication and treatment tailored toward the individual needs of the patient
we are now planning to broaden these studies to investigate other compounds in this family to identify additional antagonists to these agents which can potentially prevent and/or treat preeclampsia romo said
puschett and his team also said they think elevated mbg levels could be a problem in other illnesses such as brain disorders
for right now though the main focus for puschett and his team is generating enough data to present to the fda for approval of human trials of rbg
first we are focusing on preeclampsia patients then we are going to branch out to test the waters in other illnesses puschett said
college station tx- out of 57 applicants dr sarah hamer assistant professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) placed third in the young investigator competition at the merial nih national veterinary scholars symposium for her research on infectious zoonotic pathogens
to compete for the award which was sponsored by the american veterinary medical association and american veterinary medical foundation the applicant must be a veterinarian and fairly new into their research career hamer won third place based on her research on the various roles wild birds play in carrying and moving ticks and pathogens of importance for human and animal health including the lyme disease pathogen
we found that many species of wild birds not only serve as reservoirs for these pathogens but they actually move the tick around some of these birds are neotropical migrants they picked up ticks and pathogens in south america and within a few days they arrived in the midwest hamer said
she said she hoped this research would show the important roles birds play in the ecology of zoonotic diseases
i study these pathogens as they are maintained in wildlife populations i hope to understand what the important key players are in disease cycles before they bridge over to humans hamer said
the abstract she presented for this competition the complex interface among wild bird populations tick borne pathogens and human health was comprised of previous data she has gathered in the midwest and new ideas she has now hamer said some of the information she presented is based off the data in her new paper appearing in october in emerging infectious diseases she added that she is still continuing research on the topic and recently started collecting data from wild birds in texas
twelve of the 57 applicants were invited to the symposium with the top five presenting their abstract and three people placing in the competition
dr bhanu chowdhary professor and associate dean for graduate and research studies attended hamers presentation and said she deserves the award
i congratulate her for this extraordinary achievement because she competed nationally and was in the top three chowdhary said it is a major recognition and the college as a whole is proud of her
hamer said her line of research was unique at the conference
the biomedical research i presented began with a field-based approach starting with wildlife populations in their natural habitat she said i was really pleased that it was well received by the audience
the twelve applicants also attended a becoming faculty workshop held by the burroughs wellcome fund in conjunction with the symposium
hamer said the workshop was geared toward giving new faculty members advice on how to succeed in academia she will teach her first class an undergraduate vibs epidemiology course at the cvm in the spring 2013 semester hamer is also working on developing a new course in wildlife disease ecology and epidemiology
this symposium also invited summer research programs from over 30 veterinary medicine colleges in the united states canada the nih and medical schools from the cvm dr bhanu chowdhary professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies; dr c jane welsh assistant dean for research and graduate studies; dr roger smith professor; and dr ann kier professor took their 14 students from the texas a&m veterinary medical scientist research training program (vmsrtp) to the symposium smith said these students presented posters describing the results of a research project they spent working on the whole summer the students also got a chance to attend scientific sessions and presentations such as those from the young investigator award
college station tx – with a turn of the shovel phase 1 construction began on the new texas a&m equine complex at a total cost of $80 million when completed the new complex provides a home for equine science education research and outreach
dr eleanor green texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences carl b king dean of veterinary medicine said the initiative will bring together students faculty and equine industry leaders and provide a foundation for research discoveries and outreach initiatives dedicated to the welfare of the horse
planning for the new center began in may 2012 when the texas a&m board of regents approved negotiation of a ground lease with an anonymous donor that allowed for phase 1 construction to begin this cornerstone gift combined with in-kind and other major gifts bring support generated for phase 1 construction to approximately $35 million
the texas a&m equine initiative is another example of the culture of excellence found across the entire texas a&m university system texas a&m system chancellor john sharp said state-of-the-art facilities such as these are central to our mission of improving the lives of people and animals in texas and beyond
initial construction will include an education and outreach center facilities for the texas a&m equestrian team a cross country course in collaboration with texas a&m athletics and new facilities for the parsons mounted cavalry
eric hyman texas a&m athletic director said the texas a&m equestrian team is the gold standard when it comes to collegiate competition and the equine complex will further enhance the program
this new facility will impact students in many ways not only through enhancing their curriculum but also by providing a home to student programs such as the national champion equestrian team green added
with a long history of teaching research equine medicine and outreach excellence texas a&m university has been a vital contributor to the equine industry for generations
this center will be a major center of equine research care and outreach texas a&m president r bowen loftin said it is an excellent example of one of the things we do best at texas a&m: work together across academic disciplines non-academic units are involved as well to make the center truly one-of-a-kind
both the department of animal science in the college of agriculture and life sciences and the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences have been instrumental in providing the equine industry with knowledge and care that have advanced not only equine sciences but the welfare of the horse as well
texas is a national leader in the equine industry and at texas a&m we have internationally recognized leaders in equine veterinary medicine and equine sciences green said it is our obligation to serve the needs of texas this facility provides another opportunity to do so through advancing the health and well-being of horses and the strength and viability of the equine industry so important to texas
the texas a&m equine initiative was created to collaboratively utilize existing expertise within the university to build an equine program that will graduate the industrys future leaders and generate research and veterinary medical care that will improve the industry and the care and welfare of the horse to support its mission the equine initiative has developed four major imperatives in each of these areas the focus will be to enhance and improve upon texas a&ms existing strengths the four imperatives are curriculum enhancement outreach & engagement expansion facility construction and partnership development
green said a facility such as this would not be possible without teamwork
my gratitude goes out to all those involved in making this unique construction model of the thomas hilderbrand equine complex a success including chancellor john sharp; president r bowen loftin; regent richard box chair of the board of regents; regent jim schwertner chair of the facilities committee for the board of regents; eric hyman texas a&m athletic director; dr mark hussey vice chancellor and dean of the college of agriculture and life sciences; and dr jim heird executive professor and coordinator for the texas a&m equine initiative green said
for more information regarding the texas a&m equine initiative please visit wwwtamuequinecom or call the equine initiative office at 979-845-6098
college station tx – dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine announced the selection of shw group/cannon design as the architectural team leading the design project for the construction of a new veterinary medical education building and small animal hospital expansion for the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) this team was selected from a large number of architectural firms expressing interest in the project after many months of visits with firms of interest and after hours of formal interviews
this group captured our attention immediately said green not only did they emit a quality of competence creativity and innovation they seemed to understand our vision and the importance of this project to our future they recognized the significance of this once-in-a-lifetime construction project and their enthusiasm about our project was palpable
we would not have arrived at this pivotal point without the support of many said green the leadership of our facilities director sam wigington and his team has been notable we are enormously grateful for the essential support of chancellor john sharp president r bowen loftin texas a&m facilities planning and construction and all of the others involved in this process
chancellor sharp noted that texas a&ms cvm is the only college of veterinary medicine in the state of texas and only one of 28 in the united states texas a&ms vet school exists to serve the citizens of texas the $120 million in permanent university funds (puf) used for this project will provide texans with the very best facility of its kind for years to come sharp said
our college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2016 said president loftin beginning a new century with a new facility on our campus will further strengthen our commitment to teaching research and service for the next hundred years
green replied when the architecture firm asked for a brief description of the vision we want people to look at this facility and say ‘wow! texas a&m is the best; this is the best college of veterinary medicine we want a building that emits energy innovation and progressiveness one that also says texas
what we envision is a building that will immediately foster new and innovative teaching technologies and will be adaptable to innovations that emerge for the next 100 years said green we will create a collaborative learning environment one that encourages interactions among students faculty and staff constructing a building that embodies our vision and our values is a tremendous opportunity and we have already been looking across the country to see the latest trends in educational technology and sustainability and bringing the best ideas back to texas a&m
about shw/cannon design
shw group/cannon design is comprised of two separate components shw group and cannon design they have teamed up specifically for this project due to its complex components of classrooms laboratories office space new construction expansion and renovation of existing space
shw group was founded in 1945 and is nationally and internationally recognized for its work on educational facilities shw group is dedicated to designing environments that inspire support and promote the discovery and exchange of knowledge through commitment to learning stewardship and craft our primary contact with shw group is mr don hensley out of the dallas office the website is http://wwwshwgroupcom/
cannon design is an ideas based practice bringing extensive experience in not only educational design but also design of healthcare science & technology sports & recreation commercial and government facilities cannon design strives to create environments that are a thoughtful response to the program mission physical setting and functional purpose reflecting the spirit and personality of each owner our primary contact for cannon design is mark whiteley out of their san francisco office the website is http://cannondesigncom/
about the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
from its early beginning in 1916 the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences served the livestock industry in the state of texas dr mark francis the first dean of the college is credited with proving that the tick was responsible for texas cattle fever – a disease that had plagued texas cattle ranchers since the late 1700s since that time the cvm has grown to one of the largest colleges of veterinary medicine in the united states and is home to internationally known faculty through commitment to teaching research and service cvm faculty staff and students are making discoveries today that impact the health of humans and animals worldwide
college station tx -after a month of surgeries and careful treatment reno a three month old quarter horse/welsh pony colt is going home on june 19th reno was brought to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) after he sustained blunt force trauma to the head with bone chips embedded in his brain today reno is finally going home thanks to the teamwork and dedication of multiple specialists at the cvm
the owners jody baton and her daughter whittany of kilgore texas brought reno to the cvm for treatment as quickly as possible after the referring veterinarian dr robert thoni identified a skull fracture with an x-ray image baton is no stranger to the large animal hospital 11 of her horses have previously been brought here for specialty treatment or surgery
its like a family reunion when i come in these veterinarians are angels baton said
when reno arrived at the cvm he was very depressed and had difficulty walking dr keith chaffin professor of equine internal medicine was assigned to lead renos case after rapid stabilization therapy reno was immediately sent for mri and ct scans
the magnitude of brain swelling was much worse than we predicted and the ct scan showed more than 20 bone chips embedded in the brain chaffin said we couldnt have known the extent of renos injuries if it werent for the new diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment center what we can now do with brain and head injuries is state-of-the-art and we can better diagnose and develop therapeutic treatments and reno is a great example of that
renos only chance for survival was surgery baton did not hesitate in making the decision to proceed
he is an extraordinary colt and we didnt think twice about agreeing to surgery because we knew he would be in good hands baton said besides how do you put a price tag on a family member
dr joseph m mankin clinical assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery in the cvm small animal hospital performed the surgery
what sets the cvm apart is our access to other specialties the team effort for reno has been phenomenal chaffin said this type of surgery was somewhat unchartered territory for the large animal hospital and dr mankin did an excellent job
mankin removed about 25 bone fragments a piece of skin with hair and most alarming for the team a pus pocket the pus pocket indicated infection was already present and an increased possibility for more extensive infection post-operatively but an infection in the brain wasnt the teams only concern after surgery reno reacted violently as he awoke from anesthesia the team was forced to anesthetize him again this scenario repeated itself twice more and on the third attempt reno was able to wake calmly however reno tore the top side of his urinary bladder during the process and needed surgery to repair the tear dr carolyn arnold assistant professor of equine soft tissue surgery led renos second surgery that week
renos bladder surgery and recovery went well and there were no violent episodes but post-surgery colic and a fungal infection of the tongue slowed his recovery gastric ulceration was the cause of colic and he responded to therapy with a proton pump inhibitor the tongue infection was caused by candidiasis and was successfully treated with antifungal agents
reno just had crisis after crisis after crisis chaffin said he was a challenging case but a very special little foal
a month of careful monitoring and the teamwork of the specialists at the cvm large and small animal hospitals allowed reno to make a full recovery baton who stayed by renos side almost the entire month was joined by her two daughters and mother to take reno home as part of their family
we are just so very thankful for everything a&m has done for reno and our family baton said we call him our miracle foal
college station texas – investigating around 1 000 agricultural crime cases and recovering an average of $5 million in stolen cattle and assets for ranchers each year the texas and southwestern cattle raisers association (tscra) works hard to honor and protect the ranching way of life in times of need dr james derr professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and his genetics lab recently developed a partnership with the tscra to provide dna forensics collection kits and dna testing services (parentage determination dna fingerprints and individual cattle identification tests) for all 29 tscra special rangers
the tscra dna forensics collection kit includes all of the required supplies needed to collect and document genetic samples from cattle these kits include: gloves hair follicle envelopes pliers cotton swabs fta whole blood cards and instructions on how to collect and preserve dna evidence this ensures that all rangers are equipped with the tools and knowledge to provide derr with the proper evidence so he can perform testing to eventually help the ranchers retrieve their stolen cattle identify individual animals from a herd and determine correct parentage of undocumented animals
this new relationship allows us to provide a service to the citizens of texas derr said the cvm is the perfect place to provide this service because texas a&m university is recognized as a leader in cattle genomics and genetics
for approximately 10 years derr and his team have been performing parentage and animal id testing for owners of bison and cattle his lab recently started receiving cases to help identify livestock theft through forensic testing
tscra is excited to partner with tamu to add to our efforts of solving cattle theft cases said larry gray tscra executive director of law enforcement tscra special rangers utilize dna testing in many cases to identify ownership of stolen cattle and tamu services will allow us to continue to do this effectively
part of my responsibility as an educator and geneticist is to be a champion of our science derr said we are using science to build relationships that will further help the citizens of texas
originally reported by today tamu: https://todaytamuedu/2012/07/10/chickens-may-fight-cancer/
july 10 2012
the common barnyard chicken could provide some very un-common clues for fighting off diseases and might even offer new ways to attack cancer according to a team of international researchers that includes a texas a&m university professor
james womack distinguished professor of veterinary pathobiology in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is co-author of a paper detailing the teams work that appears in the current issue of pnas (proceedings of the national academy of scientists) womack was a leader in the international effort to sequence the cattle genome in 2004
womack and the team comprised mostly of scientists from the seoul national university in korea examined 62 white leghorn and 53 cornish chickens for diversity in nk-lysin an antibacterial substance that occurs naturally in animals and is used as a method of fighting off diseases
they were able to obtain two genetic variations of nk-lysin and the results offered two unexpected shockers: both showed abilities to fight off bacterial infections and other diseases while one showed it could successfully fight cancer cells as well
it took all of us by surprise womack says of the findings
one of the genetic variations shows it has the ability to fight against cancer cells much more aggressively than the other variation we certainly were not looking at the cancer side of this but there it was
womack says the team selected the two breeds because cornish and white leghorn chickens found throughout most of the world have relatively diverse genetic origins
after conducting a dna sequence of the chickens the team found two variations of the genes that offered clues as to their protective ability to ward off infections
one form appears to be more potent in killing off cancer cells than the other and thats the one that naturally caught our eye womack adds
this could lead to other steps to fight cancer or in developing ways to prevent certain infections or even diseases its another door that has been opened up we are looking at similar studies right now to see if this is possible with cattle
the next step is to work with other animals and see if similar variants exist we need to look for any genetic similarities to the chicken variants and then determine if these variants affect the health of the animal but this is an exciting first step in this direction
obesity a prevalent threat among one-third of the adult population in the united states is associated with cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders such as diabetes a major contributor to this danger is inflamed adipose tissue or body fat a recent study by a team at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) indicates that small rnas or micrornas (mirnas) which are part of a persons genetic code can guide inflammatory or anti-inflammatory action of macrophages – a special type of cell – in the adipose tissue that are crucial for our immune defense and important regulators once permeated into tissues the study led by dr beiyan zhou assistant professor of physiology and pharmacology at the cvm was recently accepted for publication by circulation the leading journal of the american heart association (aha)
macrophages are a type of immune cell which often responds to infections or wound repairings zhou said the study focuses on understanding how microrna influences these cells when regulating the good and bad fat cells
cong meng a graduate student in zhous laboratory and the co-first author of the article said adipose tissue infiltrated by macrophages can be polarized to m1 bad and m2 good macrophages
zhou said macrophages in fat tissues act in a protective anti-inflammatory role in people who are not obese for those that are obese or have plaque on their blood-vessel walls macrophages infiltrate the tissues try to correct the problem and become inflamed
both m1 and m2 macrophages are regulators in atherosclerotic lesions that play a critical role in the development of cardiovascular diseases one mirna can regulate many genes simultaneously by harnessing one-crucial mirna you can shift the network to either direction: inflammatory or anti-inflammatory said guoqing zhuang the co-first author for this study and postdoctoral fellow in zhous lab
xin guo a graduate student in assistant professor chaodong wus laboratory in the department of nutrition and food sciences at texas a&m college of agriculture and life sciences validated the adipose tissue signaling pathways
in this study we demonstrated that mir-223 is a novel and crucial regulator of macrophage polarization and is indicated for suppressing pro-inflammatory and enhancing anti-inflammatory responses guo said
dr stephen safe collaborator on the study and professor at the cvm said the results hold great promise in the development of treatments for metabolic disorders
this study has identified a new microrna-based paradigm for regulation of insulin sensitivity safe said the results may ultimately provide the basis for using microrna analogs or chemicals for microrna regulated genes to treat insulin resistance-related diseases he added
while this study represents a starting point in developing new therapeutic drugs for diabetes dr robert chapkin collaborator on the study and a regent professor in the department of nutrition and food sciences explained there is currently a need for new drugs since most are no longer sold due to severe side effects
their highly novel finding suggests that because macrophages play an important role in mediating metabolic disorders including obesity-induced insulin resistance that microrna-223 may be a metabolic target for therapies designed to regulate systemic inflammation and energy metabolism he added
the paper sparked positive feedback from the science community including an editorial introduction (published on the same issue of circulation) by dr jiandie lin from the university of michigan
previous studies have implicated different mirna members in the regulations of innate and adaptive immune responses as well as immune cell differentiation lin said however a role for mirna in macrophage polarization has not been explored and this research is the first one to link macrophage function and obesity related diseases
dr jackie davidson clinical professor at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) recently became one of the first diplomates of the american college of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation (acvsmr) through successful completion of a subject matter examination
the acvsmr is the newest veterinary specialty college approved by the american veterinary medical association (avma) having been recognized by the avma two years ago according to the acvsmr website the mission of the college is to advance the art and science of veterinary medicine by promoting expertise in the structural physiological medical and surgical needs of athletic animals and the restoration of normal form and function after injury or illness diplomates can become specialists in either canine or equine sports medicine or rehabilitation davidson received her certification in canine
for a candidate to become a diplomate of the acvsmr they must complete a three-year residency be published in the field submit five case reports and pass a two-day exam since the specialty is only two years old there are only a few veterinarians in residencies now davidson however was one of the few individuals who qualified to take the exam without doing a residency to be exempt from the residency portion of the process applicants were required to submit their credentials for approval criteria that the board considered included having at least 10 years of work experience having publications in the field and being a faculty member actively involved in clinical and research aspects of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation once the credentials were approved the selected applicants were allowed to go straight to the exam portion of the process this residency exemption option will only be available for the next two years this was the first year the certifying exam was offered
davidson said the exam was one of the hardest she has ever taken
im boarded in the american college of veterinary surgeons and the difficulty level was comparable to that you leave the exam and think ‘there is no way i passed that but i did pass davidson said
davidson prepared for the exam by reading and taking continuing education courses in the field while reading a book or article related to the topic davidson would take notes which she later used to study for the exam
then the last six weeks before the exam i had time off clinicals and all i did was sit and study for 12 hours a day she added
davidson said she took the exams because she felt prepared by her experiences from working in post-operative rehabilitation for 10 years and her dedication to continuing education
i was working in this area so i wanted to have the certification that represented this other special skill set and knowledge area that sets me apart she said
davidson explained that her dream is to have a residency program at the cvm where residents of the program can receive training and become specialists in the field
davidson is currently a surgeon for the small animal hospital but also oversees the physical rehabilitation service
my job here is primarily as a surgeon but i would like to build up the rehab portion of [the hospital] thats kind of what i do now most of my time is spent actually in the surgery service but i help oversee the rehab service at the same time she said
davidson is the second member of the cvm family to become a diplomate dr william moyer professor and special assistant to the dean is a founding diplomate of the college
veterinary medical student joseph hicks was recently named president of the student chapter of the lesbian and gay veterinary medical association (lgvma) as the organization marked its return to texas a&m after a few years of inactivity
this revitalization of the a&m lgvma started with the recent american association of veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) survey on climate and diversity at veterinary medical schools said hicks the student leadership in the council for diversity and professionalism (cdp) took this information and recognized the need to focus on promoting a positive environment of lgbt students within our college
an initial first step involved a presentation from dr michael chaddock deputy director of the american association of veterinary medical colleges (aavmc) about lgbt issues in veterinary medicine with more than 100 students in attendance the administrative team was pleased to announce a pledge from the college to include significant financial support to help the organization get up to speed again
we had more than 30 enthusiastic students at our first meeting said hicks it is exciting to get this group going again and to have so much support behind it special thanks go to not only those that attended that initial presentation and our first meeting but also to our faculty advisor dr jorg steiner and cvm chief of staff john scroggs we look forward to providing a network for lgbt students within our college it is truly a great time to be an aggie vet
hicks announcement about the revitalization of the texas a&m student chapter of the lgvma is set to be published in the lgvma good news which is the national publication for the organization to read hicks article click here

we are excited to announce that after a few years of inactivity the texas a&m student chapter of the lgvma is back up and running this april we held our first meeting to discuss future plans and elect leadership our new officers include joseph hicks as president ash mills as vice president elise jemmott as secretary and christine elkins as treasurer we are proud of the great turnout to this first meeting (over 30 students) and the enthusiasm with which those in attendance carried themselves
this revitalization of the a&m lgvma started with the recent aavmc survey after the survey results were released student leadership in the council for diversity and professionalism (cdp) a long-standing group within the college charged to help provide advice to the administration and also actively develop programs that promote a positive welcoming environment within the college realized a need to focus on promoting a positive environment for lgbt students as such they requested that avma director dr michael chaddock visit our campus with his presentation on lgbt issues in veterinary medicine with a turnout of over 100 students dr chaddock brought up the issue that the a&m cvm needed to bring back the lgvma in addition as a pledge to promote diversity within our college the leadership of the college dean eleanor green and associate dean for professional programs kenita rogers made significant financial support available to help our organization get up to speed again
our sincere gratitude goes to dr chaddock for his amazing inspiration and to our administration for providing such an awe-inspiring gift special thanks also go to our faculty advisors professor dr jörg steiner and cvm chief of staff john scroggs whose encouragement has been invaluable as we continue to rebuild our organization
we look forward to providing a network for lgbt students within the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine this is truly a great time to be an aggie vet student as we continue to promote a friendly and diverse environment
college station texas – the texas a&m veterinary emergency team from the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences wrapped a large-scale multi-agency emergency response training exercise designed to prepare the team for future deployments in response to animal issues in disaster
over the course of operation new horizons we focused on our three key missions said dr wesley bissett vet director first and foremost we train alongside texas task force – 1 and provide key veterinary support to their search and rescue canines we were able to not only practice responding to potential injuries with these dogs but also provide them important physical exams and hydration during the course of the exercise by assisting texas task force – 1 in this way their search and rescue canines are able to stay in the field longer and potentially save more lives
in addition the vet responds to animals injured in disaster situations in conjunction with the texas animal health commission (tahc) members of the tahc participated in the weekend exercise to practice planning and inter-agency communication
as part of the state response to animal issues we work cooperatively with the animal response team from the tahc added bissett they are a lead agency in animal emergency response and it is absolutely critical that we work together during exercises such as this so that we are prepared to address animal welfare concerns together when deployed in the field
animals have become true family members for many people and the ability to not only reunite an injured animal with its owner as well as providing a resource to first responders who previously were not able to help with injured animals is another focus of the vet team
when disaster strikes people can lose their homes and their valuables said bissett often times a pet that survives is all they will have to connect them with their past being able to give them back that one thing their pet makes a huge psychological impact on both the pet owner and the rescuers
disasters inevitably occur and training exercises such as operation new horizons provide new opportunities to build cooperative relationships that enhance the ability to save lives of humans and animals alike

by monica rhor
dread and hope flit through the air of the waiting room like storm clouds and clear blue competing for a place in the sky
this is a place of last refuge intractable hope and boundless love the entrance to a battlefield between cutting-edge science and cancer
it was here that beverly gorman and her husband arrived in january after an urgent 2 400-mile 60-hour car trip from olympia wash a trek spurred by a grim diagnosis
» continue reading on the houston chronicles website
college station tx – salmonella infection or salmonellosis is a major public health burden that carries a significant economic price tag recent news stories about outbreaks of salmonellosis have led to detrimental effects on impacted industries historically pigs and the consumption of salmonella contaminated pork have been a major source for the transmission of this disease to humans to better control exposure to and infection by this pathogen in humans it is important to gain a better understanding of the swine host-pathogen relationship that will lead to better detection measures
scientists at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science working in collaboration with researchers from the swedish national veterinary institute and the swedish university of agricultural sciences examined the intermittent pattern in which pigs shed salmonella bacteria in their feces and discovered that salmonella may lay dormant in the host at an undetectable level as a survival strategy that prolongs the hosts infection furthermore different salmonella serotypes are shed and go dormant in different frequencies making detection difficult at best the results of this study were recently published in plos one
this off and on pattern of pathogen excretion can lead to a host being misdiagnosed as clear of bacteria when indeed it is still infected in the either stage pigs typically do not show physical signs of being infected in the on stage the host sheds the bacteria in fecal material while in the off stage the pathogen is still present in the host but is not shed therefore the leading method of detecting infection fecal shedding becomes difficult because of the important role that pigs have played in salmonellosis outbreaks in other pigs and humans reliable detection measures and models are critical in developing efficient salmonella control efforts said dr renata ivanek-miojevic assistant professor of epidemiology at the veterinary integrative biosciences department while this early study has documented the ability of salmonella bacteria to lay dormant thereby extending its presence in the infected host future research will investigate if the same association between the cyclic behavior and the length of infection holds true in other host-pathogen models
with this study we were able to observe the relationship between shedding pattern and length of infection in several serotypes of salmonella in the swine host notes ivanek from here we will need to use what we learned and the models that we were able to develop to see if the same behavior is observed in other host-pathogen systems if so the relationship may be useful not only in improving detection methods but also in understanding evolutionary ecology of this and similar infectious diseases with off and on pattern of pathogen excretion and consequently adopting better control measures
this study funded by the national science foundation will become a model for future studies aimed at furthering the detection capabilities and effective control for salmonella and similar infectious agents in their animal and human host populations
it was hope and personal sacrifice that led to a successful recovery for jack penland a six-year-old yellow labrador during his seven week stay at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) mary and doug penland jacks owners traveled the almost 2000 mile trek from belize to college station when their veterinarian in belize referred them to the vmth so that their dog would have a chance at survival
jack was referred in from his veterinarian in belize for vague signs of lethargy weakness muscle pain and some blood work changes says dr heather kvitko-white veterinary resident instructor at the cvm after running several tests we eventually discovered that he had a bacterial infection of his vertebrae in his spine heart and joints
kvitko recalls that jack was in a lot of pain he spent three weeks in the intensive care unit (icu) at the vmth he then spent another month building up his strength in the hospitals rehabilitation service jack also benefitted from the multi-disciplinary teamwork that is a hallmark of the teaching hospital as he saw almost every specialist in the hospital
kvitko adds because he was so sick for so long he became very weak – due to muscle wasting joint pain and severe back pain – and was not able to stand up on his own it took a lot of work managing his pain before our rehabilitative service could work with him eventually with a lot of persistence from his owners our icu nurses and our entire hospital staff (internal medicine neurology orthopedics anesthesia/analgesia for pain consultation and cardiology) were able to control his pain enough to start working with him on the water treadmill he is now able to walk
even though his disease is currently well under control he will need to be on antibiotics for a while
jack was very sick and not every family would have been able to push through this says kvitko fortunately his owners had the will to go forward and things have turned out very well
mary resided in a local hotel for the full seven weeks of jacks treatment while doug traveled back and forth from belize to come to mary and jacks side together they were able to be supportive of jack during the whole process
this entire journey has been such a rollercoaster for us says mary he was very sick and now we are eternally grateful for dr kvitko and the rest of the staffs hard work to save his life he can now go back home to be with his brothers and sister and enjoy his favorite pastime – diving into the ocean for conch shells
the moment was bittersweet as kvitko said goodbye to mary and jack when he was released from the vmth on april 4 however the clinicians and staff have something to look forward to when jack returns in six months for his follow-up

by maggie kiely
maggiekiely@theeaglecom
when texas a&m regents professor bob strawser and his wife carol found a dog on new years day lying motionless in a median near the intersection of osr and texas 6 there was no discussion of whether to stop or not
the strawsers are veterans when it comes to animal rescue on their ranch in robertson county they have 10 dogs two goats six cats and one horse all of which are rescued
» continue reading on the eagles website
the american bison is an iconic species that conjures up visions of the wide-open prairies characteristic of the wild west the spirit of this amazing animal lives on at yellowstone national park home to one of the few populations of bison known to have continually persisted on their current landscape since pre-columbian times
the numbers of bison in the yellowstone herd has fluctuated from less than 100 individuals to more than 3000 but even more amazing than the growing numbers are the genetic secrets these gentle giants continue to reveal about their past that will help to determine their future
a recent study conducted by researchers at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and their collaborators presented in the most recent issue of the journal of heredity has highlighted the use of modern biotechnology to better understand the natural forces that influence wildlife populations
in the course of conducting conservation genetics studies of the yellowstone herd we discovered that the herd is really separated into two distinct subpopulations said james derr professor in the veterinary pathobiology department at the cvm these two subpopulations have shown genetic differentiation usually seen in populations that have been geographically separated for more than 40 years in addition we were also able to identify critical differences in migration patterns between the two subpopulations
the improved ability to study the genetics of animals in the wild through advances in technology is crucial for wildlife conservation efforts for any species the environment plays a significant role in the nutrition reproduction habits and genetic diversity within a species – all of which can determine the successful survival of that species
the technology available today allows us to discover previously unknown but crucially important factors such as cryptic population subdivision said natalie halbert collaborator on the study knowledge this detailed provides the opportunity for us to better manage our natural resources and ensure effective stewardship of these resources for long term species conservation
from the beginning of the study the research team planned to document genetic diversity migration histories and genetic integrity of the bison in this important national herd
finding two genetically distinct yellowstone bison subpopulations was unexpected said peter gogan united states geological survey but the findings are consistent with what we have learned about the location of the bison subpopulations during the rut and other components of bison demographics including differences in tooth wear timing of calving and even survival and reproductive rates all of this information seems to indicate that these two bison subpopulations have existed for quite some time possibly back to the reestablishment of this herd in the early 1900s
this new information that there are two genetically distinct populations coexisting geographically in yellowstone provides an important tool in assisting future population management of this herd and for ensuring the continued success of the american bison
houston – a new immunotherapy treatment for companion dogs with advanced-stage non-hodgkin lymphoma (nhl) has been shown to improve survival while maintaining quality of life according to a study published in the journal scientific reports the study resulted from a collaboration between the university of texas md anderson childrens cancer hospital in houston and texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine in college station
using a t-cell therapy developed at md anderson childrens cancer hospital veterinarians from texas a&m saw a nearly four-fold improvement in tumor-free survival compared to dogs who received only chemotherapy the median tumor-free survival for the texas-based dogs increased by close to nine months which is roughly equivalent to seven years in a human life span
nhl is one of the most common cancers in dogs according to texas a&m veterinarians although standard chemotherapy treatment can achieve remission it is rarely a curative treatment for non-hodgkin lymphoma with the dogs two-year survival rate remaining less than 20 percent when investigators from md anderson and texas a&m met they explored the feasibility of administering t cells to improve survival
we followed the same rigid standards that we practice for human clinical trials at md anderson to ensure the safety of each dog said laurence cooper md phd professor and section chief of cell therapy at the childrens hospital and senior investigator on the study while these pets are benefiting from the t-cell infusions this collaboration with texas a&m is a driving force for undertaking similar clinical trials in humans
to accomplish the t-cell therapy researchers took a sample of peripheral blood from each dog entering the study then the t cells were separated and expanded in coopers laboratory over several weeks as the t cells grew at md anderson the dogs received a chemotherapy regimen treatment at texas a&m similar to what humans with non-hodgkin lymphoma receive a combination of cyclophosphamide vincristine doxorubicin and prednisone the t cells were then given back intravenously after the chemotherapy to improve the anti-tumor effects
the therapy was well tolerated in all dogs who received the infusions we saw fewer side effects than with traditional chemotherapy and the pet owners were please with how their dogs tolerated the protocol said heather wilson-robles dvm dacvim(oncology) assistant professor at texas a&m the owners were also very pleased to be supporting research that may further enhance cancer therapy in humans and pets with cancer
treating dogs with cancer provides us with a great comparative oncology model for humans said colleen oconnor phd post-doctoral fellow at md anderson and one of the primary investigators on the study we learned important details about the interaction between chemotherapy and tumor cells that can be harnessed to improve the bodys immune response this is something we hadnt appreciated thus far from our clinical research in humans
from the trial investigators found that:
overall the study further affirmed the ability to use the bodys own immune cells such as t cells to fight cancer as a result md anderson and texas a&m collaborators are creating a program focusing on harvesting and expanding t cells at a large scale for broad clinical use
investigators at both institutions are working to open a new trial that will infuse genetically modified t cells that are tumor specific and potentially even more effective against the canine cancer cells
other contributors to the scientific reports study include sabina sheppard and mark johnson from texas a&m and cassie hartline helen huls shana palla sourindra maiti wencai ma eric davis suzanne craig dean lee and richard champlin from md anderson
the university of texas md anderson cancer center in houston ranks as one of the worlds most respected centers focused on cancer patient care research education and prevention md anderson is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the national cancer institute for eight of the past 10 years including 2011 md anderson has ranked no 1 in cancer care in best hospitals a survey published annually in us news & world report
the university of texas md anderson childrens cancer hospital has been serving children adolescents and young adults for more than 65 years in addition to the groundbreaking research and quality of treatment available to pediatric patients the childrens cancer hospital provides comprehensive programs that help children lead more normal lives during and after treatment for further information visit the childrens cancer hospital web site at wwwmdandersonorg/children get md anderson news via rss follow md anderson news on twitter
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine (cvm) is an institution that represents more than 95 years of growth from a small school of veterinary medicine in 1916 to its present role as a major veterinary educational medical and research center through years of maturation and expansion an institution emerged that has proudly produced some of the nations best practicing veterinarians who work to improve animal public and environmental health the texas a&m cvm continues to lead the nation in improving the quality of life for animals through excellence in education research and service get texas a&m college of veterinary medicine news via rss follow texas a&m college of veterinary medicine on facebook
contact information:angela g clendenindirector communications & public relationsoffice – (979) 862-2675cell – (979) 739-5718
groundbreaking partnership between academia and industry aims to provide an unparalleled online learning experience to help meet the needs of an evolving veterinary profession
western veterinary conference las vegas nv february 2012 – cornell university college of veterinary medicine and texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences have announced today a groundbreaking partnership with pfizer animal health this unique partnership between academia and industry will deliver the universities expertise in medicine and teaching supported by pfizer animal healths information delivery and customer service know-how together the partnership will offer veterinarians convenient web-based educational products utilizing the latest advances in educational technologies
practicing veterinarians need access to high quality educational opportunities throughout their career since the knowledge base that drives veterinary medicine continues to evolve after professionals have earned their degree the partnership between cornell texas a&m and pfizer animal health will seek to transform the learning process providing practitioners with unique opportunities to stay current with the latest discoveries in veterinary medicine hone in their clinical skills incorporate current medical advances into decisions that affect patient care and build more profitable practices this collaboration will leverage technology to ensure convenient round-the-clock access to these educational opportunities
this partnership will utilize advanced technology to make high quality lifelong learning more accessible to veterinarians the educational platform will allow practitioners and students to learn in an online environment that is interactive experiential and flexes to accommodate different styles of learning
it is not very often in ones academic lifetime that an opportunity arises which if pursued allows substantial change in our profession i believe this partnership is just one of those opportunities in the truest sense of collaboration two colleges of veterinary medicine and pfizer animal health are developing a unique public-private partnership that will revolutionize education and learning a distinguishing factor that will set this educational content apart is that the academic partners are providing not only subject matter expertise and peer review but also pedagogical expertise which will result in transformative learning experiences the excitement in the air on the texas a&m campus is palpable and we are looking forward not only to working with cornell university but also to including content experts from other veterinary institutions said eleanor m green dvm dacvim dabvp carl b king dean of veterinary medicine texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
ultimately the goal is to support and bolster veterinarians in their pursuit of excellence and improve the quality of animal care said dr michael i kotlikoff austin o hooey dean of veterinary medicine at cornell university this state-of-the-art learning environment will encourage innovation and flexibility in the profession while meeting the needs of all those involved by aligning the abilities of the veterinarian with their clients and patients needs and responding to an identified need among practice owners to maintain their skills improve their approach to practice management and continually develop their professional knowledge
at pfizer animal health we are proud to be part of this groundbreaking partnership with cornell and texas a&m which will allow us to offer exciting opportunities for veterinarians to access world-class learning that will be highly relevant and immediately applicable to their practices produced by undisputed leaders in their scientific fields and delivered in an exciting technology platform this is just another example of our ongoing commitment to education innovation and professional readiness for veterinarians and this partnership is just the vehicle to ensure sustained development and delivery of top quality unbiased science-based education said michael mcfarland dvm dabvp group director companion animal veterinary operations us pfizer animal health
pfizer animal health a business unit of pfizer inc is a world leader in the discovery development and manufacture of innovative animal health vaccines medicines and diagnostics pfizer animal health invests more in research and development that any other animal health company we work to assure a safe sustainable global food supply from healthy beef and dairy cattle pigs poultry and fish while helping dogs cats and horses live healthier longer lives to learn more visit wwwpfizeranimalhealthcom
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences was established nearly a century ago to serve the needs of the texas livestock industry today it serves the largest livestock industry in the us in addition to protecting the health of all animals people and the environment in the second most populous state it is an innovative leader in veterinary medical education recognized for graduating top quality practice ready veterinarians from texas a&m university which is the seventh largest university in the nation and a top 20 tier one research institution
cornell universitys college of veterinary medicine is recognized internationally as a leader in public health biomedical research animal medicine and veterinary medical education ranked the number one veterinary college in the nation by us news & world report consistently since 2000 the colleges strength is due to the strategic breadth and depth of its programs to the expertise of its faculty and to the achievements of its alumni cornell awarded the first veterinary degree in the united states to daniel salmon best known for discovering salmonella and again made history in 1910 when it awarded the first american woman with a veterinary degree
at pfizer we apply science and our global resources to improve health and well-being at every stage of life we strive to set the standard for quality safety and value in the discovery development and manufacturing of medicines for people and animals our diversified global health care portfolio includes human and animal biologic and small molecule medicines and vaccines as well as nutritional products and many of the worlds best-known consumer products every day pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness prevention treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time consistent with our responsibility as the worlds leading biopharmaceutical company we also collaborate with health care providers governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable affordable health care around the world for more than 150 years pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us to learn more about our commitments please visit us at wwwpfizercom
for texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences:
angela clendenin director of public relations voice: 9798622675
for cornell universitys college of veterinary medicine:
stephanie a specchio voice: 607-253-3369 e-mail address: sas6@cornelledu
for pfizer animal health:
rebecca cisek senior director us communications voice: 9736605565 e-mail address: rebeccacisek@pfizercom
college station tx – a truly american horse breed the american quarter horse first came to being in the early colonial era in america and in a study recently reported in the journal bmc genomics researchers at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) working with collaborators in the texas a&m college of agriculture and life sciences and the agrilife genomics and bioinformatics center have sequenced the first quarter horse genome – unlocking the secrets of what makes this breed so unique
genome sequencing is not a new science but advances in sequencing technology often referred to as next-generation sequencing have made it easier and cheaper to sequence the genome of an individual which can then be analyzed for clues causing genetic disorders and distinctive traits the texas a&m quarter horse is the first horse to be sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology
genome sequencing aids our study of normal and abnormal genetic variation said dr scott dindot assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm this project is important because it is a start towards understanding what genetic factors make breeds unique and what mutations may play a role in presenting or diagnosing disease
dr noah cohen professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences in the cvm and collaborator in the study underscored the importance of the role genetic variation plays in the disease process
this study represents a valuable contribution to our understanding of genetic variation in horses said cohen including efforts to study the relationship between genetic variation and susceptibility to important diseases in quarter horses and other breeds
the first horse genome to be sequenced and assembled a thoroughbred mare was completed by a large international consortium this reference assembly was used to map the quarter horse genome and to identify differences in genetic information between the two horses the sequence data from the project has been made available publicly for researchers interested in equine genetics
the horse used in the study a mare named sugar is the descendant of key foundation sires in the quarter horse breed added dindot we were able to identify several genetic variants in this mare both good and bad known to be common among quarter horses results from this study have increased our knowledge of genetic variation in horses three- to four-fold and proved that through collaborations such as this we can one day apply this state-of-the-art technology to identify and possibly to manage genetic disorders not only in horses but also in other species
the genome sequence of a quarter horse has a the potential to have a tremendous impact on the equine industry as the american quarter horse association represents the largest breed registry in the united states the information from this study may lead to improvements in performance in horses and facilitate the management of health of horses everywhere
many diseases and ‘syndromes are the result of genetic variation said dr jason sawyer texas agrilife research scientist and associate professor of animal science perhaps more importantly the ability to combat infectious diseases may be greatly impacted by the underlying genome and the variation that arises during recombination this study has identified areas of variation that may play a role in the health and disease resistance of horses while more research must be done to specifically identify desirable and beneficial variants this study has set the stage to enable those future studies
funding for the study was provided by the g willard and ginger pool equine teaching and research endowment the link equine research endowment texas a&m agrilife research texas a&m department of animal science and the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm
two hundred and fifty veterinary students from all over the nation braved the chilly morning of january 21 2012 to participate in one of the largest technical skills labs in the nation for seventeen years the student chapter of the american association of equine practitioners (scaaep) has hosted a workshop at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) to provide hands-on training that participants cant get elsewhere
with the help of students faculty and staff volunteers the cvm scaeep was able to accommodate 18 veterinary schools half of the participants came from out-of-state veterinary schools with the furthest distance being washington state university (over 2 000 miles away)
two labs were added to this years lineup making the total number of hands-on labs 23
we added a splinting lab this year which covered basic splinting techniques and scenarios when splints should and shouldnt be used said teresa meier scaeep 2012 technical skills lab coordinator students were able to practice applying splints and casts and then were able to remove the casts with a cast saw to gain experience in how a cast saw handles we also split the lameness lab into two labs introduction to lameness and advanced lameness which allowed students to hone their individual ability
each lab in the workshop is funded by national and local sponsors every sponsor gets the opportunity to contribute to the job fair which is open to the participants after the activities are complete boehringer ingelheim sponsored t-shirts allowing more students the opportunity to purchase them at a lower price pfizer sponsored a lunch for the students while they enjoyed a keynote speech by dr bo brock of brock veterinary clinic in lamesa texas participants also got the opportunity to experience what the social life is like for cvm veterinary students during night out at northgate sponsored by platinum performance
an event of this size takes a large amount of planning and coordinating for months prior to the event and i cannot thank the students that spent many early mornings in meetings enough said meier i also have to say thank you to the students who volunteered their time the day of the lab to assist instructors and make sure that it ran smoothly
the technical skills lab was a success again this year and it has been a privilege to put this event on for veterinary students across the country said meier im looking forward to the lab next year as the students who are planning the event have worked hard this year and developed some great ideas to try and reach more students

college station texas – the texas a&m university system board of regents approved the addition of a $120 million classroom building and small animal hospital expansion project to the systems capital plan today in their meeting in corpus christi texas the capital project represents a major expansion for the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
the new building will house state-of-the-art classroom and teaching laboratory space that will enhance the learning environment for students combined with the expansion of the small animal hospital the new facilities will provide opportunities for innovations in teaching and will nurture collaboration and creativity in addition they are expected to be a notable factor in recruiting the best faculty staff and students
our goal is to build a premier teaching and research facility that complements our world-class faculty in the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and the far-ranging impact they have on both animal and human health said texas a&m president r bowen loftin at this point the building will be one of the largest construction projects in the history of the university which speaks volumes about the importance veterinary medicine plays in our states economy as well as in our daily lives
site visits from the american veterinary medical association council on education and texas a&m administrators noted the need for improvements in the colleges teaching facilities especially to keep pace with the dynamic growth in the veterinary profession
the new facility represents a tremendous opportunity to bring the latest in teaching technology to the cvm and to texas a&m university said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine we are very excited that the board of regents and the administration of texas a&m university have decided to invest in the future of our college our faculty and our students the impact of having state-of-the-art teaching and clinical facilities will be felt not only by those who receive their education here in the future but also by those that we serve
the $120 million needed for completion of both facilities will be funded solely from the permanent university fund (puf) which was established in the texas constitution of 1876 as a public endowment contributing to the support of the institutions of the texas a&m and university of texas systems
now that the new facilities have been added to the capital plan the administrative team of the cvm will begin the planning and design process with a completion date to be predicted in the near future
in 2016 we will be celebrating our 100th anniversary said green it would be outstanding if we were able to step into our new facilities as we step into a new century

the human body has the amazing ability to respond to disease and trauma by growing new blood vessels that in turn supply injured or diseased tissues with increased amounts of oxygen and nutrients in some cases such as with cancer malignant cells can actually hijack this process and force the growth of new blood vessels to feed a tumor many therapies and treatments currently in practice attempt to destroy these new blood vessels in hopes of starving the invading cells
new research funded by the american heart association and conducted by dr gonzalo rivera assistant professor in veterinary pathobiology at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences aims to understand the formation of new blood vessels (called angiogenesis) with the hope to discover ways to prevent their growth before it happens
our laboratory focuses on cellular physiology with particular emphasis on the processes that determine cell shape movement and invasion said rivera these are fundamental aspects in development and disease that are dependent on changes in the cytoskeleton a meshwork composed of many copies of building blocks that fit together – just like the legos blocks that children play with – to form cellular structures and appendages that aid in movement while we address fundamental questions concerning the biology of the cytoskeleton we also strive to instill a translational character to our research – the applicability of new knowledge to the better understanding of disease progression and potential cures as such our long-term goal is to understand the role of the cytoskeleton in biomedically relevant phenomena including angiogenesis and tumor progression and metastasis
research in the rivera lab relies on a variety of tools and techniques ranging from molecular and cellular biology to proteomics (which combines molecular genetics and biochemistry to investigate protein function at the cell level) to high-resolution optical microscopy riveras team is able to combine these techniques to better observe cell movement and growth
using these approaches and with the support of this new grant from the american heart association we will address the outstanding critical issues of how endothelial cells (cells lining our blood vessels) integrate multiple clues from the surrounding tissues and translate them into internal biochemical signals; and how cytoskeletal changes induced by the these biochemical signals influence vascular formation and organization notes rivera
the results from this research will expand the knowledge that researchers have about how the body responds to trauma and disease at the cellular level providing new opportunities to develop therapies for diseases such as cancer diabetes and traumatic injury dr rivera credits the success in securing these funds to the hard work and dedication of team members dr sankar p chaki (postdoctoral research associate) and ms rajeswhari yog (research assistant) as well as the highly supportive environment of the cvm and particularly the department of pathobiology and the image analysis laboratory
cutline for above photo: dr gonzalo rivera (center) is assisted in his lab by dr sankar p chaki (postdoctoral research associate right) and ms rajeswhari yog (research assistant left) in investigating the role of cytoskeletal proteins in the development and function of blood vessels in the hopes that the answers they find can one day be used to fight diseases like cancer and traumatic injury
cohen an expert in epidemiology and equine infectious disease has presented numerous lectures nationally and internationally on applying principles of epidemiology the branch of medical science concerned with the occurrence transmission and control of diseases to specific areas of equine practice including racing injuries gastrointestinal disease evidence-based medicine and infectious disease
when most practitioners think about epidemiology and research they have the traditional view that epidemiology is about public health and outbreak investigations said cohen however using methods from this scientific discipline is something that practitioners strive to do every day in their practice
veterinarians use the principles of evidence-based medicine when they determine a particular diagnosis for their client as well as what an appropriate treatment plan would be the science foundation behind evidence-based medicine is epidemiology
as a veterinarian states cohen the most important information i have in the best treatment plan for a particular disease comes from studying cases with the same disease as an example if i see a patient with equine pneumonia everything i know about the best treatments comes from studying how effective various treatment options have worked or not worked in other patients with equine pneumonia
additionally cohen addressed the concept of cumulative learning
at every turn every day said cohen what i learn is based on what i have learned from other patients examinations are given additional context by what we have seen in previous cases so while we may actually be examining an individual patient in a clinic how a veterinarian proceeds with diagnosing and treating the disease or injury is based on a population approach
cohen pointed out that much of what is practiced in veterinary medicine came from conclusions drawn from research studies for this reason it is important for veterinarians to have a healthy appreciation for epidemiological research methods-to understand the strengths and limitations of studies so that they can have confidence in the conclusions they choose to incorporate into their practice
i was truly honored to have the opportunity to address the members of the aaep at the convention this year said cohen while it was my hope to share something meaningful with them and give them a new appreciation for interpreting research findings and putting them into practice i found that i too was able to learn from this experience
in preparing for his presentation cohen enlisted assistance from two colleagues – fellow veterinarians bo brock a practitioner in lamesa tx and jim moore a faculty member at the university of georgia college of veterinary medicine
both of these gentlemen helped me to develop my presentation by suggesting content and helping with some illustrative graphic elements said cohen i found that they inspired me encouraged me and challenged me with my presentation skills it was a learning experience for me about teaching i learned new presentation techniques in preparing for this lecture that will benefit my students in the classroom
having returned back to the cvm from giving this distinguished lecture cohen will now begin work on a study investigating laminitis an inflammation of horses hooves that has been funded by financial support from the aaep foundation
college station texas – in recognition of the final time that the texas a&m aggies and the iowa state cyclones will meet on the football field as conference rivals dean eleanor green the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and dr lisa nolan the dr stephen g juelsgaard dean of veterinary medicine at the iowa state university college of veterinary medicine decided to take the rivalry from the gridiron to the grill with an exchange of specially packaged meats from their respective states
not only is this an opportunity to highlight the final match-up in conference play between our two schools noted green its also a fun way to acknowledge each states unique flavors and underscores the role that veterinary medicine plays in our nations food supply iowa is as well known for its place in the pork industry as texas is for beef production these industries are important factors in each states economy and veterinarians trained at our institutions play a key role in ensuring the safety of pork and beef production i look forward to watching the game and cheering on the aggies but will also appreciate the friendships and collaborations that will continue between our two schools long after the game is over
for saturdays tailgating activity dean green will be serving prime iowa bacon and baby back ribs sent by dean nolan and donated by webster city custom meats inc webster city iowa while the iowa state cvm head will be grilling up texas beef steaks cut and prepared by the texas a&m university rosenthal meat science center
its great to enjoy a friendly rivalry with the texas a & m college of veterinary medicine we have two great schools; two great gifts; and all of us will be eating well while we tailgate said dr lisa k nolan dr stephen g juelsgaard dean of veterinary medicine
so as the final fight between these two conference foes plays out on the field their truly is no beef between the schools as they enjoy their own version of the pigskin contest off the gridiron and on the grill
international team led by texas a&m and uc riverside provides robust molecular phylogeny for mammalian families
college station texas -an international research team led by researchers at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and university of california riverside (ucr) has released for the first time a large and robust dna matrix that has representation for 99 percent of mammalian families and covers the deepest divergences among all living mammals
our study a collaboration led by researchers at texas a&m university and the university of california riverside together with members of several international institutions represents the culmination of a five year project aimed at using large genetic datasets to better understand the evolutionary history of mammalian families and genera said william murphy associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the cvm who co-led the research project with mark springer professor of biology at ucr our findings now clarify how mammals should be properly classified and provides us with a better understanding of the environmental and ecological basis for why mammals diversify and a proper comparative and temporal framework for understanding the genetic changes that have led to their remarkably diversity in size and form
phylogeny is the history of organismal lineages as they change through time a vast evolutionary tree called the tree of life represents the phylogeny of organisms the genealogical relationships of all living things
as most introductory biology textbooks will show organisms are biologically classified according to a hierarchical system characterized by seven main taxonomic ranks: kingdom phylum or division class order family genus species for example humans are known taxonomically as homo sapiens their genus is homo the family is hominidae the order is primates and the class is mammalia
to estimate when different mammal groups split we used a ‘relaxed clock approach which allows rates of dna to change across the tree of mammals said murphy to produce reliable estimates requires that we have access to a large collection of well established fossil constraints to estimate rates of changes on different branches of the tree and then we can convert the tree of relationships into a time tree in which the branches are scaled in proportion to time this time tree allows us to examine when different groups of mammals originated and diversified and then associate factors which might have been responsible for these diversification events
study results appear in the september 22 issue of science express
our phylogeny underpinned by a large number of genes sets the stage for us to understand how the different mammalian species are related to each other springer said that will help us understand when these species diverged from each other it will allow us to look for taxonomic rates of increase or decrease over time in different groups in various parts of the world so that we can understand these diversification rate changes in relationship to important events in earths history – such as the diversification of flowering plants and changes associated with climatic events researchers routinely make use of phylogenies in diverse fields such as ecology physiology and biogeography and the new phylogeny for mammalian families provides a more accurate framework for these studies
when you understand how taxa are related to each other springer added you can start to understand which changes at the genome level underpin key morphological changes associated with say flight and echolocation in bats or loss of teeth in toothless mammals in other words you can pinpoint key molecular changes that are associated with key morphological changes this would be extremely difficult if not altogether impossible without the kind of robust molecular phylogeny we have developed
the research team looked for spikes in the diversification history of mammals and used an algorithm to determine whether the rate of diversification was constant over time or whether there were distinct pulses of rate increases or decreases
for example we observed a distinct pulse of diversification when most of the mammalian orders began splitting from one another near the end of the cretaceous terrestrial revolutions when flowering plants and insects diversified and also at a time when sea levels changed and continental boundaries became reorganized said murphy
murphy and colleagues also detected a second spike in the diversification history of mammals at the end of the cretaceous – 655 million years ago when dinosaurs other large terrestrial vertebrates and many marine organisms went extinct opening up a vast ecological space
we also found evidence that the cretaceous-tertiary mass extinction which occurred 655 million years ago (mya) and was responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs other large terrestrial vertebrates and many marine organisms also promoted diversification of mammals into their larger and more specialized modern forms by filling the ecological void left by the organisms that went extinct murphy highlighted
the research team also reports that their results contradict the delayed rise of present-day mammals hypothesis according to this hypothesis introduced by a team of scientists in a 2007 research paper the ancestors of living mammals underwent a pulse of diversification around 50 million years ago possibly in response to the extinction of archaic mammals that went extinct at the end of the paleocene (around 56 million years ago) the earlier extinction event around 655 million years ago which resulted in the demise of the dinosaurs had no effect on the diversification of the ancestors of extant mammals according to the 2007 research paper
our results contradict findings of an earlier study published in 2007 which claimed the rise of modern mammals was somehow delayed until around 50 maya presumably in response to the extinction of a group of archaic mammals our study finds no evidence for such a delay and validates a role for the cretaceous-tertiary mass extinction in the diversification of modern orders of mammals murphy said
the researchers stress that their time tree is a work in progress in the next two years they expect to construct a supermatrix also based on gene sequences and include the majority of living mammalian species the current work incorporates 164 mammalian species
this study is the beginning of a larger plan to use large molecular data sets and sophisticated techniques for dating and estimating rates of diversification to resolve much larger portions of the mammalian tree ultimately including all described species as well as those that have gone recently extinct or for which only museum material may be available said murphy only then can we really begin to understand the role of the environment and events in earth history in promoting the generation of living biodiversity this phylogeny also serves as a framework to understand the history of the unique changes in the genome that underlie the vast morphological diversity observed in the more than 5400 living species of mammals
murphy and springer were joined in the study by researchers at ucr; the san diego zoos institute for conservation research calif; university college dublin ireland; pucrs brazil; eidgenössiche technische hochschule zurich switzerland; uc berkeley; pepperdine university calif; american museum of natural history ny; university of stellenbosch south africa; chaffey college calif; latrobe university australia; and washington and lee university virginia
jan e janecka research assistant professor in genomics and colleen fisher texas a&m graduate student in murphys research group performed the bulk of the lab work at texas a&m the ucr researchers include john gatesy an associate professor of biology; robert meredith a postdoctoral researcher and the first author of the research paper; angela burk-herrick a former postdoctoral researcher; and nadia a ayoub a former postdoctoral researcher
murphys and springers labs were supported by grants from the national science foundation
the student chapter of the american veterinary medical association (scavma) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences (cvm) is organizing a low cost vaccination clinic on oct 1 2011 in honor of world rabies day the event will be held from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at saint francis church located at 1101 rock prairie road
this event takes place every year and is held in conjunction with saint francis fest at the saint francis episcopal church vaccinations are given out on a first come first served basis the cost is $10 and will include a free health examination performed by your very own future aggie veterinarians under the supervision of a faculty clinician
world rabies day is a global effort to raise awareness in support of animal and human rabies prevention this day was set aside to educate people around the globe about the impact of rabies how it can be prevented and how to eliminate the sources that contribute to the death of 55 000 humans from rabies worldwide
the student avma chapter at texas a&m currently has 100 percent student membership the scavmas goals for this event are twofold: first scavma would like to vaccinate up to 300 dogs or cats in bryan/college station for rabies to protect both the animals and the people of the community second the students aim to educate the public about basic animal health topics such as vaccination protocols heartworm disease and the advantages of spaying or neutering your pet
come out to keep your pet healthy and participate in the many other pet and family friendly activities at saint francis fest!
the texas a&m veterinary students staffed a booth throughout the show where they answered questions about the colleges various programs in feline medicine and discussed careers in veterinary medicine with aspiring veterinarians and their parents in addition to the veterinary students contribution this year the department of small animal clinical sciences and the development office at the cvm co-sponsored a show ring
lauren castilla third year veterinary student and president of scaafp led the efforts at the cat show
our main purpose at the houston cat show was to show support for the local community of cat owners breeders and shelters as well as to promote the college of veterinary medicines dedication and commitment to feline health castilla explains we let the public know about our feline internal medicine residency the aggie feral cat alliance of texas (afcat) and the stevenson companion animal life-care center members of our organization were there to answer questions about our hospital services veterinary program and current research endeavors
castilla learned a lot from her participation in the cat show this year taking on this leadership role she was able to talk with cat owners and to learn more about her field of interest
it was exciting to talk with breeders and expand my knowledge about the unique breeds that were present castilla notes i enjoyed having owners share their cat experiences with us and every person had a wonderful story to tell
the cat show not only educates the public on the current efforts of the feline industry but it initiates conversations among feline enthusiasts to think about the possible future of the industry
i am so excited for what the future holds for feline medicine castilla says it is so great to see the field growing with more abvp [american board of veterinary practitioners] diplomates and the increasing popularity of feline specialty clinics the college of veterinary medicine is giving us a great foundation in feline medicine and it just opens us up to so many more opportunities after graduation
our students did a great job representing the college at this years cat show august adds by having a presence and being available to the concerned cat owners we are able to visibly demonstrate the cvms commitment to feline health and education
scaafp is one of 16 texas a&m scavma (student chapters of the avma) – sponsored organizations at the cvm scaafps involvement represents the type of active roles veterinary students take in organizations at the cvm this participation leads to better learning experiences inside and outside of the classroom creating better prepared professionals after graduation
picture identification: from left to right will floyd lauren castilla tamie hunt and erin braley
as more area becomes accessible to responders in bastrop county the number of animals arriving at the veterinary emergency team triage center continues to increase beginning last night and continuing this morning vet members are working to expand the size of their operational base to accommodate the animals that are brought in by animal control officials

we are still seeing a large number of domestic animals such as dogs cats and horses said dr wesley bissett assistant professor of large animal clinical sciences and director of the vet we have also seen some livestock and are beginning to see some small wild animals
bissett noted that due to the location of this wildfire and the area that it is affecting the team has been prepared to see all kinds of animals and provide triage services so that these animals can better receive the treatment and shelter they need
it has been a true team effort in dealing with the animal side of this response effort said bissett it is a distinct pleasure for our team of faculty staff and students to be able to work alongside such experienced and professional teams from the texas department of emergency management the texas animal health commission texas task force-1 the travis county animal control team and the bastrop county sherrifs office as well as the livestock control officers of bastrop county we are glad that we are able to support their efforts through our service
as the battle to contain the bastrop county wildfire continues bissett and the members of the vet will continue evaluating and assessing the needs of not only the animals in the area but the needs of vet members with decisions potentially being made on the need to expand the size of the team and/or to rotate members into and out of the area
college station texas – after an initial assessment yesterday with texas animal health commission officials members of the veterinary emergency team returned to texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences to bring in additional personnel and equipment to respond to the urgent needs of animal injuries in the wake of the bastrop wildfire

it was busier today said dr wesley bissett professor of large animal clinical sciences and director of the vet we saw a number of animals both large and small and primarily burn injuries weve been performing triage on these rescued pets and livestock with those that needed no further treatment transported to shelters in the area while those that needed additional care were sent to local practitioners in the area
currently there is a 13-member team comprised of faculty staff and students active in the response effort working out of the vet surgical trailer that is also set up for triage and examinations the vet continues to see injured animals brought out of the affected area in addition to continued support of texas task force-1 by performing end of operations evaluations on their search and rescue dogs dealing with any injuries they may have incurred
it is a privilege to work with such a knowledgeable and dedicated group said bissett the members of ttf-1 have been great to work with in addition the bastrop community has done an amazing job in a tragic situation this is particularly the case with the local veterinarians in the area they have been available to their communities animals and have done an incredible job this has truly been a great team effort by all who have responded to meet the needs of not only the people affected by this wildfire but also the animals
tonight the vet will work to set up a larger base of operations for both the members supporting ttf-1 and those that are responding to injured animals brought in from the affected area this move will prepare the team to deal with what is anticipated to be busier days ahead when more animals are discovered as the fire comes under control and animal control officials are able to reach other areas
college station texas – at the request of texas task force-1 (ttf-1) a component of the veterinary emergency team (vet) at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has deployed to the bastrop wildfires wednesday morning drs lisa howe and philippa sprake; veterinary technicians dana whitaker karin ponder and lessa block; and senior veterinary students john williams and jaci carriker joined ttf-1 to provide veterinary support for the task forces search and rescue dogs
in addition dr wesley bissett dr norberto espitia dr glennon mays and fourth year veterinary student josh shields traveled to the affected area to work with texas animal health commission to assess animal needs as a result of the wildfires
we have worked throughout the day to determine what the situation is with animals in the affected areas said bissett we have had the opportunity to work with local veterinarians in the area representatives from the texas department of emergency management and the team from the texas animal health commission to identify the most urgent needs for these animals and to develop an appropriate and coordinated response
from what was seen during todays assessment officials in bastrop are still working to determine just how many more members of the vet need to respond that answer could come as early as this evening but potentially thursday morning as first responders battle a wildfire that continues to consume large amounts of acreage in the bastrop area
the vet which was formally unveiled in 2010 is a team that consists of veterinary faculty veterinary technicians veterinary students and staff from the cvm that are deployable through official requests from the state in response to animals in disaster situations
the ocelot (leopardus pardalis) native to texas mexico central america and south america is similar in appearance to a domestic cat but slightly larger and with a beautiful coat comparable to that of the leopard or jaguar during the 20th century people precipitated the ocelots decline in texas by colonizing and removing their dense thorn-shrub habitat and taking advantage of their unique coat in the fur trade this led to ocelot eradication in many areas where they were once common without conservation efforts the ocelot may be wiped away from its native texas habitat and become extinct in texas
dr jan janecka a research assistant professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and strong supporter of conservation efforts for many exotic cats recently published a paper with the help of other researchers and scientists to understand the genetic diversity of ocelots and the reasons explaining their slow disappearance from texas the project generated a wealth of knowledge on the texas ocelot population that will be incorporated into effective conservation initiatives designed to help species recovery and lead to eventual ocelot population growth in their native environment
there are only two ocelot populations left in texas janecka explains over-harvest of the species and removal of habitat in the 1900s led to major population reductions today ocelots in texas are restricted to the lower rio grande valley and less than 80 remain between the two different populations although there may be a few additional cats in nearby areas
janecka adds ocelots prefer a dense brush habitat and they cannot move through large open land separating brush patches because of their shy nature dr michael tewes [coordinator of the feline research center and regents professor at the caesar kleberg wildlife research institute at texas a&m university – kingsville] and his students and colleagues have radio-collared ocelots for over 30 years to understand their ecology behavior and dispersal patterns over this period there has not been a single observed successful migration between the two populations in texas this is consistent with the genetic data that revealed complete isolation of these areas this complete isolation results in genetic erosion and inbreeding depression that compromises persistence of the ocelots
janeckas research was the result of several important collaborations between different institutions including texas a&m university (jan janecka rodney honeycutt william murphy and brian davis) caesar kleberg wildlife research institute texas a&m university-kingsville (mike tewes jan janecka aaron haines arturo caso david shindle) and us fish and wildlife service (linda laack)
the small population size the inability of ocelots to move through the fragmented habitat and loss of genetic diversity in texas all highlight that an initiative to help save the ocelots from extinction in texas is imperative the major players most important for ocelot conservation are the landowners whose ranches still have ocelot residing
credibility is the key to working with the ranchers and landowners of south texas tewes explains i have spent over 30 years cultivating dozens of relationships with these critical landowners and they realize that i am able to maintain confidentiality with them and the role they play for ocelot management
jan and his lab team work with dr randy deyoung [assistant professor and research scientist with the feline research center at the caesar kleberg wildlife research institute at texas a&m university – kingsville] and our molecular genetics lab to produce cutting-edge results and information critical in planning ocelot recovery tewes says we also provide the field research on ocelots and interface with the various ranchers while jan contributes the key analyses and interpretations of data that identify the directions we need to pursue in ocelot management
the research team is developing partnerships with government agencies including texas parks and wildlife and us fish and wildlife service to provide incentives for landowners to support conservation efforts they are also working closely with ranches to help initiate an education outreach program and an action plan for ocelot management
ocelot conservation is occurring on several fronts tewes explains i have formed a group of ranchers who are interested in learning about ocelot ecology or surveying for ocelots on their property the key to ocelot recovery will be private landowners who own most of the land occupied by ocelots we continue to document new ranches where ocelots occur a process fundamental to their recovery and we are monitoring their population size and change over different conditions such as drought eventually we believe it is important to augment the existing ocelot populations in texas in order to alleviate the problems associated with low genetic diversity identified in our collaborative research
this research indicates that the extinction rates in texas have exceeded the rate of colonization as populations have become reduced in abundance and distribution janecka and his team understand that the ocelot is an important part of the natural history of texas janecka hopes that with the research of his team the work of the caesar kleberg wildlife research institute and the cooperation of the landowners the ocelots majestic beauty will be visible for future texas generations to come

the veterinary enrichment camp at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) continues to make a profound impact on former and current attendees by offering a three and a half day program where participants interested in veterinary medicine can learn what life is like as a veterinary student at the cvm
the veterinary enrichment camp at the cvm has been an annual event for around 30 years it is open to students interested in the field of veterinary medicine who have completed their sophomore or junior year in high school the participants experience real-life student situations such as partaking in a rigorous admissions process living on-campus in a dorm and learning hands-on techniques in the veterinary medical teaching hospital
erin braley third year veterinary student at the cvm and adam ridenour second year veterinary student at the cvm both first generation aggies worked as counselors at the veterinary enrichment camp the week of july 25 because their attendance almost a decade ago proved to be the solidifying factor in pursuing a veterinary medicine career they wanted to provide the same positive experience they had in camp to prospective veterinary students
prior to attending camp i was terrified because i was not exposed to much in the veterinary field braley explains who attended camp before her junior year in high school in 2004 i knew i wanted to be a veterinarian and camp taught me a lot because we got a taste for what the veterinary field had to offer therefore the camp helped me gain confidence in my decision to pursue this career
braley went on to say the counselors really impacted my experience at a&m and the cvm this experience also prompted me to seek out mentorship opportunities because of the positive influence my veterinary enrichment camp counselors had on me
ridenour also attended veterinary enrichment camp the summer before his junior year in high school in 2002
the pinnacle of my experience at camp was when we got the chance to see behind-the-scenes of the small animal hospital ridenour says this opportunity exposed me to the cvm and the veterinary profession as well as texas a&m
i love working as a counselor because it is so refreshing to see myself through the attendees eyes as i was in their shoes a couple of years ago ridenour explains now i reflect on how i have changed and that i made my dream come true to pursue a career as a small animal veterinarian
dustin black a first time attendee to the veterinary enrichment camp will be a senior at bf terry high school in richmond texas this year his enthusiasm for veterinary medicine sparked in kindergarten and he has volunteered for veterinarians since he worked for a year to pay his way to veterinary enrichment camp because he was so determined to participate this year
this experience is amazing black says i know many students will never get this opportunity and so i am taking full advantage of what i am learning this week i am learning and working with doctors and veterinary students and doing things i never expected
black hopes to pursue a career as a rural veterinarian in texas the veterinary enrichment camp has not only confirmed his desire to become a veterinarian but it confirmed his desire to attend texas a&m as a biomedical sciences undergraduate in the cvm program
the journey came full circle for braley and ridenour and it is just the beginning for black the veterinary enrichment camp is about fostering enthusiasm and love for the veterinary profession it is a collaborative effort among the biomedical sciences department at the cvm texas a&m advisors and cvm veterinary students the efforts of this partnership go far beyond the week for the students because as in braley and ridenours cases it can last a lifetime
college station texas – with the recent name change from vici to vonn (meaning viking warrior) vonn has risen to the occasion and shown his warrior spirit during treatment at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) still covered in bandages from head to paw the hopeful six-month-old pit bull is doing all he can to survive after last weeks horrific incident
last week mother and son pit bulls esperanza and vonn were brought to the aggieland animal health center by a concerned citizen cristi wuthrich who found the dogs near her home with injuries indicative of severe abuse
this has been a huge eye opener for me wuthrich says i have never spent time around pit bulls before they had no reason to trust me but they did their sweetness makes me cry every time i think about what must have happened in their lives
it is clear that both esperanzas and vonns paths changed dramatically when cristi wuthrich intervened in their lives said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences my heartfelt thanks go out to her the veterinary teams who are providing the best of care for both dogs and to members of the community whose generosity has supported their care these personal donations have been essential
vonn is progressing very well dr james barr clinical assistant professor in emergency and critical care at the cvm explains for his general overall health he is very happy his wounds do need a lot of care with a positive attitude and appetite vonn is doing his part to ensure his progress continues the critical care team and soft tissue team are administering surgery once a day to remove excess dead skin from vonns body
barr explains that dr brooke smith veterinary resident instructor for critical care at the cvm is the quarterback for vonns case and dr katy fryer veterinary resident instructor for surgery at the cvm is in charge of vonns care for the soft tissue department during surgery
on wednesday august 24 smith reported vonn is swiftly becoming the mascot of the small animal clinic he knows his daily routine perfectly and leads us to the treatment room every morning for his daily wound care we found out that his new favorite food is scrambled eggs we think that is why he continues to be optimistic about his anesthesia because he knows he will get a home cooked breakfast after he wakes up
esperanza has been making progress every day dr barbara hannes veterinarian and owner of the aggieland animal health center explains as with any kind of trauma there are ups and downs in the healing process on tuesday august 23 we had a bump in the road because her albumin levels dropped to a level where plasma was needed however she is doing well today
hannes states esperanza has been eating well for us and that is exceptionally important for her healing process there are currently no signs of infection clinically or on her bloodwork and that is the thing most feared in any burn patient we had visiting hours for esperanza on monday and today this will be a long road to healing but she is traveling it well right now
esperanzas ailments were evident as she sustained extensive burns and bite marks across her body hannes and her team felt confident that they could treat esperanza in-house
vonn sustained more concentrated and deeper burns on his body possibly exposing him to deadly infections to give him the best chance at survival hannes enlisted the help of barr and his team to treat vonn
vonns burns were deeper than esperanzas and were going to require a full team of specialists and round the clock monitoring for his best chance at survival hannes says
hannes adds i want to extend our most sincere and heartfelt thanks and appreciation to every person who was involved in the process that allowed vonn to be admitted to the tamu small animal clinic as a good samaritan case
i hope that vonn and esperanza can continue to recover wuthrich expresses the aggieland animal health center and the veterinary medical teaching hospital at the cvm have all been amazing i hope that the dogs can find very loving appropriate homes and can continue to bring awareness to our community about this horrific ‘sport
if you would like to help with vonns recovery please send your donations to the capper & chris save the animals fund please visit vonns donation site at vetmedtamuedu/giving/vonn-and-esperanza the capper & chris save the animals fund provides financial assistance to pet owners who could not otherwise afford a lifesaving procedure for their animal especially those pets that might have to be euthanized due to prohibitive financial hardship to the family the fund created by mrs capper thompson was established as a memorial to chris stehouwer a texas a&m university student and animal lover who was killed in a tragic accident any funds raised in excess of the amount required for vonns treatment will remain in the capper & chris save the animals fund to aid in treatment for other animals whose owners cannot afford proper treatments
if you would like to help with esperanzas recovery please visit the aggieland animal health center in-person at 13223 fm 2154 road in college station texas you can also make a donation online at aggielandanimalhealthcentercom by following the rescue tab to the donate link
college station texas – the one health initiative is represented again at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) dr jonathan levine assistant professor in neurology at the cvm and his team were recently awarded a department of defense (dod) grant worth over $900 000 to develop non-invasive treatments and therapies for spinal cord injuries (sci) in dogs with the hope of translating results to humans with sci
levines study will focus on dogs with naturally occurring sci and will run from october 2011 until october 2014 levines prior sci research has focused on spinal cord imaging and biological molecules associated with injury with the help of this grant levine and his team hope to produce findings that may be more applicable to humans with sci compared to traditional models as dogs have similar injuries to humans
because these injuries happen naturally they are more diverse explained levine affected dogs are out in the environment theyre not all the same breed the injuries dont happen the same way so the diversity probably gives a little advantage exploring theories into the possible treatment of dogs and humans with sci
the dod was particularly interested in levines research because of the possible implications it may have on troops with sci not only is sci in humans physically debilitating it can be extremely draining on the wallet described as the second most costly injury a person who has sustained a sci at age twenty-five may incur anywhere from $729 000 to $32 million in expenses over a lifetime
along with cvm researchers dr sharon kerwin dr george lees and dr virginia fajt levine will partner with two researchers at the university of california san francisco: dr linda j noble-haeusslin professor with the department of neurological surgery and the department of physical therapy and rehabilitation science and dr tom lue professor and vice chair of urology
noble and her team are leading researchers in traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries said levine we are thrilled to have their expertise in working on this project
clinical trials for this grant will be performed on young to middle aged canines with canine thoracolumbar intervertebral disk herniation (ivdh) ivdh is a spontaneous disease that is very similar to acute sci in humans dachshunds represent about half of the cases
the grant comes at a good time for levine and his team as the cvm will soon unveil the new diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment center (dictc) the dictc will feature a 3 tesla mri which will help to advance levines research efforts through high resolution diagnostic imaging this state-of-the-art mri will produce these images much faster and the higher resolution images will make it easier to identify problems on the spinal cord with more precision than ever before
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station texas -dr william klemm professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was recently selected to be a sigma xi distinguished lecturer from july 1 2012 through june 30 2014 he will be invited to give presentations at sigma xi chapters around the nation covering three different topics: atoms of mind: the ghost in machine materializes what teachers can do to improve student learning and memory and better grades less effort all featured in his most recent books
i have several hopes for these presentations and i am grateful for the opportunity to present them in specialized forums at universities around the nation explains klemm i want to persuade researchers to investigate new avenues focusing on the human consciousness through my theories and ways to test the human conscious mind i also plan to give new insight to students and professors by teaching the students how to become better learners and by giving professors new options to teaching that can make learning easier to remember
aside from teaching writing and performing research; klemm is a retired colonel in the united states air force reserves he is also project director for educational outreach grants through the cvm to aid in teaching science concepts to middle school students and he provides professional development training for science teachers
college station texas – natalie c markey freelance writer and animal enthusiast recently wrote a book offering practical advice and hope to owners raising dogs with special disabilities entitled caring for your special needs dog this former pr practitioner hopes to give back to the pet industry by donating five percent of all of her book profits to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) small animal clinical sciences neurology service
markeys personal experience with a special needs pet started about two years ago when her adopted german shepherd – rhodesian ridgeback dog oscar experienced his first seizure at 1 year old she immediately contacted her veterinarians dr alison ivins and dr carole price of bear creek animal clinic in houston texas alumni of the cvm ivins and price helped to diagnose oscar with epilepsy and they educated markey and her husband on how to best prepare and deal with a special needs dog
im fortunate that i have a skill set where i can work from home notes markey since im with oscar all the time i began to find triggers for seizure episodes and began to find a way to prevent them i also figured out simple around the house things that anyone can do to improve their dogs quality of life as a writer i knew that i had to share this information i talked with other families and learned from their personal experiences of dealing with special needs dogs i didnt want the book to be about oscar but he is its inspiration i wanted to make a difference and i wanted this book to give any dog owner whose dog is diagnosed with a special needs condition hope
natalie is a very conscientious owner and she is very aware of the timing of oscars seizures explains ivins i feel this book will be a helpful resource for owners dealing with special needs pets as well as being an applicable tool for pet owners of all kinds who deal with various pet personalities
i knew before i wrote the first words in this book that i would give a percentage to charity says markey even though i now live in arkansas i liked the idea of supporting a texas-based institution but more importantly i respect the reputation of the cvm and i knew that my donation would be put to good use it is my plan as more money comes in to start a special foundation called: the oscar endowment for neurological research
im grateful for the support of the cvm notes markey i do not want owners to give up on their dogs because i cant imagine my life without my dog oscar my heart and cause will always be with dogs and i look forward to having a long relationship with the cvm
caring for your special needs dog was released on may 18 2011 and is available via e-book for $299 on amazon and barnes and noble
markey received a bachelor of arts in journalism/public relations and speech communications with minors in business development and event management from baylor university after working for several years in the pr and communications industries markey became a freelance writer full-time she has published over 500 articles in both local and national publications including her column: the special needs dog care examiner for the examinercom she also writes young adult and middle grade fiction she lives in arkansas with her husband daughter and oscar
college station texas – the burnett foundation recently awarded a $25 million challenge grant to the texas a&m foundation for the equine initiative in honor of dr glenn blodgett leader in equine veterinary medicine and a 2011 cvm distinguished alumnus establishing the glenn blodgett equine chair
this cornerstone gift will help support the equine initiative a collaboration between the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the college of agriculture and life science department of animal science at texas a&m university to establish the premiere equine program in the nation the equine initiative will utilize the expertise available at texas a&m to build an equine program that will graduate the industry leaders and generate research and veterinary medical care that will improve the equine industry and welfare of the horse the equine initiative is built on four major imperatives including; curriculum enhancement outreach and engagement expansion facility construction and partnership development
a 1974 graduate of the cvm blodgett has worked as a large animal veterinarian for more than 35 years throughout his veterinary career he has contributed to the horse industry in many areas particularly in equine embryo transfer and artificial insemination since 1982 blodgett has been the resident veterinarian and horse division manager for burnett ranches llc (6666 ranch) in guthrie texas under his leadership the ranch has consistently produced and developed some of the most highly recognized racing and western performance quarter horses worldwide earning the ranch numerous awards and distinctions from the american quarter horse association
i am truly honored and thankful to be recognized with a chair that bears my name and to help support such a distinguished program explains blodgett the burnett family has a rich heritage in the equine industry and this recent award to the equine initiative is another reminder of what the burnett foundation has done for the welfare of the horse i wish nothing but the best for my alma mater and i know that texas a&m has the knowledge and tools to house a premiere horse facility this grant will help to initiate and fulfill the hopes of the equine industry particularly at texas a&m
both dr glenn blodgett and the burnetts are icons in texas said dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine how special it is for the burnett foundation to honor dr blodgett in this meaningful way the glenn blodgett equine chair will contribute significantly to lasting excellence of the equine initiative at texas a&m in the number one equine state in the nation students for years to come will know of dr blodgett as a role model for equine veterinarians and as a quintessential horseman as they will know the generosity of the burnetts
this is a challenge gift meaning the burnett foundation has challenged us to raise an additional $25 million for the glenn blodgett equine chair explained dr jim heird executive professor and coordinator for the equine initiative we are thrilled to have a cornerstone gift honoring such a deserving friend of the program to kick off our fundraising efforts
if you would like to contribute to the glenn blodgett equine chair or any other program through the cvm please contact dr oj bubba woytek assistant vice president for development or dr guy a sheppard director of development in the development office at the cvm at 979-845-9043
college station texas – on may 11 two notable members of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) family dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine and dr william klemm professor of neuroscience and veterinary integrative biosciences were honored with the wilford s bailey distinguished alumni award from auburn universitys college of veterinary medicine each year auburn universitys college of veterinary medicine identifies three former graduates as wilford s bailey distinguished alumni in honor of their contributions to animal welfare to the veterinary profession and to their communities
as the first female dean in the cvms history green has been a trailblazer in various facets within the veterinary profession she was the first woman named as head of the large animal department at both the university of tennessee and the university of florida she was also the first woman president of several organizations including the american board of veterinary practitioners the american association of veterinary clinicians and the american association of equine practitioners
it is a special honor to be recognized by my alma mater said green while i dont know for sure if i am a distinguished alumnus i do know that auburn is a distinguished college of veterinary medicine at auburn ethics professionalism and the honor code were instilled in students i am forever indebted to the faculty my peers and the many friends and mentors along the way
prior to joining the cvm green was a professor and chair of the university of florida large animal clinical sciences department professor and head of the department of large animal clinical sciences and director of the large animal veterinary medical teaching hospital at the university of tennessee she also served on the faculties of the university of missouri-columbia college of veterinary medicine and the mississippi state university college of veterinary medicine aside from her teaching and administrative duties greens clinical practice is evident as she was a partnership owner in a private veterinary practice she is a diplomate of the american college of veterinary internal medicine and a diplomate of the american board of veterinary practitioners
klemm a dvm graduate of auburn and a phd graduate of notre dame has taught veterinarians and scientists for almost fifty years his teaching also reaches a wider audience through his 16 books that cover several different topics including: blame game how to win it core ideas on neurosciences and thank you brain for all you remember what you forgot was my fault and his latest book the capstone of his career entitled atoms of mind to be released by springer international at the end of may throughout klemms tenure he has made several unique discoveries and has shared those insights in his scholarly publications
i have spent my career helping communities and developing minds that will help shape future generations through science says klemm i love what i do and i am so grateful for auburn which gave me the foundation to do what i am passionate about this recognition is accepted with much gratitude and i am truly honored
aside from teaching and research klemm is a retired colonel in the united states air force reserves and is president and co-founder of forum enterprises inc he is also project director for educational outreach grants through the college to aid in teaching science concepts to middle school students students in community colleges and he provides professional development training for science teachers
picture above: dean green and dr klemm pose with auburn university college of veterinary medicine dean timothy boosinger after the commencement exercises
morris animal foundation recently awarded over $100 000 to two principal investigators at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) to further their research on the advancements of animal health dr heather wilson assistant professor at the cvm was awarded $47 749 over the period of two years for her work on the evaluation of cycoplamine as therapy for canine bone cancer dr noah cohen professor at the cvm was awarded $64 217 over the period of two years for his research on recognizing age-related differences in immune response of foals
wilsons research highlights the need to study cancer initiating cells otherwise known as cancer stem cells in dogs as bone cancer is prevalent in canines and the disease is genetically identical to humans wilsons research hopes to identify and isolate the tumor initiating cells and eradicate them using drug therapy in dogs up to this point there has been little research in veterinary medicine regarding cancer stem cells wilsons team consists of sabina sheppard research assistant at the cvm and dr catherine pfent anatomic pathology resident at the cvm
our research methods can best be described by the beehive metaphor explains wilson the cancer stem cell is the queen bee and her drones are similar to the regular cancer cells without the presence of the queen bee the hive does not prosper and will eventually die off our hopes are to find a way to target the cancer stem cells so the cancer does not succeed
cohens research focuses on why neutrophils major white blood cells of newborn foals are less capable of functioning than neutrophils of older foals neutrophils play a critical role in protecting newborns against invading bacteria; bacterial infections are leading causes of disease and death in foals cohen and his research team are working to decipher which genes and their regulatory elements might explain the difference between the function of neutrophils of newborn and older foals dr scott dindot assistant professor at the cvm kyle kuskie veterinary technician at the cvm and dr jessica nerren associate research scientist at the cvm are collaborators on this project
we hope to be able to better understand which biological pathways and cellular processes reduce the function of foal neutrophils so that we can devise means to improve their immunity at birth this information will help us to better protect them against the bacterial infections that are their leading causes of disease and death says cohen the equine infectious disease laboratory at texas a&m university is dedicated to control and prevention of infectious disease of horses and foals and this grant will help us to continue that goal moreover the findings of this study likely will be relevant to neonates of other species (including human beings)
morris animal foundation helps to support research to prevent diagnose treat and even cure diseases in companion animals horses and wildlife recipients of the awards are selected through a rigorous review process carried out by morris animal foundations scientific advisory boards since 1973 morris animal foundation has funded 67 studies at texas a&m
dr ian tizard richard m schubot professor of exotic bird health in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been selected as the keynote speaker for the 2011 freshman convocation on august 28 2011 at 2:30 pm in reed arena
in the spirit of convocation to motivate incoming freshmen to aspire to greatness inside and outside of the classroom tizard will emphasize that a university like texas a&m university is not an extension of high school but rather a generator of new knowledge and discoveries tizard will lean on his own research experience while at texas a&m university studying exotic bird diseases in this country and the amazon to help demonstrate the possibilities available to students ultimately his speech hopes to instill a desire in each incoming freshman to use the tools and knowledge available at texas a&m university to grow professionally and personally and to create a better future for all
tizard has been part of the aggie family since 1982 when he started his position as department head and professor in the department of veterinary microbiology and parasitiology at the cvm in 1990 he moved to the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm to become a professor of immunology then in 1999 he took the role of his current position as the richard m schubot professor of exotic bird health
a native of northern ireland tizard received his veterinary medical degree from the university of edinburgh in 1965 and then shortly received his phd from the university of cambridge in 1969 after graduation he pursued his fellowship at the university of guelph in ontario canada where he quickly became a professor until he moved to texas to begin teaching at the cvm in 1996 he became an honorary diplomate in the american college of veterinary microbiologists
during his tenure he received several awards including many university-level teaching awards and in 2006 he was the first recipient of the outstanding veterinary microbiologist award from the american college of veterinary microbiologists
in tizards nomination letter dr eleanor m green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine highly recommended him as a motivator based on his ability to engage and inspire undergraduate students to achieve excellence both within the classroom and beyond the college of veterinary & biomedical sciences is fortunate to be able to benefit richly from dr tizards remarkable skills as a teacher as a mentor to undergraduate students and also as a researcher green added
we are delighted that dr tizard has agreed to serve as speaker for this years freshman convocation noted pamela matthews associate provost for undergraduate studies his impressive record as a scholar as well as his respected service as teacher and mentor to undergraduates make him an ideal faculty keynote speaker to welcome next years incoming freshman class to our community of learners and scholars
for more information on freshman convocation contact kristin harper executive director for undergraduate studies at kharper@tamuedu or (979)845-3210
college station tx – the us department of agricultures national institute of food and agriculture has awarded two major grants totaling more than $14 million to investigators at texas a&m university (tamu) for conducting research on bovine respiratory disease (brd) and feed efficiency these issues are of vital economic significance to the cattle industry and are priority areas for improving cattle health and production researchers at the tamu college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) will lead the research on the $92 million brd project and will be key participants in the university of missouri led $5 million project aimed at improving feed efficiency in cattle
dr james womack wp luse endowed & distinguished professor at the tamu cvm is the project director for the five-year grant to help reduce the incidence of brd in beef and dairy cattle brd is the leading cause of disease death in beef and dairy cattle resulting in annual losses of more than $690 million nationally
with this grant researchers hope to accomplish the goal of reducing the incidence of brd through the identification of genetic components that provide resistance to pathogens that cause the disease for this womack and his team will work with commercial feedlots to analyze the dna of more than 6 000 cattle the investigators will then develop selective breeding programs based on their research which will result in improved animal health management strategies and provide an understanding of the biological interactions between the host and the disease-causing pathogens
in addition to funding research this grant will also help fund undergraduate veterinary and graduate education it will also facilitate the translation of research into practical application in feedlots and dairy farms through a dedicated extension component
we have assembled an extremely strong team of research scientists educators and extension specialists to combat a serious and complex animal health issue with modern genomic technology explains womack we have known for years that individual cattle vary in their response to the pathogens responsible for bovine respiratory disease and that much of this variation is genetic we now have the genomic tools to identify the basis for this variation at the dna level and to utilize this information in selective breeding programs and animal health management this project will be a model for the power of cooperation of major research and educational institutions and animal industries to make basic scientific discoveries to train professionals in the application of these discoveries and to translate new knowledge into economic gain along with improved animal health and welfare
we are elated to have such innovative investigators who have afforded the opportunity for such a prominent grant to be housed at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences notes dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the powerful collaborations brought together through this grant will revolutionize the beef and dairy industries by saving many animals and markedly increasing production
this national funding is a clear recognition of the outstanding animal genomics program at the cvm which is comprised of a national academy of sciences member and several internationally renowned scientists says dr bhanu chowdhary associate dean for research & graduate studies at the tamu cvm we are extremely proud of this remarkable achievement by our faculty their contributions will bring about lasting improvement in two areas of economic importance to the cattle industry – health and production
while tamu is the lead institution on this project the team includes scientists and educators from the university of missouri washington state university university of california-davis new mexico state university colorado state university the university of wisconsin and the usda ars unit in beltsville md participants from tamu include dr noah cohen dr loren skow dr lawrence falconer dr christopher seabury dr scott dindot and dr alan dabney the genomics program at tamu is further supported by agrilife research
the second grant worth $5 million is led by dr jerry taylor wurdack chair in animal genomics at the university of missouri college of agriculture food and natural resources to study feed efficiency in cattle with this grant researchers will genotype 8 000 cattle and determine how genetic differences affect feed intake and efficiency they will also study specific bacteria and microbes that reside in the cattles stomach that aid in food digestion
if we can identify and selectively breed the animals that have the best combination of genes for producing high-quality beef with the least amount of grain their offspring could reduce environmental impacts and save producers millions of dollars says taylor limiting the amount of feed used to produce beef could open farmland for other important crops such as corn for ethanol which could decrease dependency on fossil fuels and foreign oil
dr christopher seabury assistant professor in animal genomics at the tamu cvm and a key participant from tamu in the feed efficiency project said this project undoubtedly has the potential for major scientific advances enabling more efficient and cost-effective cattle production im very excited about the opportunities it will offer to the beef industry
the 75 billion dollar beef and dairy industry has a significant impact on the national economy and in particular contributes largely to the rural economy the two grants by usda-nifa will provide tools for improvement in cattle health and production and increase profitability in the cattle industry
college station tx – sam wigington a long time supporter of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has assumed the position of director of facilities at the cvm
wigington has been a loyal member of the cvm since 1970 when he joined the veterinary pathobiology department as a technician three years later he moved to the large animal teaching hospital to embark on the role as large animal clinical manager where he resided until his current move to director of facilities
during the interview process we determined that mr wigington was the best candidate for the job and i am delighted to announce his appointment to this important position in the college explains dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine he has been a mainstay of this college in each of his roles and has proven his commitment to the cvm and his ability to lead while at the cvm many times throughout his 41 years of service and counting i believe sams particular skills will make a significant contribution toward the success of this college
wigington has been an instrumental part of many of the cvms most well-known successes in 1995 when the student chapter of the american association of equine practictioners was conceived he played a pivotal role in helping the students navigate and coordinate the first wet lab; which now is the largest student-run wet lab in the nation with attendees representing 23 different veterinary colleges around the nation last year alone he is a strong supporter and volunteer for the annual student-run open house that was started 18 years ago; which brought in 13 000 visitors from across the state last year he was a key player in maintaining the large animal hospital in 2005 when the state declared that the hospital be transformed into a surge hospital to house and treat human patients due to the influx of sick patients evacuated from the path of hurricane rita this initiated his interest in emergency response and since then he has had a strong voice in developing the evacuation plans for brazos county his most recent accomplishment came when he and several other members of the cvm developed the veterinary emergency team to be first responders to a disaster site in the state of texas to ensure the safety and health of animals involved in natural disasters
my history with the cvm is long and deep notes wigington i have seen the cvm transform from an all male college to almost seventy-five percent of the college population represented by females i have interacted with over 5000 graduating veterinarians who have become leaders in the veterinary profession around the state nation and world i have also worked with thousands of veterinarians throughout the state and beyond for continuing education efforts during my years in the large animal hospital i have seen a lot of changes and growth in the past 41 years and i feel this will give me a boost to keep the innovations coming at the cvm as the trends continue to change in veterinary medicine as they do in all industries
as the director of facilities wigington will report to dean eleanor green and will assist the dean in formulating and implementing facility policies and procedures establishing performance goals and measures to evaluate the success of facilities maintenance and planning controlling expenses for facilities and equipment and leading strategic planning for facilities and major equipment purchases
i have high expectations for this position as i do for the cvm itself says wigington the cvm continues to be one of the frontrunners in veterinary education in the nation but i want the cvm to be the premiere learning facility in all aspects of veterinary education in the nation i have many ideas and i believe we have the gumption to back them up i feel that with the great knowledge our faculty staff and students provide we have the tools to become the predominant learning facility in the nation
college station tx – together with his team of scientists dr christopher m seabury assistant professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) utilized next generation sequencing technologies to develop a working comparative knowledge of the white-tailed deer genome their work entitled genome-wide polymorphism and comparative analyses in the white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus): a model for conservation genomics was recently published in plos one and included a complete mitochondrial genome sequence assembly as well as a survey of nuclear genome sequences from both southern and northern white-tailed deer
prior to seaburys publication no large-scale genomics research had ever been established for this species which in part was due to inadequate competitive research funding seabury and his team strongly believe in the importance of developing species-specific genomic tools and resources for the white-tailed deer such that studies may develop without having to rely upon technologies and resources borrowed from domestic cattle and sheep notably seaburys vigor and interest is primarily driven by burgeoning wild and captive white-tailed deer populations at the state and national level a strong economic impact surrounding white-tailed deer related to agribusiness and a myriad of interesting biological characteristics such as adaptability fecundity and differential susceptibility to disease
relevant to seaburys recent study a 2007 study by agricultural economists from texas a&m determined that farmed white-tailed deer ranked sixth in agricultural products bringing in $652 million to the texas economy with a national economic impact in excess of $3 billion white-tailed deer are truly a unique species because they occur as both free ranging wildlife species and captively propagated agricultural species given the obvious economic impact of activities related to white-tailed deer researchers determined that the species will be a major agricultural player in the years to come
in addition to the obvious utility of seaburys research where white-tailed deer are concerned he also had this to say the research represented by this publication provides a cost-effective template for rapidly developing novel and sophisticated genomics research programs for species that dont receive a lot of funding……the so-called minor species explains seabury
his research also demonstrates that one principal investigator and a small team of scientists can provoke significant progress in historically underfunded species by developing tools resources and methodologies that would enable such progress moreover it should be noted that the entire deer project was carried out by a single laboratory with one computer in seaburys office
seabury and his team hope that this research will be useful to the management of both free ranging and captive populations of white-tailed deer; which should positively impact both breeders and molecular ecologists importantly his workflow can be applied to other species where funding is limited as more information and tools become available for underfunded species seabury anticipates that his work will help to precipitate additional funding for the white-tailed deer as well as other important non-model species
its not just the deer resources and analyses but the method and workflow that can be utilized for any wildlife or minor species states seabury we literally took white-tailed deer genomics from a casual conversation with no tangible resources to a sophisticated research program with thousands of deer-specific genetic markers and comparative genome annotation in a very swift fashion
seabury and his team enlisted help from dr don davis the texas deer association (tda) and the texas parks and wildlife department who provided access to dna resources from both captive and free ranging deer
dr dick cain representative from the tda states that tdas relationship with texas a&m has been long standing and he is especially excited about the recent publication produced by seabury and his team
we at the tda are excited about the potential seaburys cutting-edge research has on our industry says cain his research will give a complete genetic map of white-tailed deer will provide the opportunity to help with reproduction will facilitate in eliminating transmissible diseases and provide support in treatment of disease it holds great promise and as a tremendous contribution to our industry it will change the way we breed deer in the future
this paper which utilizes cutting-edge biotechnology and computing will forever change how we approach genomic research with respect to historically underfunded species and make large-scale genomics possible for groups with very modest research budgets including developing countries thereby enabling sophisticated research in many new species explains seabury
dr kevin cummings formerly of the college of veterinary medicine at cornell university recently joined the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences (cvm) as an assistant professor of epidemiology
after graduating with his dvm from cornell universitys college of veterinary medicine in 1996 cummings went into private practice for five years as a mixed and small animal veterinarian in new york and virginia in 2002 he returned to cornell as an instructor running a series of six courses including public health and preventive medicine while teaching at cornell he was twice nominated for the student chapter of the american veterinary medical association teaching excellence award in addition to teaching he became a graduate research assistant in the department of population medicine and diagnostic sciences in 2006 he received his phd in population medicine and epidemiology from cornell university in 2010
his primary research interests include pre-harvest food safety (in particular the epidemiology of salmonella and other foodborne pathogens) zoonotic diseases antimicrobial resistance and hospital biosecurity in his new position he will mentor many students in his own lab and will teach both veterinary students and graduate students in the classroom
i am very excited to join the team at the cvm explains cummings i am looking forward to a collegial and exciting work environment where i can develop my research program collaborate across disciplines teach students and grow professionally i know this opportunity will be ideal for accomplishing these goals
when cummings is not in his office lab or the classroom he enjoys birding and spending time outdoors with his wife jodi and he is an avid baseball fan
on january 22 2011 the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) student chapter of the american association of equine practitioners (scaaep) hosted a workshop that brought in 250 participants from 22 veterinary schools around the nation this years sponsorship and participation has been the highest on record since the workshops launch in 1995
the workshop is run by the cvm scaaep and is put on with the help of student faculty and staff volunteers at the cvm
there are 21 hands-on labs which range from emergency response to equine dentistry that the attendees have the option to participate in each lab in the workshop is funded by national and local sponsors every sponsor gets the opportunity to contribute to the job fair which is open to the participants after the activities are complete during lunch the students enjoyed a speech by dr robert p franklin equine veterinarian at weatherford equine in weatherford tx participants also got the opportunity to experience a night out at northgate sponsored by pfizer the workshop was a day full of learning networking and growing for all of the people involved
i felt like this years workshop went very well notes brittany durham wet lab coordinator and a third year veterinary student at the cvm we had an overwhelming response from second and third year student volunteers as well as from clinician resident intern and technician volunteers the fact that they give up their saturday morning to help make this event possible is amazing
we continue to get positive feedback because students get hands-on opportunities that they would never get to experience in the classroom explains kati glass president of the cvm aaep and a third year veterinary student at the cvm schools are continuing to contact us to see if they can get a workshop started our program is so successful because of our facilities and all of the backing we have from the volunteers our volunteers go so far out of their way to help train future equine practitioners and we are truly grateful for that
dr peter rakestraw clinical associate professor at the cvm thought that the event was a success and everyone who volunteered to help pull the workshop together deserved a pat on the back
the wet lab committee led by brittany durham and kati glass did an outstanding job planning for and running the event explains rakestraw besides the committee many other students volunteered to help set up the labs and assist the instructors during the labs the execution was flawless this is truly a student run event
i hope next years workshop will be able to incorporate even more schools and participants durham continues i think it is amazing that schools from all over the country are interested in this event
around one hundred and fifty pony clubbers from the rio grande region visited the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) on january 15 2011 aggie day to advance their pony club ranks and become responsible horse owners
since 1994 every two years the rio grande region of the united states pony club sponsors a large workshop at the college which is run by volunteers from the cvm
the pony clubbers range in age from 8 years to 21 years old this workshop allows for them to participate in different hands-on exercises to increase their pony club standings and to learn more about veterinary medicine particularly in the equine industry
the pony clubbers had an opportunity to learn about anything and everything ‘equine explains michele ward research associate and education specialist at the cvm as well as the volunteer coordinator for this workshop from bits to equine nutrition to lameness to anatomy and physiology we offered just about everything many of the children had procedures done on their horses that they didnt fully understand until they attended this event
some of the favorite demonstrations included reproduction and ultrasound where the pony clubbers were able to see the technology being used to understand how it can help in the diagnosis and treatment of their horse participants also got the opportunity to place a shoe on a horse and they worked with live horses to determine body condition scoring and weight estimation horse nutrition and plant toxicity were important educational stations for the children who play a pivotal role in the nutrition of their horse
veterinary students graduate students veterinary technicians and clinicians collaborated and volunteered their saturday to help train and educate current horse owners and possible future veterinarians veterinary technicians sandy nunn heather quiram jessie mundy sheila teague candise mckay donna witt and the many student volunteers were especially stimulating to the pony club students and parents in their effort to promote the cvm hospital and its capabilities veterinary students and graduate students were effective in explaining animal health issues as it impacts animals and humans
i was amazed at the number of veterinary students graduate students and technicians who volunteered at this event notes ward the pony clubbers and their parents commented on how well the veterinary students communicated and how enthusiastic they were about their topics the veterinary students and graduate students went to great lengths to ensure that the students understood the sometimes complex topics
this workshop allowed for the student volunteers to develop their communication skills and to help hone their particular knowledge base in equine medicine by teaching and revisiting the subjects they learned in class it also gives the pony clubbers the opportunity to experience equine veterinary medicine first hand and to expand their horizons concerning a topic that they are already interested in
this is a wonderful opportunity for our veterinary students to share the information they already learned in the classroom and to apply it to a real world situation where pony clubbers can learn and grow from it says dr larry johnson professor and principal investigator of partnerships for environmental education and rural health (peer) at the cvm johnson and his team provided the instructional content for this workshop the pony clubbers had the opportunity to learn at their level and aspire to the next level our technicians did a great job expanding their knowledge about the capabilities of our teaching hospital these folks are all horse woners and are interested in what to expect when they bring an animal to our hospital these pony clubbers are enthusiastic about their possible future in veterinary medicine and i believe that our volunteers helped to light that fire

many parents said it was a once in a lifetime experience to be able to get access to all of the resources we have here at the college says ward most of the parents were just as excited about the stations and topics as the children were the word ‘wow could be heard over and over and there was an ‘aha moment every few seconds
the peer team would like to thank all veterinary students graduate students veterinary technicians faculty and staff who contributed to a very successful pony club ‘aggie day ' says johnson
college station nov 24 2010 – journalist maryn mckenna who wrote superbug: the fatal menace of mrsa and beating back the devil will speak on public health monday and tuesday (nov 29-30) at texas a&m university
she will present superbug: the story and the book – an account of the global epidemic of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or drug-resistant staph – at 4 pm monday in room 101 of the veterinary teaching hospital the book presentation is hosted by the texas a&m masters degree program in science and technology journalism for more information contact barbara gastel at (979) 845-6887 or bgastel@cvmtamuedu
on tuesday mckenna will present dateline lookingglass: public health media competence and the h1n1 flu from 4 to 5 pm in the hawking auditorium at the mitchell physics building with a reception to follow it is hosted by the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences with support from the western regional center of excellence for biodefense and emerging infectious diseases research
mckenna is an award-winning journalist and author who writes about public health medicine and food policy for national magazines and medical journals and says she finds emerging diseases strangely exciting
contact: angela clendenin at aclendenin@cvmtamuedu or kelli levey news & information services at (979) 845-4645 or klevey@tamuedu
*originally posted on texas a&m news and information services
dr stephen safe distinguished professor of toxicology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the institute for biotechnology (ibt) at the texas a&m health sciences center along with dr mandip sachdeva professor of pharmaceutical sciences with the florida a&m university college of pharmacy recently received a grant from the department of defense (dod) – army breast cancer research program (bcrp) for their project entitled the role of novel substituted diindolylmethane analogues in the treatment of triple – negative and erbb2 – positive breast cancer which will be funded $14 million over four years
the bcrp was initiated to promote research focused on eliminating breast cancer and to challenge the scientific community to develop innovative approaches that will foster new directions and growth toward the battle against breast cancer
according to the bcrp application the bcrp focuses its funding on innovative projects that have the potential to make a significant impact on breast cancer particularly those involving multidisciplinary and/or multi-institutional collaborations and alliances under investigated avenues of research and novel applications of existing technologies are strongly encouraged
under this grant texas a&m university will serve as a mentoring institution to florida a&m university because florida a&m university is a predominantly black university and the bcpr is listed under the agreement with the dod and the historically black colleges and universities/minority institutions (hbcu/mi) partnership training award this award will help build new collaborations with members of the chemistry department from florida a&m university and the cvm as well as enhance current relationships dr robert burghardt professor at the cvm and dr weston porter associate professor at the cvm are also part of the texas a&m faculty mentoring team
safe currently has four grants which he utilizes for his research on development of novel mechanism-based drugs for treatment of breast cancer colon cancer lung cancer and pancreatic cancer safes cancer research focuses on treatment for late stage cancers which are highly aggressive and can undergo metastasis where the cancer cells spread from their original location to other parts of the body through this research his research group has made promising strides in the fight against invasive and metastatic cancer due to the novel drugs that have been developed in his laboratory
i am very excited about this particular grant because it will allow us to expand on our current research on breast cancer and this will involve training independent researchers at florida a&m to collaborate in this research and to promote future independent research efforts on their own explains safe this grant is also very beneficial because of the involvement of scientists with expertise in chemistry pharmaceuticals molecular and cell biology and this will facilitate development of clinically useful anticancer drugs
dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine and dr guy sheppard director of development recently accepted a gift worth $325 000 from the estate of mrs doris simmons on behalf of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) the executor of the estate dr alan garrett presented the gift to the cvm which will be used to help the college in areas deemed necessary by green and the executive council

mr and mrs simmons were world travelers who eventually resided in corpus christi texas they had an admiration for all animals especially their own they had miniature horses a variety of birds and chinese tufted dogs
dr oscar woytek assistant vice president for development remembered their initial visit when they brought their miniature horses into the large animal hospital he recalls they were very impressed as the cvm took such interest in their horses and provided excellent care for them leading to a lifelong friendship the simmons were very supportive of the college and advocates of its mission
we are thrilled to receive such a valuable gift from such a wonderful advocate not only for the college but for animals as well expressed green these funds will be allocated appropriately to help build the college through education teaching and research efforts our donors help to make this college a top tier establishment and we are truly appreciative of that
garrett a cvm alumnus was the simmons veterinarian for about fifteen years he catered to all of their animals and he knew them very well
the simmons were the gold standard of what good people should be explained garrett they lived a colorful life and they loved their pets dearly i am honored to be the executor of the estate for mrs simmons and i know that dr green and the executive council will use her gift with the colleges best interest in mind
college station tx – on october 18 2010 nestle purina petcare and the small animal hospital at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) came together to open the recently donated state of the art veterinary kitchen housed in the small animal hospital the program known as nestle purina center for nutrition excellence donated $70 000 to make the small animal kitchen in the hospital more accessible and safer for the patients of the hospital

dana heath assistant hospital administrator wanted to enlist the help of purina to transform their kitchen heath worked with dr nicholas m vaughan nestle purina regional sales representative to cvm to make this happen
purina decided to award the kitchen to cvm due to the excellence of its clinical medicine department and the progressive nature of the cvm to partner with different companies and different programs explained vaughan
the purpose of the newly renovated kitchen is to provide easier access for veterinary students and veterinarians to acquire food for the animals in the hospital and to see all of the options available for a patient in need the room provides easy access to all of the dry goods canned goods and special dietary items necessary for the animals well being the kitchen will hold purina products and other food brands to ensure that the patients nutritional needs are met the expiration dates are also clearly coded on every food item
prior to the renovation we had some of the dry foods in accessible containers but a lot of the dry food was wasted by opening bags that could not be closed or stored properly afterward said dr deb zoran associate professor at the cvm we also didnt have an effective way of storing canned foods to make them accessible now it is much cleaner and a much more effective use of the space there will be much less food wasted and we are very grateful for that
purina has given back to the cvm many times they have funded several resident projects worked with the clinicians to fund a medicine residency and they were an early benefactor to the small animal dental suite
i am very pleased with the new food storage and preparation facilities that have been provided through the generosity of nestle purina petcare said dr sandee hartsfield professor and department head of the small animal hospital at the cvm the kitchen area of the small animal hospital has become aesthetically pleasing and has been redesigned for efficiency and practicality in the handling of food products
proper nutrition is a vital component of the management of veterinary patients with medical and surgical problems explained hartsfield the new kitchen area provided by nestle purina petcare assures ready access to a variety of dietary products allowing veterinary students and hospital staff members to efficiently procure and prepare the most appropriate meals for their patients
college station tx – dr linda l logan; a world traveler former faculty member and alumnus of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has returned to aggieland to assume the position of department head for the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm her appointment replaces previous interim department head dr john august professor of feline internal medicine at the cvm
i am very happy to announce the appointment of dr logan to this position said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine her reputation as a leader in the profession will prove to have a positive impact in the department of veterinary pathobiology i am confident that dr logan will help the department reach the next level of excellence in the many diverse ways its faculty contributes to the cvm the university the profession and the state of texas her global experience is sure to enrich our research and education missions
after graduating with her dvm from the cvm in 1976 logan helped initiate a uisaid tamu contract on vector-borne diseases of livestock based in bamako mali following her phd from uc davis in comparative pathology she conducted research on tropical livestock diseases at the international livestock research institute in nairobi kenya she gained a wealth of experience on livestock diseases and food safety research while serving as the national program leader for animal health research with the usda agricultural researcher service from 1996 to 2000 she had a close working relationship with the texas livestock industry while serving as the executive director of the texas animal health commission from 2000 to the end of 2002 from 2003 to 2004 logan served as a clinical professor at the cvm in the department of veterinary pathobiology her experience in academia regulator medicine and her research background places her in a unique position to contribute to building bridges with the texas livestock industry and helping serve their research needs just prior to rejoining texas a&m logan served as senior attaché for africa and the middle east with the united states department of agriculture – animal plant health inspection service
i am very honored to have been selected as the new department head for veterinary pathobiology at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences logan said i did not want to miss this unique opportunity to return to my alma mater texas a&m i plan to invest my time in helping texas a&m in the quest to become solidified as a top tier university and to gain more international recognition for its programs
with my new appointment i want to help strengthen the research program in infectious diseases cardiovascular medicine conservation medicine and tumor pathogenesis logan explained i hope to foster more collaboration with the texas livestock industry other texas universities and to build a stronger international program
college station tx – the european emesis council (eec) presented dr jan suchodolski clinical assistant professor and associate director of the gi lab at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) with the award for 2009 best publication in small animal gastroenterology for his research article: the effect of the macrolide antibiotic tylosin on microbial diversity in the canine small intestine as demonstrated by massive parallel 16s rrna gene sequencing the award was presented at the european college of veterinary internal medicine-companion animals (ecvim-ca) congress in toulouse france on september 11 the award was presented to suchodolski by eec member dr reito neiger and dr karine savary-bataille from pfizer animal health which supports the council both financially and administratively
suchodolski is the second recipient of this award as it was initiated last year criteria are reviewed by members of the eec in all publications of small animal gastroenterology and a piece is chosen based on the following: originality clinical applicability and pertinence to small animal medicine the winner receives a free entrance to the ecvim-ca congress
eec consists of a group of leading veterinary specialists from the european union who meet several times a year to review and discuss current issues that are relevant to canine emesis eecs goal is to contribute toward improved professional understanding of canine emesis because it is a common symptom for many health problems
the purpose of his study was to evaluate the effects of tylosin an antibiotic that is successful in treating chronic diarrhea in canines but its exact effects and mode of action remain unknown suchodolski notes that his results did not provide the answers they were looking for because their findings discovered that the bacteria within the intestines are much more complex and are on a larger scale than was previously recorded
after doing the research we learned that every animal has an individual response to tylosin explained suchodolski we used to look at bacteria using culture methods; however what we now know is that culture is completely underestimated to total bacteria counts the more we studied the more we realized that there is more to learn to understand gastrointestinal microbial ecology even though we did not find the result we had intended to this research changed our perspective and it helped us to re-focus our efforts so we can continue with a more specific approach
suchodolski received his dvm from the university of veterinary medicine in vienna austria in 1997 and he received his phd in veterinary microbiology from texas a&m university in 2005 suchodolski joined the cvm as a research assistant in 1999
i am speechless to have received this award said suchodolski the panel was comprised of several renowned clinicians and gastroenterologists and i feel honored that they voted for our manuscript i feel honored and elated

dr reito neiger eec member presented the award to dr jan suchodolski
the texas gulf coast provides a wonderful escape for migratory birds during the winter residents and hunters off of the texas gulf coast enjoy the waterfowls annual visit but people need to be aware of the impact waterfowl may have due to the viruses they carry dr pam ferro who received her phd in veterinary pathobiology from texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) in august spent five consecutive years studying avian influenza viruses (aiv) in hunter-harvested waterfowl in the wintering grounds off of the texas gulf coast
in north america there are four major flyways: the pacific the central the mississippi and the atlantic ferro chose to study the wintering grounds of the central flyway because it is the most understudied out of the four the texas gulf coast was a great place to focus for ferro because approximately 90 percent of waterfowl that use the central flyway winter in texas
the objective of ferros study was to determine the prevalence of aiv on waterfowl wintering grounds on the texas gulf coast because waterfowl are considered the natural reservoir for aiv these viruses can be transmitted to humans and poultry because migratory waterfowl intermingle with resident wild species and they are also in close contact with poultry operations and humans primarily hunters the infected migratory birds shed the virus through their feces infection with influenza virus in humans and chickens results mainly in a respiratory disease
the migratory nature of many waterfowl species and the persistence of influenza in these populations present a vehicle for dissemination of influenza viruses globally explained ferro understanding the migratory patterns of different waterfowl as well as identifying influenza virus subtypes within these populations is critical to our understanding of how influenza viruses persist in nature and evolve over time
the reason for the study was to see what kind of viruses are found on the texas gulf coast because this area has not been well studied said ferro throughout the study we did not find any highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses and we isolated over 150 viruses of very different subtypes now we are interested in comparing viruses that we isolated on the texas gulf coast to the viruses that were isolated in the breeding grounds up north to see if there are any similarities
we cant eliminate the virus from the waterfowl ferro said however by knowing more about what occurs in nature we can develop control measures so these viruses wont be transmitted to humans or poultry if we can narrow down certain viruses that are highly prevalent at certain times we can enact bio-containment strategies on farms and surrounding areas to prevent infection
ferros research was under the direction of dr blanca lupiani associate professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology at the cvm lupiani thought ferros research project was a success because of significance of the data obtained as well as the collaborative effort that was present throughout the entire project
ferro collaborated with students from different colleges at texas a&m university and enlisted the help of texas parks and wildlife biologists and technicians as well as local hunters to make her research efforts possible ferro and her team collected over 7 000 cloacal swab samples from approximately 33 different potential host species
this was a wonderful research project lupiani said pam brought a group of people together with such a variety of expertise to help understand a complex problem her interdisciplinary approach built great relationships which resulted in great findings
this was an amazing experience said ferro it was a big learning curve for me since my background is not in ecology i was able to get out in the field work with a wide variety of individuals got the chance to educate people about aiv in waterfowl and i had the opportunity to experiment in the lab
ferro is currently working as a post-doctoral research associate at the southeastern cooperative wildlife disease study in athens georgia
this project was funded by the usda and the avian influenza coordinated agricultural projects (aicap and aicap 2)
second year veterinary student at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences cecilia montes attended the merial-nih national veterinary scholars symposium located in athens georgia where she was named a winner in the research poster competition
this past august veterinary medical students from all over the united states and canada met to present their research findings and network with peers veterinarians scientists researchers and faculty members the meeting was hosted by the university of georgia college of veterinary medicine
over 300 posters were presented but only around a dozen awards were given out with montes taking home one of them
i worked in the laboratory of dr cristine heaps this summer and winning this award was the icing on the cake! said montes
the poster that montes submitted was entitled contribution of eta receptor to the exercise training-enhanced et-1-mediated constriction of collateral-dependent coronary arteries and displayed the research she worked on this summer with other authors juan carlos robles (graduate assistant research) jeff f bray( laboratory technician) mildred l mattox (associate research specialist) and dr cristine heaps (associate professor at the cvm)
montes participated in the veterinary student research fellows program this summer under the direction of heaps
i really enjoyed participating in the fellowship and i feel like i learned so much this summer about research especially for someone who had never actually participated in research at all prior to this summer said montes
heaps lab is currently looking at the effects of exercise training on collateral-dependent coronary arteries in pigs
previous studies have shown that collateral-dependent arteries of exercise-trained pigs have an increased contractile response to endothelin-1 (et-1) and the goal of this project was to assess the contribution of eta receptors to this adaptation said montes
cecilia was a wonderful addition to our laboratory as part of the veterinary medical student research training program said heaps she approached this learning experience with great enthusiasm and dedication and through the intensive nature of this 12-week program cecilia acquired a great deal of insight into hypothesis-driven research and the scientific approach
heaps further explained that the fellows program experience was mutually beneficial because montes who collaborated with the laboratory staff and students performed a great deal of experimental troubleshooting as well as initiating data collection on studies that the team will continue to pursue
the american college of veterinary pathologists (acvp) will bestow an honorary membership to dr roy pool director of the surgical pathology service and director of the osteopathology specialty service at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
this award – only given to a select few individuals – will be given to pool for his many important contributions to his professional discipline over his more than 40 year career as a veterinary musculoskeletal pathologist and will be presented to him at the acvp annual meeting on november 2
honorary membership is bestowed upon a nonmember by a majority vote of the council and confirmed by a majority vote of the membership of the college
over the years pool has contributed a great deal to the understanding of the causes and pathological diagnosis of musculoskeletal diseases of domestic animals his research has focused on: the effects of the internal radioactive emitters on the bones and dental tissues of beagle dogs as a model for understanding the long term effects of radioactive fallout on the skeletons of the human population; pathology and pathogenesis of veterinary orthopedic diseases; studies of the skeletal neoplasia of bones and joints of animals which were the basis for the world health organization classification of animal bone tumors; and the pathogenesis of biomechanical lesions of bone joints tendons and ligaments of athletic horses
pool is the last of the original five veterinary musculoskeletal pathologists still active today in academic practice in this country
he has taught numerous courses in several veterinary institutions across the united states and europe including: uc davis cornell university and mississippi state university dealing with disease and disorders of the musculoskeletal system of domestic animals radiology and lameness of athletic horses
his knowledge has been passed down to more than 3500 students over the years who are now veterinarians in private and institutional practices in most of the united states
my award is likely in part for my dedication to the training of veterinary pathology residents and graduate students in their preparation for the acvp board exams and in part for my contributions to research involving bone joint and tendon/ligament diseases of animals said pool
pool was recruited by the cvm seven years ago where in addition to his diagnostic duties he teaches lectures in his specialty to professional students in the veterinary curriculum
although i am a clinical professor of pathology with primary diagnostic and teaching responsibilities i continue to be involved in orthopedic research (eg healing of defects in articular cartilage and in tendons facilitated by stem cells) said pool
college station tx – two outstanding faculty members at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) dr karen snowden associate professor in parasitology and dr mark stickney clinical associate professor in general surgery were recognized with the prestigious association of former students college-level teaching award the awards were presented at the cvm college hour on september 2
this award is chosen by both faculty members and students every year the honorees are presented with a plague and a stipend
snowden has been with the cvm as an associate professor for 17 years while serving on the faculty at the cvm she has won several teaching awards including the texas veterinary medical association faculty achievement award in teaching and the tamu montague scholar award from the center for teaching excellence
snowdens award was presented by dr linda logan professor and department head for veterinary pathobiology at the cvm
in my view dr snowden is truly a role model as a scholar and educator and we are very pleased to see that she has been recognized by the association of former students with this award for distinguished teaching explains logan she has served as a mentor for a number of students she has received very positive feedback from her students as some have made career choices based on the rotation that she teaches i would like to thank dr snowden for the contributions she has made
we focus on teaching research and service here at the college said snowden it is very easy to stay motivated because we have really great students i would like to thank the association of former students and the people in my department and the college who spent the extra time and effort to make this happen
stickney has been with the cvm since 2002 in 2009 he was nominated by students of texas a&m to be a namesake at the annual fish camp this is his first teaching award while serving on the faculty at the cvm
dr sharon kerwin professor at the cvm presented stickney with his award
dr stickney is responsible for running our general surgery unit notes kerwin it is a very challenging job and he runs an amazing service he is a remarkable teacher who does an incredible job for the students pets and citizens of texas
teaching is where my passion is said stickney it is the most rewarding aspect of my job and it is an honor to be recognized for that i want to thank the association the committee that selected me and the students that i made an impression on
print
dr george lees professor of veterinary internal medicine at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences at texas a&m university (cvm) and his team along with dr keith murphy former colleague at cvm answered questions for a grieving pet owner as they discovered another form of hereditary nephropathy (hn) an inherited disorder that damages tiny blood vessels in the kidneys that help filter blood in a different canine breed – the english springer spaniel
in 2007 after a 15-year discovery process lees and his team patented a genetic test to identify carriers of hn in english cocker spaniels their efforts and research lead to the eradication of this inherited kidney disease through selective breeding in english cocker spaniels
in 2009 katherine perry owner of two english springer spaniels – ginger and coco was referred to lees when her puppies showed signs of a kidney problem lees evaluated both dogs and he quickly determined that they did have a similar disease that would shortly take their lives
what i learned from the first discovery was that the end of the disease was so short explained lees hn is similar to an avalanche because it starts off slow but the end is so fast and devastating
the dogs died shortly after the initial visit with lees lees asked for perrys permission to take their kidneys and dna to conduct further research
perry allowed lees and his team to do research on her dogs because she wanted her questions answered she wanted to know why they died so young her dogs were less than a year old
i did get my answers said perry until this situation occurred i never understood nor appreciated the detail and dedication involved in medical research when i was first informed of the possibility of having the girls kidneys researched i assumed that it was going to be a cold and calculated business agreement never did i imagine that this team would be so understanding gentle sincere or compassionate the needs of the girls were their priority after the girls were gone their focus was on finding out how this disease originated
initially we tested the dogs dna for the abnormality that affects english cocker spaniels explains lees but we found that the english springer spaniels did not have the same dna abnormality as the english cocker spaniel so we continued with our research we finally discovered their specific mutation in about a year then we went to the dogs family to try to find a pattern of dna abnormalities that was consistent with their inheritance
they found out that the disease is recessive there are a lot of carriers but few are affected however the results can be devastating for the affected dogs as there is no cure for them and their lives are severely shortened
the cause of the disease is a condition that is known as alport syndrome in people but it is usually called hereditary nephropathy or ‘hn in dogs said lees in both people and dogs this disease is caused by defects in the genes that encode type iv collagen which is a protein that is an important structural component of the parts of the kidneys (called glomeruli) that filter the blood
armed with information provided by lees and his team about the genetics status of related dogs the breeders of the english springer spaniels who were affected have been able to breed their dogs selectively so that no other hn cases have occurred in their english springer spaniels
i would highly recommend dr lees and his team to anyone who has a sick pet said perry several months after the girls were put down i received a package from the clinic with two hand painted clay forms of the girls actual paw prints this thoughtful gesture touched my heart in a way words could not convey lees and his team are an exceptional group of individuals; very caring and understanding
lees explained to perry the importance of understanding the origin of the disease by conducting further research even though perry was overwhelmed by the process she understood that she needed to allow the research to continue so that it could benefit other dogs in the future
it is important to develop an understanding of genetics and to conduct selective breeding to eliminate the problem said lees when a dog gets sick it takes time to do an investigation and to characterize the disease many diseases remain an unsolved problem we at cvm set ourselves apart because we have the expertise and are able to spend the extra time needed to pursue problems like this to the point of understanding their root cause this permits us to build a better future than would otherwise be possible
i realized that ginger and coco were brought into our lives for a purpose explains perry at the time i assumed it was because they were going to need a lot of extra tender loving care i never dreamed my selfish search for answers would benefit other animals i encourage anyone who has a pet with a terminal illness to find out what created the illness by doing so you can prevent other animals from having to suffer
the continuing education (ce) office at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical science (cvm) and the american association of equine practitioners (aaep) joined efforts on tuesday august 10 through friday august 13 to present two 360-degree continuing education experiences that featured the topic choice of stallion reproduction or equine dentistry the 360-degree experience is a full-circle approach to examine veterinary topics in every angle
the aaep was interested in having the continuing education efforts at the cvm because of the state of the art facilities and world renowned faculty available also dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine was the 2008 aaep president dr william moyer professor and department head of the large animal clinical sciences department will become the next aaep president in december 2010
the aaep educational programs committee selected the content for this conference dentistry is a very hot topic in equine practice and it provides the opportunity to expand ones own practice updated technology and knowledge in stallion reproduction has changed the face of the breeding industry due to the artificial insemination programs and the new reproductive techniques
attendees were provided with an in-depth educational experience emphasizing one-on-one instruction with the opportunity for a hands on experience each topic was limited to a small group of attendees so that every attendee could get the maximum benefit from the programs the equine dentistry section was limited to 24 participants the stallion reproduction was limited to 20 participants both sections sold out participants came from all over the country and canada
this was not a small undertaking however it became apparent during the whole process that the staff from aaep and our staff from the office of continuing education are real professionals as they have been up to the task to partner on the meeting explains dr cleet griffin chairperson for the equine dentistry section of the conference and clinical assistant professor at the cvm i think many of the techniques and principals stressed during the meeting can be incorporated into the attendees own clinical practices starting the day they return to the office it is critical for our profession to provide opportunities like this for veterinarians to obtain high quality education in these specific areas
the ce office will continue to have conferences throughout the year including the fall 2010: home game continuing education series for more information on conferences please contact the ce office at 979-845-9102 or refer to their website at wwwvetmedtamuedu/ce
avma was established in 1863 as a not-for-profit association structured to work for its members to be a united voice for the veterinary profession avma represents more than 80 000 veterinarians in all fields of the veterinary profession
kornegay has practiced companion animal veterinary medicine in houston for 36 years he has served in many leadership roles in 1981 he became president of the harris county veterinary medical association and then became president of the texas veterinary medical association in 1991 he has served on the avma executive board representing arkansas louisiana and texas he has also been the executive board liaison to the council of communications the committee on human-animal bond the strategic planning committee the committee on veterinary technician education and activities the american board of veterinary specialties the member services committee and the council on veterinary services in 2005 the cvm presented kornegay with the outstanding alumnus award
in his acceptance speech at the convention before the avma house of delegates kornegay outlined his platform and goals his main goals are to bring unity to the profession and to encourage diversity with the changing times he said that as a veterinarian he has witnessed significant changes in the veterinary profession since he started his practice almost 40 years ago kornegay stated that female veterinarians now outnumber men and he has hired bilingual employees at his clinic to accommodate more diverse clients
as veterinarians we share a common bond and i will work this coming year to strengthen this bond by welcoming everyones input by opening my mind to varied perspectives by offering guidance when i can and by helping build unity to mend those fractures explained kornegay i will work tirelessly over the next year to welcome everyone to the table while i am so proud of what we have accomplished particularly when it comes to the great work our staff is doing to enhance diversity in the profession you and i both know we can do more
this is truly an honor and i pledge to you that as i serve the avma our members and the veterinary profession over the coming year i will do so with dedication and pride said kornegay
dr william moyer professor and department head of the large animal clinical sciences department (lacs) of the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) will become the next president of the american association of equine practitioners (aaep) in december 2010 while moyer goes on administrative leave to fulfill his duties with the aaep dr allen roussel professor and associate department head at cvm will become the acting department head of the lacs on september 1 2010 until january 1 2012
this is the greatest honor i have ever received explains moyer i have been a member of aaep since 1969 aaep has set the ground work for a lot of other organizations of its kind it was the first to have a motto and it is one of the only organizations that is very progressive in dealing with all issues of the horse world personally aaep is my window to the world i work in i am very grateful to dr roussel for fulfilling the responsibilities of my current position while i execute my role with the aaep
aaeps mission statement is to improve the health and welfare of the horse to further the professional development of its members and to provide resources and leadership for the benefit of the equine industry aaep encompasses all aspects of the horse industry moyer is currently president elect of the aaep he received his dvm from colorado state university in 1970 he has been the department head of lacs for 17 years he also holds memberships in the american veterinary medical association association for the advancement of sports potential association of american veterinary medical colleges association of equine sports medicine and the texas veterinary medical association
dr moyers rise to the presidency of the largest most influential equine veterinary organization in the world speaks volumes about his success as an influential leader and the regard in which he is held in the profession said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine the aaep presidency is one of the greatest honors opportunities and responsibilities an equine veterinarian can achieve we are all very proud of dr moyer
as aaep president dr moyer will advance both the aaep and texas a&m university green continued in recognition of the growing responsibilities and time commitment associated with aaep presidency texas a&m fully supports dr moyer and encourages him to focus his talents and energies on his presidency during his term so how can the department of large animal clinical sciences continue to flourish during this period dr moyer fully supports dr allen roussel in serving as acting department head what speaks volumes about dr moyers selfless nature and his well-known advocacy for and faith in his faculty is that he has entrusted the department completely to dr roussel he has made it clear that he wants dr roussel to lead the department as if he were the permanent department head until his return dr roussel is up for the challenge he has demonstrated excellent leadership as associate department head and has been working side-by-side with dr moyer over the last few months one can almost hear dr roussel saying ‘put me in coach because of unselfish dedication of both of these leaders the department will not merely be held together it will continue to drive forward
roussel joined the faculty at the cvm in 1986 and his specialty is large animal internal medicine he received his dvm from louisiana state university in 1977 he holds memberships and leadership positions in several organizations he is currently serving as vice-president of the large animal specialty of the american college of veterinary internal medicine president elect of the southwest veterinary symposium and he is a member of the examining committee of the european college of bovine health management
i am really excited about the opportunity to lead our department during these challenging times explains roussel its an honor to follow in the footsteps of dr moyer and help provide the time he needs to focus his attention to his role as president of the aaep id also like to thank my departmental colleagues who are assuming some of my duties while im serving in this role
dr kevin washburn associate professor in food animal internal medicine at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was awarded the 2010 continuing educator of the year award in the food animal category from the western veterinary conference (wvc)

the wvc is an annual continuing education conference held in las vegas nevada that has been providing education efforts for almost 83 years as one of the largest meetings of veterinary practitioners around the world the conference focuses on six topics: small animal avian and exotics food animal practice management education for technicians and equine a winner is selected from each category by the attendees of the conference each year and is awarded the coveted continuing educator of the year award
about 60 other professionals were asked to speak by the wvc committee in the food animal division washburns topic was on small ruminant medicine and he gave four different speeches during the 2010 conference
i am humbled and honored to have been chosen as the lead educator of the food animal section explained washburn this award came as a complete surprise to me it is very special to me because it was chosen by my peers
washburn joined the cvm faculty in 2005 he received his dvm in 1993 from oklahoma state university washburn holds numerous leadership positions in several organizations he is a program committee chair for the southwest veterinarian symposium as well as the interactive laboratory coordinator he is also very active in the american college of veterinary internal medicine for which he has served as food animal program chair
washburn will be recognized for this award at the western veterinary conference in las vegas nevada in february 2011
i have been asked to be a speaker at the western veterinary conference in 2012 said washburn i am excited to return because this year i had such a great experience i saw a lot of former students colleagues and other professionals that i enjoyed connecting with this conference holds a lot of tradition and i am happy and proud to be a part of it
the kingdom of bhutan nestled in the eastern himalayas provides one of the most beautiful and untouched natural environments in the world as bhutan is starting to industrialize; nawang norbu director of the ugyen wangchuck institute of conservation and the environment (uwice) wants to learn more about conservation efforts that can be made to ensure that bhutan develops in an environmentally friendly manner norbu enlisted dr l scott mills professor at the university of montana who invited a group of 12 scientists from all over the world including dr jan janecka post doctoral research associate in the veterinary integrative biosciences department at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) to develop bhutans first wildlife genetics lab
janecka and his colleagues spent 10 days in may in bhutan to instruct the conservation leaders and specialists of bhutan on the latest techniques used in wildlife conservation efforts and to produce a handbook of practical procedures for conducting wildlife research in remote rugged landscapes the workshop included two days in a classroom setting teaching the fundamentals of research and monitoring of wildlife and then putting the techniques into use janecka and his colleagues spent four days in the field training the specialists from bhutan so the processes could be continued when they left
janecka specializes in genetic analysis of cryptic cats like the snow leopard which is prevalent in bhutan he is among the first to use this technique on snow leopards which is a key ingredient of conservation biology and wildlife management because it allows for specialists to understand the species and the population
genetics is the foundation for many research and conservation initiatives including: describing species diversity understanding the relationship among species examining biology and ecology and illuminating population demography explains janecka
the workshop taught the bhutanese many concepts including how to set up a dna lab conduct non-invasive dna surveys and extract dna from tissue and scat (feces collected in the field)
the dna will be stored and later used to study specific regions of the genome that are of interest to researchers and conservationists said janecka by collecting and properly maintaining tissues and dna samples in bhutan there will be a wealth of possible studies that can be initiated by bhutanese scientists these will greatly expand the information available for wildlife in bhutan facilitating sound conservation initiatives
janecka received his phd in wildlife sciences through a joint program with texas a&m university and texas a&m university-kingsville in 2006 he is currently the genetics research program director for the snow leopard conservancy he is also a member of the international union for conservation of nature (iucn) cat specialist group and he has traveled and conducted research in thailand laos india china and mongolia
it was an honor to be asked to go and share my knowledge in such a beautiful country filled with charismatic people who took our conservation efforts seriously said janecka the bhutanese were so passionate about wildlife and conserving the environment the potential to discover something in this remote area is great and i am excited that i had the possibility to do so
dr george lees professor of veterinary internal medicine at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has received two distinguished awards this summer: the robert w kirk award for professional excellence from the american college of veterinary internal medicine (acvim) and the american veterinary medical foundation (avmf)/ american kennel club (akc) career achievement award in canine research

the robert w kirk award for professional excellence is an annual award that has only 21 recipients to date the award is given by the acvim to diplomates of the acvim who have outstanding careers in veterinary medicine with national and international recognition for their contributions and service in such activities as clinical medical practice instruction research and/or public service
the avmf/akc career achievement award in canine research was established in 2009 lees is the first recipient of this award that recognizes individuals who have made a long-term contribution to canine research
i am honored to receive both awards said lees the kirk award is especially significant to me because i have been an acvim member for most of my professional career and the acvim is composed of my peers the avmf/akc career achievement award also means a lot to me because the selection was solely based on my cv
i know that i could not be in this position if it were not for my family colleagues and the department and college leaders who encouraged me to continue my research explained lees my job is similar to that of conducting an orchestra there is a wind section a percussion section and many other sections that are all great at what they do someone has to stand at the front to orchestrate and pull things together science is a team effort
lees received his dvm from colorado state university in 1972 after graduation he was a captain in the us army veterinary corps for three years (1972-75) before completing an internship at uc davis (1975-76) and an internal medicine residency and ms degree at the university of minnesota (1976-79) then he joined the faculty at cvm in 1980
some of lees contributions to the world of veterinary medicine include his work with hereditary kidney diseases in dogs his efforts lead to the eradication of an inherited disease in the english cocker spaniel his groundbreaking efforts also include spearheading the establishment of the texas veterinary renal pathology service to help improve and standardize the pathologic diagnosis of renal diseases in dogs and cats and to facilitate sharing and analysis of digital pathology imagery throughout the world
i have worked hard for many years said lees i am happy that my work is being recognized but it is on behalf of a large group of people that i have accepted these awards
the first hurricane of the 2010 hurricane season hurricane alex put many texas agencies on alert texas task force-1 was activated and deployed to respond to anticipated flooding condition in south texas ready and waiting should they be needed was the veterinary emergency team (vet) from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences

knowing that brazos county was going to be a designated evacuation hub for hurricane threats and eager to find a solution where experts in animal welfare could respond in the event of a disaster talks were initiated shortly after hurricane rita between the college and the emergency response staff of brazos county
to respond in an emergency the team has acquired special equipment and the funds to not only purchase this equipment but also to support the team funds were requested and received from the texas division of emergency management and other sources and have immediately been used to build the necessary infrastructure for the emergency response teams

once we knew that we were going to be able to develop formalized teams we began to organize under the name tamu vet or texas a&m university veterinary emergency team said bissett we have purchased some special tents satellite equipment portable stocks & stalls kenneling materials etc so that when we are out in the field we are able to deploy as a fully self-sustaining unit
while deployed the team is able to do assessments of animals and triage the injured this process can include doing toxicity sampling of water supplies to better know what is available to stranded livestock and pets evaluating food and nutrition needs and developing ways to stabilize the injured animals and get them to safety and shelter
we want to limit animal suffering said bissett so animal welfare will be paramount to our thinking our college was founded on service to the state so being able to respond when animals in the state are in need is in our tradition of service

not only have these teams dedicated themselves to being available to provide needed aid during a disaster but they also are using these opportunities as a teaching tool for future veterinarians three veterinary medical students serve on the tamu vets at any given time
as alex ran ashore on the mexican coast the tamu vet team organized gear and personnel to make sure that should the call come to mobilize they would be ready alex was only the first hurricane of the season and wont be the last with tamu vets loaded and ready animals caught in a disaster situation will have a dedicated response unit headed their way
there are many roles to fill in a time of disaster added bissett our students are able to see how emergency response is something that brings in faculty from the clinics in a multi-disciplinary effort not everyone is deployed as a major referral hospital the cvm also needs faculty to remain in the hospital to take care of emergent animal needs that arrive from shelters from evacuees passing through and from the deployed teams theres a role for everyone and it takes everyone to be successful at what we do
college station tx – dr christie sayes assistant professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) earned a prestigious 2010 dupont young professor award and grant
sayes is a nanoscientist who does most of her research in her nanomaterials and nanotoxicology lab at the cvm she also has a joint appointment with the college of engineering at texas a&m university through the department of biomedical engineering and the health sciences center through the department of environmental genomic medicine
i feel elated and honored that the company recognizes my research program there is research going on in toxicology at a&m that is outside of the traditional engineering fields but can be applied to the industry especially in the chemical industry explains sayes it is almost a sense of relief that my research is appreciated by not just what is going on in the university but also by the dupont company this award and funding will allow me to continue conducting my environmental health and safety research
the dupont young professor program gives financial assistance for three years to promising young faculty who do research in areas that will benefit the long-term success of dupont and its industries the companys top scientists dupont fellows forum choose the winners every year the candidate cannot be a tenured faculty member but they do have to be a on a tenure-track
sayes will use the grant money to further develop research on her focus: discovering what the biological and environmental effects are of mass producing nanomaterials one example is zinc oxide its properties and applications and what effect an engineered material like this can have on a consumer over a short and long term use
last year 2009 was the first year that dupont did not give out the grants due to economic conditions therefore a record number of candidates applied this year only 12 grants were given worldwide six in north america
the recognition from the award is great but the grant money that comes into my lab from it is an additional validation that what i am doing is important said sayes
dr leon russell professor of toxicology epidemiology and biostatistics at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences received an honorary degree from his alma mater the university of missouri on may 15 2010 an honorary degree is one of the highest honors the university can give

dr russell is a graduate who has dedicated his life to education and research he received his bachelors degree in animal science from the university of missouri as well as his doctor of veterinary medicine degree his research focus in zoonotic diseases played an important role in the development and epidemiologic evaluation of the oral vaccination that helped control coyote and grey fox rabies in texas he has both researched and taught the subjects of public health toxicology and zoonotic diseases russell is also the first american elected president of the world veterinary association
the doctor of science letters honoris causa was awarded to dr russell at the university of missouris convocation ceremony dr russell spoke and advised students to give credit to others when good things happen and to take the blame for the bad
i am deeply honored to be the recipient of this degree states russell i have been fortunate to work with so many good students and to be supported in that work by my colleagues to be able to share with others what i have learned from a lifetime of experience has been an important part of my professional career and to be recognized by my alma mater for doing something i enjoy is very humbling
dr barbara gastel professor in the veterinary integrative biosciences department at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is this years recipient of the council of science editors (cse) award for meritorious achievement gastel was presented the award on may 17 at the cses annual meeting in atlanta georgia

the award the councils highest honor acknowledges achievements that highlight the cses goal which is improving scientific communication by pursuing high standards in all editing-related activities
its wonderful im very touched said gastel in recognition of the award it is especially meaningful to me as it is not only an honor given by my peers in the field but one that has been previously given to some of the people i most admire in the field
the award is partly in recognition of gastels 12-year editorship of science editor the cse journal and its predecessor cbe views in addition to being of significant duration gastels editorial term was distinguished by her involvement of student interns in the journals publication
barbaras work as the editor-in-chief since 1998 of cbe views and then science editor was crucial to the development of cse and the promotion of good editorial practices said former cse president and chair of the cses awards and honors committee dr ana marusic further barbara involved young students in the publishing of the journal teaching them not only how to prepare excellent articles but about what it means to be an editor and science communicator
from degrees in medicine and public health from johns hopkins university to international recognition as an authority on science communication gastels career has traced an illustrious trajectory gastels noteworthy achievements extend beyond her service to the cse including four books-presenting science to the public teaching science: a guide for college and professional school instructors health writers handbook and with robert a day how to write and publish a scientific paper-and serving as the us coordinator for the china medical board program in biomedical writing and editing for the 12 years of its existence also she has begun working with authoraid an international endeavor to help researchers in developing countries publish their research in scientific journals
the award is also the latest addition to a host of honors gastel has received during her career such as the john p mcgovern science and society award the cse distinguished service award and the american medical writers association (amwa) harold swanberg distinguished service award she has also been named honored editor in the life sciences by the board of editors in the life sciences
gastel will step down this month after serving a historic four consecutive terms as editor of science editor
a publication benefits from new blood and other people should have this experience she said explaining her decision to resign as editor of the journal
although gastel will continue to contribute to science editor she aims to devote more time to her other projects these include preparing the manuscript for the new edition of the book she coauthored with robert a day (a previous recipient of the cse award for meritorious achievement) working on a cd module on medical terminology for amwa and continuing to serve as the knowledge community editor for authoraid
dr allen roussel professor and associate department head at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been named the next american college of veterinary internal medicine large animal internal medicine (acvim laim) specialty president elect

the mission of the acvim is to eliminate animal disease by supporting discovery education and partnerships throughout the global community of medicine acvim supports the work of scientists that raises awareness for specialty medicine the need for advanced care and research for future cures dr roussels specialty is with large animal internal medicine
roussel begins his leadership role with the acvim laim at a time when there is a nationwide shortage of large animal veterinarians and yet they have an important part to play in protecting public health large animal veterinarians have had a role in ensuring the safety of the food supply through disease surveillance improving herd health and the development of new diagnostic and treatment modalities acvim specialists in private practice the provide the highest level care to large animals at referral hospitals throughout the country while those at university teaching hospitals instruct students and post-graduate trainees in the latest methods of diagnosis and treatment
i am honored to have the opportunity to serve as president of the specialty of large animal internal medicine said roussel we are faced with challenges in both the private and public sector in this period of economic uncertainty but our membership has the will and the know-how to meet any challenge head-on and continue to advance the profession
roussel will begin his term as the president elect in june of 2010 and become the president in june of 2011
dr anton g hoffman clinical professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences (vibs) of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been honored with a student-selected teaching excellence award

initiated by chancellor michael d mckinney in 2008 the teaching excellence awards program honors and financially rewards top teachers throughout the 11 branch campuses of the texas a&m university system for excellence in classroom teaching awards are based solely on rankings from evaluations created and administered by students with weighting for factors such as class size all a&m system faculty members who teach at least a 3-hour course can participate in this program
ranked in the top 5% of the total 207 texas a&m university system faculty winners hoffman will be one of three faculty members to receive a check for $10 000
i am honored and humbled to receive the chancellors teaching excellence award hoffman said i can honestly say that my teaching career has been more challenging stimulating and rewarding than i could have ever imagined it is a joy to watch veterinary students grow and mature during their short time with us both intellectually and personally it is incredibly rewarding to me when my students come back to me after the third or fourth year or even after post-graduation and say thanks thanks for taking the time to help thanks for caring about whether i understood the material
the award is a noteworthy addition to the string of teaching honors hoffman has received during his career these include the john h millif award for teaching the carl j norden/pfizer distinguished teacher award (which he has won twice) the association of former students distinguished achievement award for teaching (at both the college and university levels) and the student led award for teaching excellence
a 1986 graduate of the cvm hoffman joined the department of veterinary anatomy and public health (now vibs) in 1987 as a veterinary clinical associate he was promoted to senior lecturer in 1998 clinical associate professor in 2003 and since 2009 he has served in the position of clinical professor
hoffmans main responsibilities involve teaching a range of undergraduate and professional anatomy courses offered by the vibs department these include a comprehensive small animal gross anatomy course taught in the first semester of the professional program; a special programs course in which biomedical science undergraduate students can work on anatomic projects such as skeletal preparation; and a neuroanatomy and clinical neurology course which teaches not only anatomy of the gross brain and spinal cord but also focuses heavily on neurological examination and localization of neurological lesions
for most students the thought of an anatomy course can be quite scary hoffman said explaining his teaching style however it has been my observation that they will usually dive into the material once they [are motivated] and have a clear sense of the usefulness of the material to their future careers to that end i try to keep my anatomy courses clinically relevant by emphasizing major points with various real-world clinical examples
hoffman also believes in developing innovative methods to cater to different learning styles he has facilitated student learning by developing computer software programs for teaching anatomy for example canine radiographic anatomy (texas a&m university press) also as director of the departments plastination laboratory since 1994 he has developed plastinated models for teaching further as a medical illustrator he has contributed numerous anatomic illustrations to peer-reviewed manuscripts books book chapters and presentations hoffman has also prepared anatomical illustrations for the courses he teaches to aid student learning
a teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary is one of hoffmans favorite teaching quotes and one that defines his teaching philosophy by not only imparting information but by teaching his students how to find information learn on their own and ask questions hoffman hopes that ultimately his students will get along without him not even noticing if hes not around
were the only diagnostic laboratory in the world that focuses solely on gastrointestinal diseases in companion animals said dr jörg steiner associate professor of small animal internal medicine and director of the gastrointestinal laboratory (gi lab) at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm)
the frequency of gastrointestinal diseases in dogs and cats is very high said steiner explaining the importance of focusing attention on these diseases were dealing with disorders that have a huge impact on animals lives and therefore peoples lives for example a lot of animals are abandoned because they have chronic diarrhea the owners cant deal with the economic and emotional burden of the disease if we can make these animals better we can save their lives
over the past 25 years the gi lab has excelled at precisely this mission the lab has pioneered the development of tests for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases; has been involved in research on the pathogenesis genetic origin diagnosis and treatment of these diseases; and has contributed to training in this field by establishing a combined phd-residency program in small animal gastroenterology the only one of its kind in north america
these noteworthy achievements began with a test developed in 1985 by dr david williams founder of the gi lab at the university of florida for diagnosing canine exocrine pancreatic insufficiency a disorder in which food digestion is impaired because of a lack of pancreatic digestive enzymes the lab then moved several times first to kansas state university and then to purdue university it was finally housed at texas a&m in 1997 steiner assumed directorship of the gi lab in 2005 replacing williams who continues to be involved in the labs service activities
over the course of its lifetime the lab has grown its diagnostic repertoire to cover a range of tests for the assessment of gastrointestinal health and disease these include testing for the vitamins cobalamin and folate deficiencies of which are associated with gastrointestinal disorders; tests for gastrointestinal infections caused by protozoans and bacteria; tests for pancreatitis; and tests for inflammatory markers of chronic gastrointestinal disease for example c-reactive protein
some of these tests are unique in that they are only available through the texas a&m gi lab others for example the test for the diagnosis of pancreatitis in dogs and cats have become accepted as a gold standard and have been licensed to commercial diagnostic laboratories that can make them available to veterinarians worldwide
staffed by a team of about 40 veterinary graduate students technicians consultants and student workers the lab processes about 1000 samples a week sent in by veterinarians across the globe
although 99% of the service [the gi lab offers] is directed toward cats and dogs whenever there is somebody with a question that they cant answer but believe that we can help them were happy to work with them said steiner
over the years this willingness to expand the reach of the service has led to the gi lab being involved in the diagnosis of pancreatitis in a sea lion collaborating with a group in the university of san antonio to study gastrointestinal disease in marmosets and developing diagnostic tests for use in ferrets
the lab also works toward enhancing patient care by providing consultation services veterinarians who have submitted patient samples for testing can discuss test results and treatment options with the labs board-certified internal medicine specialists
steiners future goals include expanding the labs research focus to include the field of gastrointestinal endocrinology [the study of hormones that regulate digestion]
the gastrointestinal tract is considered to be the largest endocrine gland in the body and yet the only endocrine diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that we know of are diabetes mellitus caused by an underproduction of insulin or tumors leading to an overproduction of gut hormones we do not know of any gastrointestinal disease associated with the underproduction of other gut hormones for example the underproduction of gastrin cholecystokinin or somatostatin these diseases have not been described either in people or in dogs and cats so one of my goals is to look at this interesting research area
fulfillment of these goals requires funding which has so far been a challenge
steiner hopes that individual endowments from one or several people will help catapult these programs forward and in doing so will help support a lab that through its research is committed to helping promote gastrointestinal health in companion animals on a daily basis
the cause of proventricular dilatation disease (pdd) a fatal neurological disorder that affects mainly captive parrots is avian bornavirus (abv) a group led by researchers at the schubot exotic bird health center of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences confirmed this revelation in a recent study
the study published in the march 2010 issue of the journal emerging infectious diseases is based on the fulfillment of kochs postulates for abv the postulates are a set of criteria that must be met to prove that a particular pathogenic agent causes a disease
first identified in 2008 in birds affected with pdd abv has been suggested as the possible cause of this disease however thus far conclusive evidence demonstrating the virus actually causes pdd has not been presented
establishing such a causal relationship between abv and pdd the researchers explain in the study would require satisfying kochs postulates that is isolation of the agent [in this case abv] from infected birds; its propagation in culture; and after reintroduction of the isolate into a susceptible host manifestation of the disease
the researchers have demonstrated precisely these steps
the group isolated abv from the brain tissues of eight parrots with pdd the virus was then propagated under laboratory conditions; specifically the virus was grown in a culture of duck embryonic fibroblasts fibroblasts infected with the virus were then injected into two pdd-free patagonian conures one patagonian conure was injected with fibroblasts that did not contain the virus
the two patagonian conures infected with abv developed clinical signs of pdd further brain tissues from these birds tested positive for abv the conure that was not infected with the virus did not develop pdd
its the final act in proving that the virus actually causes pdd said dr ian tizard director of the schubot center and head of the research group commenting on the successful experimental reproduction of the disease in healthy birds
the study funded by texas a&m universitys richard m schubot endowment represents a major step forward in understanding pdd a disease that has befuddled scientists for more than 30 years
first reported in the late 1970s pdd affects more than 50 species of parrots as well as other birds many of these species are endangered and are raised in captivity making pdd a serious threat to their conservation
the disease is characterized by damage to the nerve supply in the organs in the gastrointestinal tract this affects birds ability to digest food resulting in the accumulation of undigested food in the proventriculus the first part of the stomach which consequently dilates (hence the name of the disease)
common clinical signs include weight loss regurgitation of undigested seeds and loss of appetite pdd can also damage nerves in the brain and spinal cord resulting in neurological symptoms such as imbalance and lack of coordination the disease eventually results in death
further studies at the schubot center will focus on the origin prevention and treatment of the disease
these future projects include examining raccoon fecal droppings as a possible source of viral origin testing the ability of antiviral drugs to inhibit the growth of the virus grown in duck embryo fibroblast culture and a multicenter trial to test the effectiveness s of anti-inflammatory drugs (for example cyclosporine) to prolong the survival of pdd-affected birds
every year for more than 50 years the association of former students (afs) texas a&m universitys official alumni association has been recognizing outstanding members of the faculty and staff with distinguished achievement awards one of the highest university honors this year four faculty members of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) have been honored to receive this very special recognition
dr louise abbott and dr william murphy associate professors in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences are this years recipients of the awards in the categories of teaching and research respectively dr james womack distinguished professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology has been honored with a graduate mentoring award and dr debra zoran associate professor and chief of small animal internal medicine in the department of veterinary small animal clinical sciences has also won the award for teaching
these four distinguished faculty members are a credit to our college said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine their dedication and commitment to our students and our programs as well as that of their colleagues are why texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine is an international leader in animal public and environmental health
these faculty members will receive a $4000 cash gift a commemorative plaque and an engraved watch at the afs university-level awards ceremony which will be held on april 29 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm in rudder theater
for abbott a faculty member in the cvms neuroscience and toxicology program the award is the latest teaching accolade of several she has earned during her career she was named the universitys 1997-98 montague-center for teaching excellence scholar
during her 15-year career at cvm abbott says she has particularly enjoyed the opportunity to have one-on-one interactions with various students whether it has involved helping veterinary students to make a contribution to the profession encouraging research at the undergraduate level or exposing graduate students to the latest advancements in research
its a prestigious honor she said commenting on the award the fact that it included letters [of nomination] from students makes it particularly special
also honored in the teaching category zoran is involved in clinical teaching and research activities in the fields of small animal gastroenterology nutrition and feline medicine
this really is overwhelming and humbling zoran said there are so many wonderful teachers and teaching role models in our college that i just feel blessed to be chosen for this very special award i wish to thank my mentors who have supported me and [have] helped me learn how to be a better teacher for murphy recipient of award in the research category the award is the second research award he has received in the past six months last december murphy won the universitys joann treat research excellence award
murphys research is targeted toward improving our understanding of the organization and evolution of genes that may be of relevance to feline diseases and traits of interest through genome mapping he also studies the genetic and environmental changes responsible for the diversification and extinction of mammalian populations and species
i would like to thank all of my fantastic students staff and colleagues in the cvm and elsewhere who make coming to work every day a pleasure and without whom i would not be deserving of this honor murphy said in recognition of the award
for womack winner of the award for graduate mentoring the award is an addition to the numerous prestigious honors he has received during the course of his career a member of the national academy of sciences womack is credited with creating the first genome map of cattle his research interests include identifying genes responsible for disease resistance in mammals and developing animal models for human disease research and for improving animal health and productivity
commenting on the award womack said graduate students are the glue that holds a research university together they are the link between teaching and research ive been fortunate to have some truly outstanding young men and women train in my laboratory and their postdoctoral success is much more of a tribute to them than to me i am honored to receive this award on their behalf
texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is pleased to announce its unique collaboration with blinn colleges new veterinary technology program this two-year technical program leads to an associates in applied science degree in veterinary technology from blinn college in the first year of the program students will take their classes at blinns bryan campus during the second year of the veterinary technology program the students will receive much of their laboratory and clinical education in both the small animal and large animal teaching hospitals at the cvm where they will work alongside registered veterinary technicians (rvts) clinicians and veterinary students graduates of the veterinary technology program are then eligible to sit for national and state credentialing examinations to become a registered veterinary technician the program has a competitive application process that requires previous coursework veterinary-supervised clinical experience and health occupations testing deadline for submitting an application for the fall semester is may 31 2010 for more information on the program and to register for an information meeting where you can receive an application packet please visit the veterinary technology home page
college station tx – dr robert burghardt professor in the veterinary integrative biosciences department of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been honored by the society for the study of reproduction with a distinguished service award

the society presents this award to individuals who have demonstrated unselfish service and leadership in advancing the discipline of reproductive biology marked by prestigious leadership positions teaching awards and prolific contributions to research burghardts academic career spanning more than three decades is a stellar example of this accomplishment
its a great honor unexpected but much appreciated burghardt said reflecting on the significance of the award
burghardt collaborates with a group of reproductive biologists who refer to themselves as the uterine biology and pregnancy team which was honored in 2005 with the universitys agriculture program vice chancellors award in excellence for team research the award was in recognition of exceptional leadership in advancing the understanding of the processes that affect [the] reproductive health of animals to benefit both agriculture and human sciences
dr burghardt is a tremendous asset to our college said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his commitment to not only his research but also his students has made a significant contribution to animal and human health today and in the future
over the course of his career burghardt has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers he also holds a patent titled cryopreservation of tissue for use in nuclear transfer along with a fellow colleague and a graduate student the patent was awarded for developing methods to preserve tissues harvested from animals postmortem for future use in cloning for purposes such as the conservation of endangered species
burghardts other accomplishments include serving as a grant reviewer for federal agencies such as the national institutes of health and the national science foundation; serving as the associate editor of the biology of reproduction the society for the study of reproductions official journal; and being awarded the wiley distinguished teaching professorship in veterinary medicine
burghardts work in reproductive biology began at harvard medical school where as a postdoctoral researcher he studied mechanisms underlying communication between ovarian cells in mammalian models an interest in the use of imaging techniques for research in reproductive biology brought him to texas a&m university he joined the universitys department of biology as an assistant professor in 1978 to teach a course in microscopy he later become associate professor in this department as well as director of the universitys electron microscopy center posts which he held until 1987
that same year burghardt made the transition to the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences he joined the department of veterinary anatomy and public health (now veterinary integrative biosciences) as associate professor besides the pursuit of research interests the transition was motivated by an invitation to develop a laboratory based on emerging microscopy technologies which resulted in burghardt founding the colleges image analysis laboratory in 1987
in addition to investigating how smooth muscle cells in the uterus are activated during the induction of labor burghardts research projects include studying the mechanisms of cell signaling between the placental and fetal tissue compartments during the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy and studying mechanisms of cytotoxicity using non-invasive fluorescence imaging techniques
further under burghardts direction the image analysis laboratory has become one of the premier cellular imaging facilities in the nation it has also served as a core facility for projects funded by major grants from the national institute of environmental health sciences for example the superfund research program
for the college to be on the forefront of imaging we have to find the funding to purchase a new instrument every 2 or 3 years burghardt says
he aims to continue to provide state-of-the-art analytical microscopy resources and training facilities to students and researchers to utilize this technology to advance their research
reflecting on his career burghardt credits the college for giving him the perfect job one that has allowed him to balance and enjoy his many academic interests
ive been very lucky to have the opportunity to teach the courses i really like burghardt says ive been fortunate to work with colleagues and trainees in research areas that are very stimulating and motivating and to have the opportunity to provide service through the image analysis laboratory
college station tx – dr john august professor of feline internal medicine at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been named as interim head of the department of veterinary pathobiology his appointment replaces previous interim department head fuller bazer whose research is taking him out of the country augusts appointment come new duties and responsibilities for august
i will be responsible for the quality and scope of instructional research and clinical service programs of the department and one of my responsibilities will be to ensure a smooth transition for the next permanent leader in the department said august my hope is that the department will have permanent leadership in place in the near future allowing me to hand over the responsibility to the new department head in a timely way
as a faculty member in small animal clinical sciences august is looking forward to having an opportunity to become better acquainted with his colleagues in pathobiology through his interim administrative appointment
as a faculty member in small animal clinical sciences ive always had a great deal of respect for my colleagues working in pathobiology and this interim appointment gives me a unique opportunity to get to know the faculty and staff of the department better and to learn more about their many contributions to the academic programs of our college
the earthquake in haiti has pushed this most impoverished country in the western hemisphere into the spotlight and in doing so has drawn attention to the cinderella diseases of the world: neglected tropical diseases or ntds

described as such by the world health organization (who) because they persist exclusively in the poorest and most marginalized communities and have been largely eliminated elsewhere and thus are often forgotten ntds affect more than 1 billion people worldwide they are highly prevalent in countries like haiti that have high levels of poverty and poor sanitation and medical systems
most ntds kill slowly causing life-long disabilities which in turn have severe consequences for both human health and livelihood examples of these diseases are leprosy lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and trachoma characterized by debilitation thickening of the skin and underlying tissues and blindness respectively
the irony is that most ntds are completely preventable however the poor economic and political clout of their victims means that there is little pressure on national or international health care programs to prioritize funding for the control of these diseases
at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences dr christine budke assistant professor of epidemiology is aiming to change this
budkes research focuses on two ntds-cystic echinococcosis (ce) or hydatid disease and neurocysticercosis (ncc) caused by parasitic worms or helminths ce and ncc affect both animals and humans and are prevalent in poor rural agricultural communities mainly in developing regions of the world for example areas of china the middle east central and south america and africa
by determining the global burden of these diseases-that is their total health socioeconomic and financial cost to society-budke aims to highlight and improve their pariah status
what makes [ce] exceptional…is that it is not only a substantial human health problem but also has a considerable economic effect on the livestock industries of some of the most socioeconomically fragile countries budke and her coauthors explained in a paper in 2006 titled the global socioeconomic impact of cystic echinococcosis
ncc also causes this two-fold hit as budke describes the blow to not only human health but also livestock production inflicted by these diseases the involvement of both animal and human hosts in the transmission cycles of ce and ncc explains this impact
for example the primary host of the tapeworm echinococcus granulosus which causes ce is the dog humans generally become infected by accidentally ingesting tapeworm eggs in food or drink contaminated with dog fecal material or during direct contact with dogs livestock such as sheep cattle and goats can also acquire the infection from dog fecal material ingested during grazing
in the case of ncc humans are the primary host of the disease-causing tapeworm taenia solium and become infected by accidentally ingesting tapeworm eggs in food or water contaminated with human feces or by eating raw or undercooked infected pork pigs also become infected by ingesting eggs shed in human feces
in both ce and ncc the ingestion of tapeworm eggs results in the formation of larval cysts which form in various organ systems and can have disastrous consequences for human and animal health
cysts [which in the case of ce form mainly in the liver and lungs] can grow to be 12 centimeters [about 5 inches] across budke says these slow-growing cysts are space-occupying lesions they are almost like a cancer and they can kill you
also in both ce and ncc cyst infestation in livestock results in economic losses due to livestock condemnation and production losses
despite these serious consequences to both human and animal health these diseases have not received due attention
the global burden of these diseases has never been determined partly because there is no framework for reporting these diseases at the regional city or country level budke says citing one reason for the neglected status of ce and ncc
in a paper published last year titled zoonotic larval cestode infections: neglected neglected tropical diseases budke and her coauthors provided several reasons for the under-reporting of ce and ncc
one is that these diseases are often undiagnosed this is because tests for their early diagnosis for example abdominal ultrasound computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans are not accessible to individuals in remote poverty-stricken communities
ce and ncc also remain undiagnosed because of their chronic nature
clinical signs associated with echinococcosis can take five to ten years to develop with clinical signs associated with ncc also taking months or years to appear budke and her coauthors explain in the paper for government administrations dealing with a myriad of public health crises this lack of acute symptoms may make these conditions seem less dire than those with a shorter incubation period
difficult treatment and complex control strategies have also contributed to the neglected status of these diseases
treatment often involves the expensive surgical removal of cysts and the administration of antihelminthic drugs for a minimum of six months which is not always effective control programs which for ce may include a combination of health education vaccination of secondary hosts such as sheep and the deworming of dogs are not easily implemented for various reasons
it is very difficult to sustain control measures budke says a number of factors need to be considered for ce these include controlling stray dog populations access to offal (the organs of butchered animals) the logistics of dog deworming and the cultural or religious beliefs of societies who believe in protecting and adopting stray dogs an important parasite reservoir
the difficulty in addressing the abovementioned issues is compounded by the limited funding available for controlling these neglected diseases
[these diseases] are really a one-health problem budke says stressing that both the human health and veterinary sectors must take responsibility for managing ce and ncc shared control costs and earlier detection of these zoonotic diseases are some advantages of this partnership
budke also stresses the importance of determining the global burden of ce and ncc which involves estimating their health and socioeconomic costs in addition to providing information on disease scope global burden estimates will help raise awareness about these diseases and in doing so make funding control measures for them a priority
budke and her collaborators hope that these approaches will increase the profile of ce and ncc and prevent them from being treated as neglected stepchildren
college station tx – dr larry johnson professor of veterinary integrative biosciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been appointed the new executive director of the texas a&m chapter of sigma xi

dr johnson began his membership with sigma xi while he was a faculty member at the university of texas southwestern medical school in dallas texas upon his arrival to the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences he became a member of the texas a&m chapter of sigma xi and has served as a member and/or chair of the awards committee the outreach committee the board and later became a president of texas a&m chapter of sigma xi
sigma xi founded in 1886 is a scientific research society that encourages excellence and community in scientific investigation
in an effort to bring the wonders and knowledge of science into future generations dr johnson has a special interest in furthering scientific education in youth as president he started the science promotion of youth committee and has served on that scientific outreach committee for several years in recognition of these efforts johnson has received the science communicator award from the texas a&m chapter of sigma xi which goes to those who promote an interest in science and research in youth
as executive director johnson will give continuity to the group and assist the current president in preparing the annual report submitting four award nominations to the national sigma xi level hosting the annual banquet and presenting the distinguished lecturer award
this appointment gives me an opportunity to pursue my outreach interests with a scientific organization who shares the same mission as i do; promoting research in the future said johnson
johnson will begin to serve in the position of executive director on march 1 2010
college station tx – dr peter rakestraw clinical professor at texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been named to the 2010-2011 board of directors of the texas veterinary medical association (tvma)
the board of directors serves as the legislative arm of tvma all board members are volunteer leaders chosen each year by the members of the association they are dedicated veterinarians who give many hours and much energy each year to the governance management and operations of tvma out of duty and devotion to their profession
being named to the board of the tvma is an honor because i was chosen by my peers and colleagues i am looking forward to serving the state of texas and its veterinary practitioners in this role states rakestraw
the purpose of tvma is to support veterinarians as they practice the art and science of veterinary medicine in texas tvma is one of the largest state veterinary medical associations in the nation and is recognized for its leadership on important issues innovative solutions and effective representation the excellence of its educational programs publications and legislative efforts has fostered an outstanding reputation among veterinarians and sister associations across the country
on january 9th and 10th the george r brown convention center in houston texas hosted the houston cat clubs 58th annual charity cat show dr john august along with student members of the texas a&m university student chapter of the american association of feline practitioners proudly participated in the event

the houston cat club annual show is the first 10-ring show in the cat fanciers association said august several hundred purebred cats and household cats compete during the two-day show
the texas a&m veterinary students staffed a booth throughout the show that was kept busy by answering questions about the colleges various programs in feline medicine and discussing careers in veterinary medicine with aspiring veterinarians and their parents
our students did a great job representing the college in a very professional way added august by having a presence at this large show we are able to visibly demonstrate texas a&ms commitment to feline health
farm animals are more than a means of livelihood: they can serve as models for understanding how infectious diseases are transmitted in human populations
this novel idea was presented in a paper published last month in the journal nature reviews microbiology

dr renata ivanek assistant professor of epidemiology at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine biomedical sciences was one of the contributing authors of the paper (other study participants including main author dr cristina lanzas patrick ayscue and dr yrjo t grohn were from cornell universitys college of veterinary medicine)
according to the study which was funded by the national institutes of health understanding the complex processes that underlie the transmission of infectious diseases in human populations is critical for designing effective intervention strategies for these diseases mathematical models of infectious disease transmission have played a major role in understanding these processes
mathematical models provide a platform where the various factors that influence the transmission of infectious diseases [for example strain or dose of pathogen] can be tested in a cost-effective manner with minimal effort said ivanek designing experiments to test these diverse factors would be very complicated
further the predictions generated by these mathematical models can be used to forecast the long-term epidemiological and economic consequences of intervention strategies the authors state
however for these predictions to be considered accurate the models have to be validated or verified against data acquired in the field
it is difficult to validate theoretical predictions of infectious disease transmission in human populations because there is very little empirical data in this regard ivanek explained but farm animals can help fill this gap
the authors offer several reasons for why farm animal populations can serve as a good model for disease transmission in human populations these include similarities between farm animal and human populations with regard to disease mechanisms immune systems and factors that contribute to disease outbreak (for example crowding close contact and poor hygiene)
the study also provides examples of how farm animal models have been used in infectious disease research the authors discuss how mareks disease in poultry has been used to study factors that cause pathogens to become increasingly virulent in vaccinated populations and how swine populations harboring influenza viruses have been used to study how these viruses emerge and are transmitted across species
further ivanek explained that empirical data for one of her current projects funded by a $14 million national science foundation grant will be obtained from a farm animal model the project which addresses the transmission mechanism of infectious diseases caused by pathogens that are intermittently shed and persist in the environment will use e coli transmission among cattle as a model system
we will use empirical data from this system to validate the predictions of theoretical models which will be generated simultaneously said ivanek
ivaneks project underlines one of the main points of the review: the importance of combining mathematical and empirical approaches to investigating disease
the review findings suggest that investigating the dynamics of disease transmission within the herd environment is a one-health approach (that is addressing both animal and human health) for developing novel treatments and better diagnostic and predictive tools for infectious diseases
college station tx – john scroggs a long-time staff member at texas a&m university and a native of corpus christi has assumed the position of chief of staff at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
i am pleased to announce the appointment of mr scroggs to this important position on the administrative team said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his reputation for providing strong staff leadership and improving efficiencies will be a valuable asset for our college we are very excited that john will be joining our team not only for his experience but also his strong record of excellence in service knowledge of the university and his superb interactions with people on multiple levels i believe johns particular talents will complement our team well in a complex active college his organizational skills will pull together the talents of many to advance our diverse missions to the university to the people of texas and beyond
scroggs who served as the director and chief of staff for the office of the dean of faculties and associate provost prior to arriving at the cvm first joined the staff of texas a&m university n 1996 as a technical writer
texas a&m university has always been an important place for me said scroggs ive received two degrees from here and have had the opportunities to work for very diverse and exciting programs and people now i have the chance to bring together the lessons i have learned from so many places and use them to help advance the mission of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
from his graduation with a degree in english and philosophy in 1993 scroggs has been drawn to working with people
to work with people on multiple projects and help them to find excitement and meaning in the workplace is important to me said scroggs as the chief of staff i hope to help the people i serve achieve their goals and provide the support they need
as the chief of staff scroggs reports to dean eleanor green and will develop processes to improve efficiencies supervise deans office staff and serve as an advisor to the dean
i love being a problem solver said scrogg and in doing that try to do my part in managing obstacles and distractions so that everyone truly performs at their best i am looking forward to making a positive contribution to the cvm
dr fuller bazer interim head of the veterinary pathobiology department of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been awarded an honorary doctor of science degree by the university of florida the institution where he began his illustrious research and teaching career

bazer received this honorary phd at the fall graduation ceremony at the university of florida this past december
its a special honor to be nominated by colleagues who i worked with for a long time and still collaborate with bazer said reflecting on the significance of the award
this honorary degree is the latest in a long list of accolades that bazer has received over the course of his almost 42-year-long academic career which began at the university of florida he joined the faculty of animal science there as an assistant professor in 1968 bazer worked at the university of florida for more than 24 years receiving research and teaching honors and rising through the ranks to be appointed in 1988 as graduate research professor of the department of animal science and the department of pediatrics
dr bazer has been a presence in every aspect of his professional life said dr eleanor green carl b king dean of veterinary medicine his reputation lived on at the university of florida long after his departure to texas a&m this award is recognition of his many contributions and the regard in which he is still held it is an honor for me to work with him closely here at texas a&m as he is serving on our administrative team
bazer joined the department of animal science at texas a&m university in 1992 over the years he has held several prominent posts at the university such as director of the center for animal biotechnology and genomics associate director of the texas agricultural experiment station and associate vice president for research
currently bazer holds the prestigious titles of regents fellow distinguished professor and the od butler chair in the department of animal science
an internationally renowned expert in the field of reproductive biology bazers research focuses on uterine biology and pregnancy particularly the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy bazer was the co-recipient of the 2002-2003 wolf foundation prize in agriculture for discoveries of interferon-t and other pregnancy-associated proteins which clarified the mystery of signaling between embryo and mother to maintain pregnancy bazer holds five patents and has published more than 400 scientific articles reviews and book chapters
described by a colleague as someone who inspires by example bazer has also been recognized for his work as a mentor during the course of his career he has guided more than 90 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in 2009 he received a trainee mentoring award from the society for the study of reproduction (ssr) with this award bazer became the first member of the society to win all four of the organizations top scientist awards including the carl g hartman award the ssr research award and the ssr distinguished service award
its been a fun career said bazer whos in his 42nd year of academic service
in the coming years he aims to continue his commitment to graduate student education as well as his involvement in collaborative research projects which include determining the genetic basis of infertility in cattle and identifying genes critical for placental development
on november 13 2009 dr timothy phillips of the texas a&m university (tamu) college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences had the distinct honor of delivering the walston chubb award lecture at international research society sigma xis annual meeting at the woodlands waterway marriott hotel
phillips was invited to deliver the lecture as the recipient of the 2009 walston chubb award for innovation presented by sigma xi the award recognizes phillips 25 years of work on chemical and microbial contaminants of food particularly aflatoxins these are toxins produced by certain species of fungi that commonly infect corn and peanuts during drought conditions eating food contaminated with aflatoxins results in a disease called aflatoxicosis long-term exposure to aflatoxins can cause adverse health effects such as suppression of the immune system and growth retardation
phillips topic for the lecture down to earth science: clay-based therapy for mycotoxin exposure in humans and animals reflects his major achievement: demonstrating that a naturally occurring heat-processed clay called novasil (ns) can tightly and preferentially bind aflatoxins in the gastrointestinal tract and prevent their toxicity by reducing absorption and bioavailability
using molecular and animal models phillips and his research group have shown (1) the mechanism of aflatoxin interaction at ns clay surfaces and (2) the safety and efficacy of the clay for use in human trials
individuals who are at major risk of developing aflatoxicosis include the 45 billion inhabitants of the ‘hot zone-the region bound by the latitudes 40 degrees north and south of the equator droughts in this region increase fungal infection and consequently aflatoxin production explained phillips guidelines that specify permissible aflatoxin levels in foods are not always strictly followed in the developing countries in this zone
one of the most severe outbreaks of alfatoxin poisoning occurred in 2004 in kenya and was caused by the consumption of meals prepared from aflatoxin-contaminated maize aflatoxin levels as high as 8000 parts per billion (ppb) were detected according to the us food and drug administration human foods with the exception of milk may contain up to 20 ppb aflatoxin this outbreak caused 125 deaths
based on a trial in the united states that confirmed the safety of ns clay and determined the appropriate dose of this clay for use in humans phillips and his group carried out a larger clinical trial in humans in ghana (in the ejura-sekyedumase district of the ashanti region) for testing the efficacy of ns clay this site was chosen for the study because the people in the region were found to have biomarkers of aflatoxins in their blood and urine indicating aflatoxin exposure
the study was carried out for three months a total of 177 volunteers were randomly assigned to three groups that were given either a high dose low dose or no dose (the placebo group) of ns clay capsules per day
the study found that 99 per cent of the participants reported no clay-related side effects further the clay significantly reduced the level of exposure to aflatoxins
the findings support the potential application of ns clay for the protection of human populations at high risk for aflatoxicosis noted phillips
further studies include optimizing the dosage and delivery methods of ns clay also the safety of ns clay for long-term therapy needs to be determined as well as the effectiveness of the clay when included in human foods
phillips research has resulted in the establishment of texas enterosorbents inc a tamu-based company which is involved in commercializing products based on ns clay
phillips hopes that like iodine the clay will be used as an additive in table salt or in groundnut- or maize-based foods he also aims to make the clay available in the form of satchels of flavored clay so that a solution of the powdered clay in water may be taken as enterosorbent therapy in acute cases of aflatoxin exposure in a future study he also aims to test the efficacy of the clay when mixed with cornmeal since corn is especially prone to aflatoxin contamination
phillips hopes that this field-practical sustainable and environmentally benign approach can help positively impact the lives of the 45 billion people in the developing world who are seriously affected by aflatoxicosis
on december 28 2009 the fightin texas aggie football team will face the university of georgia in a fierce competition at the annual independence bowl however off the playing field the universities have collaborated as one team in an effort to save animal lives

this past october dr david nelson chief of emergency and critical care services at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences was presenting a paper at a conference in washington dc it was there that a colleague of his from the university of georgia approached him with a unique opportunity one of the veterinary medical students at the university of georgia had adopted a dog earlier in the year and now the students beloved pet a dachshund named pinky was in serious danger from a fairly unusual heart condition called core triatriatum dexter which is latin for heart with three atriums right sided since there was no veterinarian at the university of georgia college of veterinary medicine who had the right experience needed for this type of surgery and there was a team of clinicians at texas a&m that did dr nelson offered to do the surgery as an outreach effort where veterinarians and students from both schools could exchange knowledge and perhaps save a life
i have had a substantial experience in this type of surgery that they didnt have at georgia i thought this would be an excellent opportunity also to teach residents more about this type of surgery and exchange ideas said nelson pinkys condition was deteriorating rapidly so everything had to be done quickly i traveled down to georgia with kate nelson rn cp or supervisor here at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine thanks to the generosity of the veterinary medical teaching hospital administration here she and i were able to take several key instruments and operating equipment that were needed to perform this critical surgery
pinky a two year old female spayed dachshund was suffering from the effects of the congenital defect that occurs while the heart is formed during the puppies embryonic stage and does not develop properly signs of pinkys condition were not noticed by her owners until this past may when her heart became weak due to fluid buildup in her body when the blood from the body was unable to get back to the heart
georgia had attempted a non-invasive procedure in cardiology attempting to pop a membrane open by blowing up a balloon but unfortunately that was unsuccessful said nelson the surgery we performed involves cooling the patient down to a low body temperature we then stop the blood flow through the heart after this is done the heart is basically holding its breath so we must get in there and fix the problem in less than five minutes and close up the heart after the surgery pinkys heart would not beat on its own so we inserted a pacing device that makes it beat at a set rate it took some time for her heart to get used to pumping blood again which eventually happened several hours later (while pinky was on life support) and now pinky is running around enjoying the normal life of a favored pet a great thing about pinkys condition is that the surgery performed is a permanent fixture and pinky should not experience those heart problems ever again
dr nelson and the team spent about a week at the university of georgia and were able to tour the hospital and all of their facilities while there they were able to visit with clinicians residents and students about the procedure suturing techniques and different methods used at texas a&m
the people were extremely friendly and we couldnt have had a better stay said nelson it was just a truly great opportunity to compare programs techniques and share knowledge
the collaborative effort of the two universities has turned out to be a huge success not only to pinky and her owners but to future pets with the same problem that will benefit from the care and expertise of these great veterinarians who worked together for good
dr barbara gastel professor in the veterinary integrative biosciences department at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been selected as the recipient of the 2010 john p mcgovern science and society award
instituted by the international research society sigma xi the award is named after john p mcgovern (1921-2007) a distinguished american physician and recognizes individuals who are prominent spokespersons for the public understanding and appreciation of science
past winners include condoleezza rice (former united states secretary of state) and norman e borlaug (father of the green revolution)
gastel will receive the award at the 2010 sigma xi annual meeting and international research conference to be held next november in raleigh north carolina the award includes an honorarium of $5000 the mcgovern medal a certificate of recognition and the opportunity to deliver the john p mcgovern science and society lecture the highlight of sigma xis annual meetings
its exciting to be recognized for contributions to this field said gastel who was also nominated for the award last year
long-standing editor of science editor the journal of the council of science editors (cse); organizer of workshops on scientific writing for international researchers; and author of books and journal articles on science writing teaching and editing-gastel has had a rich and varied career which began with degrees in medicine and public health from johns hopkins university and the decision in her final year of medical school to pursue medical communication
in addition to the award presented by the southwest chapter of the american medical writers association (amwa) in 2006 for excellence in medical communication (also named after john p mcgovern) gastel has received amwas harold swanberg distinguished service award for extensive contributions to the field of medical writing and cses distinguished service award she has also been named honored editor in the life sciences by the board of editors in the life sciences
gastel has also worked actively to promote science communication abroad for the 12 years of its existence she served as the us coordinator for the china medical board program in biomedical writing and editing based in china the program aimed to train editors in leading asian medical schools and to help asian biomedical scientists publish their work in english-language international journals she also served as visiting professor of technical communication for two years at beijing medical university (now peking university health science center) beijing china she has also led delegations of medical writers to russia and estonia and to china and mongolia as part of the people to people citizen ambassador program
gastel s latest effort to improve biomedical communication abroad is her involvement in authoraid-an international endeavor to help researchers in developing countries publish their research in scientific journals in part by pairing them with mentors with substantial experience writing or editing scientific papers the most extensive authoraid project is based at the international network for the availability of scientific publications (inasp) a uk charity and gastel serves as the knowledge community editor for the project her main responsibilities in this role are to provide weekly blog postings create and compile web resources for authors and others and conduct workshops on research writing about three times a year in developing countries in asia africa and latin america
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station texas – cancer may spread throughout the human body when malignant cells travel in the blood stream but it may be possible to slow or even stop those cells from spreading by altering their structure according to a recent investigation led by a texas a&m university researcher

the team – assembled by gonzalo rivera an assistant professor in the department of veterinary pathobiology in the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and scientists from the university of connecticut health center and the university of california san francisco – published its findings recently in molecular cell a peer-reviewed scientific journal
the spread of cancer is one example of what can happen when things go awry with the cytoskeleton a meshwork created by the assembly of multiple copies of a cellular protein called actin rivera said
the actin cytoskeleton determines a cells shape and its ability to stick to other cells or to tissue the cytoskeleton is constantly being reshaped in response to external clues sensed by cells through a complex process of signal transduction cells translate external clues into specific behaviors they may grow rapidly they may alter their functions or they may migrate to others parts of the body
cells respond to signals from the environment by several ways among the most critical are the changes in lipids called phosphoinositides as well as in tyrosine phosphorylation the addition of a phosphate group to specific cellular proteins
the long-term goal of our research is to define how signals that alter the cytoskeletal architecture promote cancer initiation and progression as well as migration of vascular cells rivera said our recent article published in molecular cell addresses the important question of how signal transduction mechanisms set in motion by external clues result in remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton
using a unique combination of experimental approaches including molecular genetics proteomics and high resolution optical microscopy rivera and his co-investigators uncovered a novel molecular mechanism in the regulation of n-wasp a protein critically involved in rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton
n-wasp is a direct cousin of wasp (wiskott-aldrich syndrome protein) a protein named after the physicians that first reported a rare inherited disorder characterized by low level of blood platelets eczema recurrent infections and a high risk of leukemia or lymph node tumors in boys
specifically we demonstrated that a cross-talk between signals that alter tyrosine phosphorylation and the metabolism of phosphoinositides is critical in the regulation of n-wasp activity and the reshaping of the actin meshwork rivera said importantly our work shows that an ‘adaptor protein termed nck is essential in the coupling of phosphotyrosine- and phosphoinositide-dependent signals that drive cytoskeletal rearrangements through the n-wasp pathway
experimental evidence suggests that reducing nck levels in malignant tumor cells drastically diminishes their ability to migrate in an artificial environment rivera explained
one could speculate that targeting the intracellular machinery that modulates actin remodeling and particularly the n-wasp signaling hub may open new avenues for the treatment of invasive carcinomas rivera said we are currently determining the role of this signaling pathway in cytoskeletal changes linked to tumor formation and metastatic growth
the article reciprocal interdependence between nck and pi(4 5)p2 promotes localized n-wasp-mediated actin polymerization in living cells can be found in the nov 13 2009 issue of molecular cell
college station tx – dr william j murphy associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is this years recipient of the joann treat research excellence award

established by the board of trustees of the texas a&m research foundation the award is open to faculty at any of the texas a&m university system components it recognizes exceptional contribution to the faculty members field of research administered through the foundation during the past five years the award is named in honor of joann treat who served 19 years as president of the research foundation before retiring in august 2003
the foundation announced the award at their annual councilor/trustee fall meeting held on december 11 2009 murphy received a $10 000 award and a commemorative plaque he will also have his name recorded on the joann treat commemorative glass vase displayed in the research foundation lobby
murphys main research interests are feline genomics and mammalian phylogenetics specifically his work is focused on mapping and annotating the domestic cat genome and studying the y chromosome of cats and dogs
mapping the feline genome will facilitate the identification of genes involved in feline diseases and should have a major impact on improving feline health he said it will also enable the use of the domestic cat as a model for human disease
murphys research also focuses on mammalian phylogenetics and conservation genetics
we are specifically seeking to understand the underlying genetic and environmental changes that contribute to the diversification and extinction of mammalian populations and species he said
murphy received his phd in biological sciences in 1997 from tulsa university he completed his postdoctoral work at the laboratory of genomic diversity of the national cancer institute and worked as a senior scientist at nih before joining texas a&m university in 2004
he has published over seventy articles in peer-reviewed journals including science and nature his lab is funded by the national science foundation usda morris animal foundation akc-canine health foundation winn feline foundation the snow leopard conservancy and the national geographic foundation
college station tx – dr william j murphy associate professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is this years recipient of the joann treat research excellence award
established by the board of trustees of the texas a&m research foundation the award is open to faculty at any of the texas a&m university system components it recognizes exceptional contribution to the faculty members field of research administered through the foundation during the past five years the award is named in honor of joann treat who served 19 years as president of the research foundation before retiring in august 2003
the foundation announced the award at their annual councilor/trustee fall meeting held on december 11 2009 murphy received a $10 000 award and a commemorative plaque he will also have his name recorded on the joann treat commemorative glass vase displayed in the research foundation lobby
murphys main research interests are feline genomics and mammalian phylogenetics specifically his work is focused on mapping and annotating the domestic cat genome and studying the y chromosome of cats and dogs
mapping the feline genome will facilitate the identification of genes involved in feline diseases and should have a major impact on improving feline health he said it will also enable the use of the domestic cat as a model for human disease
murphys research also focuses on mammalian phylogenetics and conservation genetics
we are specifically seeking to understand the underlying genetic and environmental changes that contribute to the diversification and extinction of mammalian populations and species he said
murphy received his phd in biological sciences in 1997 from tulsa university he completed his postdoctoral work at the laboratory of genomic diversity of the national cancer institute and worked as a senior scientist at nih before joining texas a&m university in 2004
he has published over seventy articles in peer-reviewed journals including science and nature his lab is funded by the national science foundation usda morris animal foundation akc-canine health foundation winn feline foundation the snow leopard conservancy and the national geographic foundation
college station tx – texas a&m university was proud to welcome gene and chris to campus on tuesday november 24th gene and chris are not the typical guests that would be welcomed to campus; they are beautiful female elephants that eat roughly 200 pounds a day they spent the morning happily eating hay and bamboo at spence park as part of the elephant walk tradition where seniors come together and wander around campus as their days as students wind to a close in the coming semester one of the elephants found joy in attempting to pull out a yellow trash bag out of the can probably in search of monkey chow which is their favorite treat

dr alice blue-mclendon clinical associate professor at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences was asked to be the attending veterinarian for the visiting elephants dr theodore friend professor of animal science at texas a&m university has worked with the elephants before and was there with dr blue-mclendon in case of an elephant emergency
the main reason we are out there with the elephants is to be available in case they are in need of veterinary care but most likely they will not be needing us said blue-mclendon this morning my physiology (vtpp 323) class is going to be held out here at spence park where the elephants owner bill starnes will be teaching us elephant behavior

physiology students interact with gene during class at spence park before the annual elephant walk on thursday november 24 2009
they have several interesting behavioral patterns including rocking from side to side feeding and grooming each other
the rocking to one side usually indicates that they want something said friend sometimes it means they are anticipating something like food water or are excited before a performance elephants usually run in a matriarchal group and will typically bond like gene and chris
gene and chris will not be walking around campus; they are mainly out there for the students to take pictures with them as well as an educational component for dr blue-mclendons vtpp 323 class
college station tx – a collaborative study in which dr jianrong li of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) was one of the contributing authors has made the cover of this months issue of the prestigious scientific journal nature neuroscience

the studys main finding is the identification of a protein called gpr17 and its potential to serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (ms) which affects 2 million people worldwide and is characterized by damage to myelin the insulating layer of axons (long slender projections of nerve cells that transmit nerve impulses)
the study explains how gpr17 is involved in controlling the maturation of myelin-forming cells oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (cns) a process that is poorly understood the main function of these cells is to produce a myelin sheath around axons myelin production or myelination is crucial for the normal functioning of the central nervous system
myelin not only speeds up the conduction of nerve impulses along axons but also keeps axons healthy without myelin axons will eventually degenerate li explained
the study shows that gpr17 negatively regulates myelin development-that is its overexpression inhibits myelination while its absence results in the early onset of myelination during cns development
specifically lis group showed that the overexpression of this protein in a culture of oligodendrocyte precursor cells arrests oligodendrocyte differentiation
gpr17 is upregulated in human ms plaques and in animal models of ms said li in many ms cases there are oligodendrocyte precursor cells in plaques yet these cells fail to mature and myelinate axons therefore it is of great interest to test whether blocking this receptor promotes myelin repair and functional recovery
the study was funded by grants from the national institutes of health (nih) and the national multiple sclerosis society
college station tx – dr scott dindot assistant professor in the veterinary pathobiology department at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine biomedical sciences (cvm) has been awarded a research grant totaling about $100 000 for angelman syndrome (as) research

as is a moderately rare disorder affecting 1 in 12 000 individuals in the united states it is characterized by mental retardation speech impairment and motor dysfunction it is caused by the absence or loss of function of the maternal copy of the ube3a gene which is present on chromosome 15 in humans this gene encodes a protein called e6-ap however how the absence of this protein leads to the syndromes clinical manifestations is not known
as a step toward resolving this puzzle dindot is working on determining the function of this protein
the one-year grant awarded by the angelman syndrome foundation will fund a project dindot will begin in january 2010 at the cvm
the project will be the continuation of a study dindot worked on as a postdoctoral researcher at the baylor college of medicine in this study his research group showed that the e6-ap protein may be essential for the normal development of nerve structures called dendritic spines
dendritic spines are components of synapses (or synaptic connections) which are junctions through which neurons (or nerve cells) communicate with each other
it is believed that changes in the number size and shape of dendritic spines affects cognitive functions such as learning and memory through a process called synaptic plasticity
as we learn as we add information to our brain we strengthen synaptic connections [this process is called synaptic plasticity] which is manifested by dendritic spines becoming larger dindot explained
dindots previous study showed that in adult models of mice with as (that did not produce the protein e6-ap in their neurons) dendritic spines were immature in morphology and number also in mice without the syndrome e6-ap was observed to be present in dendritic spines
taken together these findings indicated that e6-ap plays a role in dendritic spine development
the focus of dindots upcoming project will be on determining which of the three isoforms of the human e6-ap protein is associated with dendritic spine development
we will culture hippocampal neurons [which are involved in learning] from angelman syndrome mice dindot said explaining the experimental method of the project then we will express each of the three isoforms of the human e6-ap protein in these cultured neurons and see which isoform of the protein can rescue or fix the dendritic spine defect in these mice
according to dindot identifying which isoform of the e6-ap protein is associated with the dendritic spine defect can form the theoretical basis of some sort of therapeutic intervention for this disease for example gene therapy [replacing the defective ube3a gene with a normal gene] or developing drugs that induce the expression of the e6-ap protein
what makes the e6-ap protein so important dindot said is that the gene that encodes it [that is ube3a] is a major player in neurodevelopmental disorders he explained how this gene is involved in not only as but also autism
chromosome 15q duplication syndrome is the duplication of the ube3a gene and the region on the chromosome in which it is present when this defect is maternally inherited it is the most common cytogenetic abnormality associated with autism so not only does ube3a give rise to as when absent when it is present in excess presumably it gives rise to autism
another reason for dindots interest in as is that it is a disorder that involves genomic imprinting and epigenetics two genetic phenomena he has been curious about since his phd days
angelman syndrome arises only through mutations [caused by changes in the dna sequence of a gene] or epimutations [caused by changes in epigenetic modifications] inherited from the mother dindot said when these mutations are inherited from the father there is either no disorder or a completely different disorder called prader-willi syndrome this is due to a phenomenon called genetic [or genomic] imprinting
dindot elaborated on the epigenetic cause of the syndrome
epigenetics has to do with the regulation of genes he explained there are kids with as that have no genetic mutation altogether but instead they have abnormal epigenetic modifications at a regulatory element responsible for driving the expression of the [ube3a] gene which turns the gene off so you end up with the angelman syndrome despite not having a mutation in the ube3a gene
commenting on the broader scope of his research dindot said that his lab is interested in studying the epigenetic regulation of the gene that causes angelman syndrome
grateful for being selected as one of the six recipients of grants awarded by the angelman syndrome foundation this year for research on this disorder dindot said that the funds will be used for purchasing reagents and building his team in the end he hopes that his work will be a step toward achieving the goal of the foundation which is to find a cure for this disease
college station tx – a group of international scientists – including three researchers from texas a&m university – have completed for the first time the genome sequence of the horse which may open doors for improved breeding disease treatment and even enhanced performance traits

dr loren skow (left) dr terje raudsepp and dr bhanu chowdhary participated in the project to sequence the participated in the horse genome
the multi-national team of 60 researchers has published its work on the project in the current issue of science magazine funding groups include the national human genome research institute the dorothy russell havemeyer foundation the volkswagen foundation the morris animal foundation and the european science foundation
texas a&m researchers loren skow bhanu chowdhary and terje raudsepp all associated with the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences participated in the horse genome project completed at broad institute in cambridge mass the group took dna from a single thoroughbred mare for the sequencing project
the researchers say that with more than 90 hereditary conditions such as infertility muscle disorders allergies and inflammatory diseases sequencing the horse has much to offer as a model species
one thing we learned from the project is that the structure of the chromosomes in the horse is similar to other mammals including humans skow says
the information we collect from this will be helpful down the road in work with genetic mutations and identifying certain disorders possibly even in developing strategies to increase disease resistance
skow says that in general terms horses and related donkeys and zebras have chromosome structures that evolved rapidly compared to other species this work gives us a chance to look closely at the entire evolutionary process of chromosome formation and diversification using the horse as a model he adds
it also lets us look at the human-animal model closer at the level of individual genes if a gene has mutated in a horse it may help us identify a similar process and how it relates to a clinical problem in humans we may be able to point to that gene as the problem and work from there about one-half of the horse genome sequence is very similar in organization to that of humans so it gives us a human application but it can also work vice versa – it may give us more knowledge about genetic problems in horses too
the project has particular interest in texas: the state is home to more than 1 million horses the most of any state and the horse industry has an economic impact of more than $5 billion with 96 000 jobs directly related to the equine industry about 300 000 texans own at least one horse studies show and texas leads the nation in the number of registered american quarter horses american paint horses appaloosa horses and american miniature horses
chowdhary associate dean for research and graduate studies in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and one of the researchers involved in the project notes that the texas a&m team helped to provide the background map of the horse genome
with the availability of the whole genome sequence we have entered into a new era in equine research the sequence has already led to the development of novel tools and resources that have initiated studies previously considered difficult or impossible
while the study of single traits or diseases will be significantly enhanced it will now be possible to study complex traits governed by several genes and perform association studies between traits important to the industry and variations observed in the genome
chowdhary adds advanced analysis can now be initiated to understand the molecular basis of disease resistance reproduction fertility etc studies have been initiated on the molecular basis pathogenesis of important diseases this reflects a major shift that has been possible only due to the complete genome sequence of the horse there will definitely be more exciting research that will follow soon
raudsepp says that completing the sequence is exciting for what it tells us about the equine genome now and what it can tell us years from now we anticipate that the sequence assembly will trigger the development of new tools to study the horse genome in ways never envisioned earlier it should significantly improve the speed and accuracy to determine the underlying genetics of simple and complex traits in horses
there is still a lot of work to be done but this is a huge step for the scientific community she notes
college station tx – the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university is known for being a leader in veterinary medicine and research as well as being a clinic that takes extraordinary care of our small animal patients dr jacqueline davidson small animal orthopedic and soft tissue surgeon has recently been added to our staff to provide the particular type of care that some of these small animal patients need
i have been in a clinical track position in the department of veterinary small animal clinical sciences at the college since september 1 2009 said davidson as a clinical-track full-professor my appointment is designated to be approximately 70 percent instruction 20 percent service and 10 percent scholarly activity the instructional effort is a combination of clinical didactic and laboratory instruction of professional students interns and residents the service effort includes all non-student teaching and non-scholarly related activities required to enable and enhance the activities of the department hospital school and university the scholarly activity effort includes publishing book chapters case reports journal articles and presenting continuing education programs that demonstrate my clinical expertise and experience with large numbers of cases
dr davidson has been at louisiana state university for the past fifteen years before coming to texas a&m she has been especially focused on rehabilitation in small animals as a sub interest for the past few years as well as her work in surgery dr davidson does work with small animals in pain management and postoperative care and is also trained in acupuncture and spinal manipulation for both small and large animals
the veterinary medical college at texas a&m is such a collegial place said davidson it is current and progressing they have a clear vision for where they want to go in the future and are active in taking strides toward that goal the atmosphere in the whole bryan and college station area is also friendly; it makes mundane things such as going to the grocery store a pleasant task
college station tx – dr adam p patterson dvm dacvd has joined the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences department of small animal clinical sciences as clinical assistant professor and chief of dermatology
dr patterson comes to the cvm after serving as a private practice dermatologist in the greater chesapeake bay area of maryland from 2005-2009 he notes that his practice philosophy is to talk with clients not to them
you can know a lot but if you do not address the clients concerns you are worthless to them and ultimately their pet said patterson
while in private practice dr patterson supervised the dermatological training of interns as a part of his dermatology residency program he developed educational materials featuring problem-oriented approach worksheets and lecture presentation and case-driven class notes
in transitioning from private practice to the academic environment at texas a&m dr patterson noted the positive relationship that the college has with its faculty
this cvm appreciates and supports the responsibilities of its clinical faculty said patterson in training entry and specialty level veterinarians while concurrently providing a service for the texas animal-owning population in times of need
dr pattersons clinical areas of interest include allergic skin disease autoimmune dermatoses and anal furunculosis while his scholarly interest is dermatology
as a diplomate of the american college of dermatology (acvd) dr patterson is certified as a veterinarian who has expertise and specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of animals with skin mouth hair ear and nail disorders he has significant training and experience in the treatment of allergic disorders including diagnosis and treatment of infectious and non-infectious skin diseases parasitic skin diseases autoimmune diseases and chronic infections and inflammatory conditions of the ears
dr patterson has served the acvd as chair of the website committee additionally he has written articles and book chapters addressing canine feline and small animal dermatology issues
dr patterson received his bs and dvm from mississippi state university interned at the university of tennessee and completed his residency at the university of illinois
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – being invited to participate in a symposium held in memory of a pioneering scientist is an honor
this week a group of researchers from texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) will have this very privilege
drs terry blanchard katrin hinrichs and charles love will present lectures and wet labs at the r m kenney equine reproduction symposium to be held from september 24 to 27 at the university of pennsylvania organized in memory of dr robert m kenney (1924-2008) a luminary in the field of equine fertility and reproduction the symposium is a 4-day continuing education program for veterinarians and animal scientists
all three cvm faculty members completed their veterinary residencies under kenney at the university of pennsylvania and share fond memories of a mentor who guided by excellence and example
bob served as a font of knowledge before there were search engines said hinrichs he was familiar with both the latest research in horse reproduction and related areas in other species as well as with the researchers involved he held out a high standard for intellectual thought and interpretation of the literature
blanchard echoed hinrichs praise for kenney: bob was unique in that he took a great interest in you not just as a veterinarian but also as a person the symposium is a great way to honor him
the three cvm researchers have followed in kenneys footsteps developing an international reputation for their research in equine reproduction the symposium will be an opportunity to showcase this work
for example in her wet lab on embryo and oocyte transfer hinrichs will discuss techniques developed at the cvm for processes such as post mortem transportation of ovaries oocyte collection from isolated ovaries and live mares and oocyte fertilization via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (icsi)
loves presentation on measures of semen quality will also highlight cvms expertise in this field
were pretty much the only lab in the world that has developed a battery of tests to evaluate stallion sperm quality said love
cvm will also be represented by veterinary residents dr shelby hayden and dr semira mancill who will give presentations on the topics deep horn insemination and sperm separation with equipure in addition to assisting with wet labs
the event also offers a chance to forge research collaborations
the meeting will be a good opportunity to talk to other speakers about new findings possible new studies and new techniques in assisted reproduction in the horse said hinrichs
college station tx – internationally renowned equine scholar dr jim heird has joined the texas a&m family
heird was hired as a joint appointment between the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) and the college of agriculture and life sciences as executive professor and coordinator of the equine sciences initiative
for many years texas a&m has been home to some of the finest equine scientists and clinicians in the nation said dr eleanor green dean of veterinary medicine we are so fortunate to be able to bring in another exceptional faculty member that will help to synergize the efforts between the cvm and the college of agriculture and life sciences
this new equine studies position has been established to bring the equine programs in the cvm and in the college of agriculture and life sciences together to better leverage the assets and talents in both colleges
each of these colleges has an excellent equine program states heird if we can combine the efforts of these two programs we will be able to improve teaching outreach and research in equine sciences which would benefit both our students and the equine industry
the first order of business for heird will be to do a complete assessment of each program
we will look at what assets each program currently has and where we can grow greater collaborations says heird these might be anything from teaching integration to advanced facilities well just have to see whats available
once heird has analyzed the assets in both colleges his challenge will be in helping faculty develop collaborative efforts and finding new ways to reach out to the equine industry
the equine industry is such a major contributor to the economy of our state said dr mark hussey vice chancellor and dean for agriculture and life sciences and texas a&m is better positioned than any other institution to support this industry with research and teaching
heird came to texas a&m from colorado state university where he was director of teaching and outreach for the equine sciences program
colorado state has an excellent equine program and i will definitely miss working there but the number one reason i chose to come to texas a&m is that it has the resources and faculty necessary to have the best equine program in the world says heird
along with the physical assets of texas a&m heird also was attracted to the spirit of the university
aggie spirit and pride and the history of excellence of the college of veterinary medicine and the animal science program really leads you to believe that there is a desire to be great comments heird i think with the resources and desire we have here we can not only be great we can and will be the best
college station tx – this past summer representatives from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences were delighted to attend the 32nd annual reliant park world series of dog shows which was held july 16 through 19th dogs from all over texas participated and were judged in various events including conformation agility flyball and obedience the show also hosted seminars on different breeds as well as demonstrations of canine frisbee and canine musical freestyle
david sessum rvt rehabilitation technician for the cvm attended the reliant park dog show in order to make people aware of the new and exciting things happening at the college
the dog show was an excellent public relations opportunity for the college said sessum it was a chance to educate people on what is happening at the college and the services we offer we spoke to many former clients who have been very happy with our service and also to teachers and students who were there to learn about the world of veterinary medicine
a very special highlight for the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine is that their very own stump the westminsters 2009 best in show made an appearance at the reliant park dog show stump is a sussex spaniel who first presented at texas a&m as a very sick pup with a severe heart infection with the help of cvms attentive care stump recovered and went on to be awarded top dog at the annual westminster kennel club dog show in 2009
the annual reliant park world series dog show is currently the largest in the nation and was a great opportunity to let the public know more about the services of the world famous institution that is the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine biomedical sciences
college station tx – aggie maroon benches blooms of pink and purple and a pathway lined with fresh green bushes-the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences now has its very own garden
tucked into a nook between the veterinary medical sciences (vms) and the veterinary medical administration (vma) buildings the garden was created through the joint efforts of a veterinary student organization with a concern for the environment-green vets-and a veterinarian with a passion for plants-dr alice blue-mclendon both aimed to develop the garden as a green retreat for students
students spend hours every day in class the garden will provide them with an outdoor space that is good for their mind body and spirit said blue-mclendon faculty representative of green vets also the garden is right outside the fishbowl which is a popular student lounge area so students can come out there and study if they would like instead of being inside
former president of green vets and a major driving force behind the garden shawn mccorkle hopes that the plants will attract wildlife such as birds and butterflies to the area
in addition to being an environmental endeavor the creation of the garden has been an exercise in persistence and partnership while green vets raised funds for the garden through a garage sale blue-mclendon designed the garden plan and selected plants from local nurseries this service-learning project also attracted help from other areas the texas a&m university landscape department helped green vets modify the sprinkler system and student employees of the winnie carter wildlife center used aggie engineering to pressure wash the concrete area (previously a bike parking lot) and place a 700-pound boulder in the garden also a service grant from the student chapter of the american veterinary medical association contributed to funding support
besides green vets members and student volunteers mccorkle is especially grateful to faculty for their help in seeing this year-long project through
we hit several bumps along the way but dr blue-mclendon and dr rogers associate dean for professional programs were always there to lend green vets their support we couldnt have done it without them expressed mccorkle
the garden which will be dedicated as the green vets native garden or the green vets native and adapted garden has about 25 plants such as homestead verbena crape myrtle and new gold lantana most of the plants are native to texas while the few non-native ones are adapted to withstand a very hot climate
future plans for the garden include a rock border also in the courtyard just in front of the garden two additional benches will be placed
small-group teaching is another use for the garden that the organization envisions
anything we can do to get students outside where there is fresh air is a good thing remarked blue-mclendon
the garden is currently being looked after by green vets members the organization is looking for volunteers to work in the garden on a regular basis
if you would like to sign up as a garden volunteer please contact christine cao secretary/garden chair of green vets at ckcao@cvmtamuedu
for more information on the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website: vetmedtamuedu
college station tx –a certain specialization that is often overlooked or unknown by many people today is that of a farrier a farriers job is to provide shoes for horses and to work on their hoof problems the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences does a lot of work on lame horses and a big part of treatment for horses hooves often requires therapeutic shoeing and a specialist who knows what to do
for years texas a&m has had a farrier contract on an as needed basis said dr kent carter professor of equine lameness and chief of medicine at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine large animal hospital the problem with this type of contract is that we dont always know when we are going to need a farrier and that makes us unable to provide full service to our clients
one year ago the faculty decided to do more towards pursuing a full time farrier to provide a better resource for our clients as well as a better teaching and learning environment for professional veterinary students
we set out on a national search for a full-time farrier and received a tremendous response said carter there were 30 or 40 applicants who were narrowed down to 12 and finally we interviewed 5 of them jason wilson-maki had the most outstanding interview
for wilson-maki there had always been the future goal of working at a vet hospital but finding the farrier job opportunity at the cvm came about by accident
my family and i were originally just looking at relocating to a warmer climate said wilson-maki
a native of ohio and a 1997 graduate of the heartland horseshoeing school jason was qualified for the job because of his previous experience and teaching he also has a double certification in the american farriers association and the farriers guild he showed great enthusiasm about horses and teaching during his interview and began work at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine during october of 2008
wilson-maki feels that one of the greatest benefits of working as a farrier at a vet hospital as opposed to being self-employed is that working with so many veterinarians eliminates the guesswork and is of greater benefit to the horses
having a diagnosis and a prescription reduces the amount of trial and error required to improve an animals performance or soundness said wilson-maki moreover the direct communication between the clinicians and myself benefits the animal by reducing the risk of a miscommunication if i have any technical or application concerns these issues can be discussed this facilitates an individualized comprehensive treatment for the animal which accomplishes the goals of the attending clinician and stays in step with the fundamental principles of sound farriery this team approach is a great joy for me
since such a huge part of an equine veterinarians career has to do with providing the physical skills needed to handle problematic hooves wilson-makis expertise has taken the veterinary medical students education to the next level
it has been such an enjoyable experience interacting with the vet students said wilson-maki it is great to be able to see the light go on in their heads when applying certain aspects that they have been taught but have not been able to apply until now the students are constantly challenging me with questions that i must sometimes pause to think about the answer! working at the cvm has truly been the best experience of my life
from enhancing veterinary medical education to providing value added service for clients the farrier service at the veterinary medical teaching hospital has given the clinicians at the cvm another tool for helping their patients
having a full-time farrier on staff has been extremely beneficial said carter we are able to provide a more consistent and thorough job for clients as well as a better learning experience for students pursuing their veterinary degrees
for more information on the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu
college station tx –canadian film-makers rick blackburn and his wife louise leroux are on a cross-country trip like no other they are riding two canadian horses from quebec canada to college station texas to bring 50 samples of canadian horse genes to dr gus cothran director of equine genetics at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
the canadian horse is a breed that goes back hundreds of years and has had a rich history in north america unfortunately they are now one of the rarest horse breeds in the world with only about 2 500 pure-blood canadian horses left they are also listed as critical by the american livestock conservation association
we are taking this journey to texas a&m to both enlist dr cothrans help in mapping the horses genes to find out how the canadian horse has influenced the blood lines of other north american horses but also to raise awareness for this dying breed explains blackburn
an expert in population and conservation genetics cothran is only one of a few people in the world that does work on genetics of horses as it relates to breed conservation until recently he has had very little opportunity to study the canadian horse because of its rarity
the diverse samples that mr blackburn collected from top canadian horse breeders across canada will enable me to do a more comprehensive analysis of the breed there is a strong probability that these horses are ancestors to a variety of common north american breeds such as the morgan horse states cothran this information should bring to light the genetic and historical importance of the canadian horse and hopefully spark peoples interest in conserving the breed
these outcomes are the very reason that blackburn and leroux have taken on this three-month 2 500 mile trail ride starting on may 11 2009 they arrived in college station on august 31 2009
at 25 to 35 miles a day it has been a long journey for sure says blackburn but the opportunity to highlight this breed and to demonstrate its legendary ruggedness by riding them cross-country has definitely been worth-while there has been an incredible grass-roots interest from americans in what we are doing and that gives us hope that we will be able to save these horses
blackburn and leroux are also turning this unique experience into a film entitled the legend of the canadian horse that will air on canadian network television
for more information on the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu
college station tx – imagine how you would feel if there were no medicine to help your sick puppy get well this is how the majority of deer breeders feel as there is currently no approved medicine for diseased deer the deer industry is growing rapidly but sadly the right medicine and treatment that cervids (the group that deer belong to) need is not available even veterinary knowledge on deer treatments is not widely disseminated as there are less than a dozen veterinarians in texas with extensive cervid medicine experience in a continuing working relationship with texas a&m university the texas deer association (tda) has given a second gift to texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) in order to further stimulate research and development of treatments vaccinations and an overall better understanding of antibiotics drugs and dewormers for the white tailed deer last year two gifts totaling $45 000 were given to initiate disease research trials
there are several reasons why the tda chose texas a&m for this $50 000 gift dr dick cain tda representative and former professor at tamu and dr don davis associate professor at the cvm have held a close relationship for years texas a&m has been involved in deer research since the 1980s as well as being the only veterinary medical college in the state which makes them a prime choice for the tdas research gift
when asked how the tda wanted the money to be used dr cain enthusiastically replied effectively!
treatment protocols for white tailed deer are needed since there is very little of that information published for disease prevention and treatment continued cain medicine and treatment protocols developed for other livestock such as sheep and goats are used for treatment in white tailed deer because there are currently no medications or treatments that have been approved for them
the two most devastating diseases for white tailed deer are the ehd and blue tongue virus which are spread by gnats said cain many other animals carry the ehd virus without any harmful effect but ehd is fatal for white-tailed deer and mule deer blue tongue is a disease that affects sheep and other ruminant animals approximately 80 000 white tailed deer died nationwide in 2007 because of blue tongue and ehd
currently the initial research focus at cvm is on treatment and preventions for the ehd/blue tongue viruses
there are no developed diagnostic tests or vaccines for ehd the only blue tongue vaccines that exist right now are for sheep said dr davis diagnostic tests must be validated in every particular species and this has not yet been done for deer
dr daviss graduate student melanie smith has already begun making progress in blood range research which is a test called a blood chemistry panel that is a basis check on the overall physiologic condition of the individual animal
smith has collected 450 blood samples from white tailed deer in 17 different counties with money from the previous tda donations all of these samples have been sent to the texas veterinary medical diagnostic lab by using special software that looks at age gender whether the deer are fawns or adults captive or have been put through physical restraint smith is able to figure out what stresses affect the blood values for deer
the tda needs to be able to know what affects the blood ranges in a particular deer because the normal values found in a blood sample for 14 different parameters including levels of serum protein calcium phosphorus liver enzymes and hemoglobin have not been established and documented for white tailed deer said davis in other words we need to be able to figure the blood count of a deer by knowing that he is captive has been physically restrained and is two years old this study is another dire need in the white tailed deer industry that has been made possible through support from the tda
the deer industry has been growing so rapidly that it now makes an economic impact of $700 million in the state of texas and two and-a-half billion dollars of economic impact to the united states said davis texas a&m needs to be at the forefront in vaccination development for this booming industry
even though it seems as if there is a great deal to be accomplished in the area of cervid medicine there have been some recent breakthroughs the tvmdl with the help of funding from the tda has just developed a technique to identify individual strains of ehd and blue tongue from samples that were submitted to the laboratory
they have also begun making strides in cervid education for future veterinarians
from the cooperation between the cvm and the texas deer association we were able to develop a program on deer medicine said cain dr davis started the first class last year the class is on cervid medicine which includes white tailed deer moose and mule deer currently is available for third year veterinary students
so far the texas deer association has been very happy with the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine as they have done what they said they would do within less than a year said dr davis
this is the third gift that the texas deer association has given to texas a&m for research in deer medicine last december the tda gave the cvm $39 000 dollars to improve blue tongue diagnostics and to begin finding ways to make vaccines in march the tda gave another $6 500 followed by the most recent gift of $50 000
the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is honored to receive this continued support from the texas deer association said dean eleanor m green the money will be used to open new doors in research for improving diagnostic tests for white tailed deer the faculty and staff of the cvm are truly grateful for the opportunity to help shape the future of cervid medicine
college station tx –this summer 16 veterinary students at the texas a&m university (tamu) college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) got a chance to explore an alternative career to clinical practice-veterinary medical research
as participants of the summer veterinary student research fellows (svsrf) program the students each worked with a cvm faculty member for 12 weeks on a research project the projects covered a wide range of research fields and included studies on companion animal health (eg equine breeding) infectious animal diseases (eg bovine babesiosis) and the development of transgenic animals and biomedical devices
from preparing a research proposal to collecting and analyzing data to presenting study results in front of peers and mentors the students got to experience the world of research and academia during the program by giving students a feel for research work the program which has been held at texas a&m since the 1980s aims to encourage veterinary students to pursue careers in research
a very small percentage of veterinary students go into research said dr roger smith professor of pathobiology and program coordinator explaining the basis for the svsrf program the national academy of sciences published a report some years ago on the need for more veterinarians in biomedical research it is important to get these students interested in research especially since they bring a unique perspective to the research table
this unique perspective stems from the comparative nature of veterinary science (which involves studying and comparing the biology and pathology of various animal species)
the veterinary curriculum gives students a broad understanding of health and disease that a strictly graduate curriculum lacks and that medical students who are trained to consider only a single species miss out on explained smith
this broad understanding of disease processes and disease spread both within and across species means that veterinary students are uniquely positioned to carry out not only research pertaining to animal health but also biomedical research in fields such as the treatment and control of emerging infectious diseases (eg novel h1n1 flu) and animal modeling of human diseases the program hopes to encourage veterinary students to look beyond clinical practice and make them aware of these research opportunities
for some students like john brinkerhoff the svsrf program has been successful in achieving its goal: i enjoyed the research program this summer working with and learning from my mentor and lab group was a privilege also the field trips to research institutes helped me see how veterinarians successfully apply their knowledge in research areas and the program provided an opportunity to practice reading and discussing scientific papers research is an option that remains open to me after veterinary school or after practicing for a few years
however for others long lab hours and the absence of patient interaction have convinced them to rule out a career in bench research although not the goal of the program this may not necessarily be a negative response
i think its good that students are given the opportunity early in their career to decide if research is something in which they would be interested said program mentor and assistant professor dr charles long even if the students decide not to be research scientists by training i hope that the program will open the door for them to work with researchers and help them realize that a strong collaborative relationship between clinical and research science is beneficial for the development of the next generation of new drugs or therapies
the svsrf program is funded by the college of veterinary medicine and by awards from the texas veterinary medical foundation the national institutes of health the merck-merial veterinary scholars program and the william & dorothy klemm fellowship
for information on the 2010 svsrf program please see vetmedtamuedu/vmsrfp
college station tx – mira a filly born august 4 2009 trots happily in a pasture in binghamton ny although her dam died over a year ago the buckskin filly was born after shipment of oocytes (eggs) collected post mortem to the equine embryo laboratory at texas a&m for fertilization the laboratory directed by dr katrin hinrichs professor of veterinary physiology and pharmacology in the college of veterinary medicine is one of a handful in the world capable of performing intracytoplasmic sperm injection or icsi to fertilize equine oocytes and produce foals

the oocytes were collected by dr sylvia bedford-guaus and her laboratory team at cornell university they used special tools to scrape the wall of each follicle in each of the two ovaries obtained from the foals biological mother reba who died after suffering from a ruptured intestine after dissecting the ovaries bedford-guaus packaged the oocytes for overnight shipment to texas
at a&ms equine embryo laboratory the oocytes were incubated in a medium that would stimulate them to mature frozen semen was shipped to the laboratory from south dakota from the third-ranked barrel-racing stallion in the nation and the sperm was used to fertilize the mature oocytes via icsi this procedure performed at the equine embryo laboratory by dr young-ho choi used a micromanipulation technique in which one sperm is injected into each egg the fertilized eggs were cultured for 7 days and embryos which developed were then shipped by air to dr david hartman adjunct professor of large animal clinical sciences at tamu at the hartman equine reproduction center whitesboro texas for embryo transfer to a recipient mare
ultimately 11 oocytes were collected by the team at cornell; of these two had already died of the nine shipped to hinrichs laboratory five matured; after fertilization and culture two developed to embryos and were transferred and one of these developed into a healthy foal
the process is time-sensitive and intricate said bedford-guaus explaining that oocytes can only be seen microscopically and must be collected from the ovary within a few hours there were other approaches such as shipping the entire ovary but none that could offer the success rates we had with this procedure
using these techniques clinically is the culmination of the research we have been doing for the last 10 years said hinrichs it is really rewarding to be able to produce foals for owners under these trying circumstances
kristin contro owned reba a 14-year-old quarter horse when reba died contro knew that both her memory and her genes should be passed on because there are so many horses in the world prior to reba ive never felt it was necessary to breed a horse said contro who began riding when she was 10 and has owned 20 horses reba was as close to perfect as you could get she was bred really well so her genes were superb her conformation was perfect and she was a champion barrel racer i am hopeful that her foal will also have her heart thats not something you can breed for they either have it or they dont
college station tx – the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has received specialty accreditation following a comprehensive evaluation by the american animal hospital association (aaha)
texas a&ms vmth is the first veterinary teaching hospital to receive this specialty accreditation that is designed to be more stringent and more appropriate for academic/specialty facilities it is only the third facility of any kind to receive this recognition
this specialty accreditation from aaha demonstrates our commitment to achieving and maintaining the best quality veterinary medicine said dana heath assistant hospital administrator vmth
the vmth is also the first facility to use aahas web-based accreditation process this process consists of self-scoring the facility with a follow-up from aaha to confirm their standards have been met
the accreditation process involves a great deal of time and effort and the fact that we passed with such high marks is a tribute to our faculty and staff who work diligently to ensure that we maintain the highest quality standards stated w terry stiles director vmth
an aaha-accredited referral practice is required to have a board-certified veterinary specialist for each accredited specialty the evaluation includes a quality assessment review of the hospitals facility medical equipment practice methods and standards of patient care in order to maintain accredited status the vmth must continue to be evaluated regularly by the associations trained consultants
the vmth belongs to a select group of practices that are committed to meeting the highest standards in veterinary medicine says anna worth vmd aaha president aaha hospitals pass a stringent evaluation of standards covering patient care client service pain management and medical protocols by attaining accreditation the vmth is demonstrating its dedication to offering the best care to its patients and clients
the american animal hospital association is an international organization of more than 40 000 veterinary care providers who treat companion animals established in 1933 the association is well known among veterinarians for its high standards for hospitals and pet health care for pet care information or a referral to an aaha hospital pet owners can visit the aaha website at wwwhealthypetcom
for more information on the veterinary medical teaching hospital at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine biomedical sciences please visit our website: http://vmthtamuedu
college station tx – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences held a ceremony last thursday to honor a number of employees for their years of service and commitment to the college
in addition to recognizing the 61 staff member who had reached anniversaries of five to 40 years awards were also presented to 11 people who were awarded for their exceptional dedication and passion for their jobs
the first award presented was the 2009 pearl enfield staff leadership award this annual award was given to deans assistant martha huebner for her leadership not only in the deans office but throughout the cvm
when presenting the award dean eleanor green commented i always say if i dont come to work nobody would notice but if marthas not here the world would come to a screeching halt
the 2009 staff awards were presented to employees based on nominations from their peers the recipients were: jenny chen leslie fiechtner sherri hermes beth johnson dana parks gay perry heather quiram ken turner katy waddell and larry wadsworth
each recipient was presented with a plaque and a pin noting their achievement along with a monetary reward
for more information on the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – steven brinsko dvm associate professor and chief of theriogenology in the department of large animal clinical sciences at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been named the 2009 vice president of the american college of theriogenologists (act)
brinsko will begin his four-year term as the act vice president next month and will then serve in the roles of president-elect president and past president throughout the three subsequent years
its an honor to be nominated and selected by my fellow theriogenologists for this position i look forward to addressing the numerous concerns facing the veterinary profession and especially the discipline of theriogenology remarks brinsko
brinsko became a diplomate in the act in 1990 and continues to be active in the colleges mission of providing an avenue for specialty training in animal reproductive medicine he is a member of both the acts equine examination question development team and educators working group on residency requirements
recognized for his expertise in reproduction brinsko has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific publications as well as 15 book chapters related to the field of reproduction he is an active member of the american association of equine practitioners (aaep) and is currently chairman of texas a&m universitys interdisciplinary faculty of reproductions membership committee he has also served as chairman of the texas veterinary medical association reproductive technology committee
a 1985 graduate of the university of florida college of veterinary medicine brinsko then completed a theriogenology residency/masters degree program at texas a&m in 1995 he earned his phd in clinical sciences from cornell university with minors in reproductive physiology and immunology he then joined the veterinary faculty at colorado state university in 1994 and in 1998 he returned to texas a&m
for more information on the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website: vetmedtamuedu
college station tx – scientists working at the schubot exotic bird health center at texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine have finally visualizedthe avian borna virus the cause of proventricular dilatation disease in parrots using advanced electron microscopy a team of scientists at the schubot center led by dr ian tizard have succeeded in photographing avian borna virus
although we have been culturing the agent for many months said tizard this virus seems to move between cells in the form of a molecular complex rather than a complete virus as a result despite repeated attempts we have never been able to see the virus recently however we found that some body fluids in infected birds contain very large amounts of the virus by examining these fluids we found numerous viral particles
an example is seen at left
the research team is continuing its characterization of the virus other studies on pdd are continuing including investigations into appropriate therapy and prevention techniques
for more information on our pdd research and the other activities of the schubot center contact dr tizard at itizard@cvmtamuedu
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – in a recent landmark report the texas higher education coordinating board (thecb) made significant recommendations to the state legislature which address the shortage of food and fiber (large animal) veterinarians as well as the need to address recruitment of students from underrepresented groups – a nationwide problem
the thecb conducted a comparative study of veterinary medical education utilizing data from multiple veterinary medical organizations and consultants from veterinary medical academia around the country the conclusions for the most efficient way to address the future of the veterinary medical education in the state of texas were 1) that at this time no new veterinary medical school was needed 2) the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) should be offered the resources necessary to continue and expand their efforts to promote food and fiber animal practice 3) recruiting students from underrepresented groups should be a top priority and 4) formula funding should be restored to thecb recommendations
we have worked very diligently to educate and graduate the very best entry level veterinarian possible through a four-year program said dr h richard adams carl b king dean of veterinary medicine in addition we have implemented programs and strategies that have enabled us to be responsive to and proactive in addressing the future needs of the profession the need for increased diversity and the shortage of rural practitioners are two pressing concerns for our profession and we hope that the thecb report will serve to highlight those needs to our legislature
the thecb report noted that the cvm had initiated mentoring programs to support veterinary medical students interested in rural practice and large animal medicine as well that the college had been able to keep tuition rates low when compared to the top 10 most populous states
the report from the thecb is sent to the legislature who will ultimately decide how best to implement the recommendations stated in the report
should the legislature agree to follow through on the conclusions from this report with funding the cvm would be able to reinvest in our infrastructure which would make a significant impact on our college and its contribution to the profession added adams we appreciate the thoroughness of the thecb report and the opportunities it presents for solving the growing demands of the veterinary medical profession by its recommendations for support for veterinary medical education in texas
college station tx – with viewers around the nation watching on live television a humble sussex spaniel called stump took the honor of top dog at the annual westminster kennel club dog show of course some of his biggest fans are from the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine biomedical sciences and they cheer him on for a very different reason
westminster dog show champion stump and handler scott sommers (right) pose for pictures with dr katherine snyder (center) and veterinary technician dlisa ryland during stumps visit to the texas a&m veterinary medical center on tuesday february 24 2009
stumps story begins with a very sick dog after being seen by dr matthew dikeman at brittmoore animal hospital stump was referred to the clinicians at texas a&m universitys small animal hospital at the sah stump was able to be seen by veterinary specialists utilizing the latest in medical treatments stump stayed at the sah for 13 days 12 of which were spent in the intensive care unit
stump arrived in january 2006 with a body-wide infection infection on his heart valves fluid in his lungs and a blood coagulation disorder called dic recalls dr katherine snyder medical resident in charge of stumps case he was very sick we treated him with antibiotic therapy heart medications oxygen and some anticoagulant medications he really pulled through like a champion
conditions like the one that stump presented with are uncommon according to snyder but they are the result of different types of bacteria circulating in the body its not breed specific and can affect all kinds of dogs the diagnosis is a difficult one often with no way to prove where it started or why it developed the prognosis for dogs that experience these infections is usually guarded to poor – with an uphill battle for survival fortunately given the right medications and enough time dogs can completely recover from this serious illness
its not easy to diagnose but there are signs that dog owners should watch for added snyder
fever lethargy poor appetite a heart murmur difficulty breathing or coughing can all be signs that something is not right with the dog owners should take their dogs to the veterinarian as quickly as possible after noticing these symptoms so that appropriate treatment measures can be started in a timely fashion
stumps story is about survival and while the world will recognize him as best in show from westminster the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine will recognize him as the champion of their hearts
on january 6 2009 the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences lost one of our own with the passing of dr joe templeton
a native of dublin texas dr templeton dedicated the last 33 years of his life to the cvm during his tenure at texas a&m dr templeton worked in the veterinary pathobiology department with a research focus on immunogenetics in cattle dogs and bison and also served as head of the comparative medicine division he collaborated with most of the cvm faculty and contributed to all kinds of research projects dr templeton also served as a faculty senator as a school board member for the college station independent school district and as a governor-appointed commissioner to the texas animal health commission
he began his college education by earning a bachelors degree from abilene christian university after completing a phd at oregon state dr templeton landed his first job with the university of oregon medical school from oregon dr templeton moved to texas for a position at the baylor college of medicine in houston before arriving at the cvm
dr templeton is survived by his wife of 50 years jamie and two children rachael and john we will miss him greatly
professor joe templetons funeral will be held at 10:30am friday january 9 2009 at the a&m church of christ 2475 earl rudder fwy s college station tx 77845 or contact info@amchurchnet for more details and a map
please send memorials for dr joe w templeton to the john templeton fund/a&m church of christ c/o a&m church of christ 2475 earl rudder fwy s college station tx 77845 or to the charity of your choice memorials for his son john are requested in lieu of flowers
cards & condolences may be sent to mrs joe templeton 8400 spring creek college station tx 77845-4607
during a telephonic meeting thursday the texas a&m university system board of regents approved the appointment of dr eleanor m green recommended by texas a&m university president elsa murano with concurrence from a&m system chancellor michael d mckinney following an extensive national search green was named dean of the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences effective march 1
we are obviously pleased with the appointment noted dr murano i am confident that dr green will effectively build on her colleges strengths providing the leadership that will further enhance its respective reputations for excellence in teaching research and service at the state national and international levels
greens appointment follows a search that attracted applicants and nominations from many leading institutions in the united states she will succeed dr h richard adams who is returning to the faculty of the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology green will be the first woman to serve as dean of the college
as dean green will serve as the principal academic leader and chief executive officer of the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences the college is one of 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the united states and canada enrolling nearly 500 students in its doctor of veterinary medicine program as well as more than 2 250 students in its undergraduate biomedical science program and more than 150 graduate students in a variety of research programs green will also be responsible for the management of six academic departments and the veterinary medical teaching hospital
green currently serves as professor and chair of the department of large animal clinical sciences in the college of veterinary medicine at the university of florida-gainesville she also serves as chief of staff for the large animal hospital at the university of florida veterinary medical center she holds a bachelors degree from the university of florida-gainesville and a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from auburn university auburn alabama she is a diplomate of the american college of veterinary internal medicine specialty internal medicine and a diplomate of the american board of veterinary practitioners certified in equine practice
texas a&m provost and executive vice president for academics jeffrey s vitter applauded the regents decision citing greens impressive credentials
dr greens leadership of two different colleges of veterinary medicine as well as her recognized ability to bring together faculty staff and students to advance a shared vision equip her well for her responsibilities leading the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences i am looking forward to working with her as we develop the academic master plan and set the course for reaching the goals of vision 2020
before joining the faculty at the university of florida green was professor and head of the department of large animal clinical sciences and director of the large animal veterinary medical teaching hospital at the university of tennessee in knoxville she has also served on the faculties of the university of missouri college of veterinary medicine and the mississippi state university college of veterinary medicine
college station tx – the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has announced that bidder registration is now open for the first ever legends premier stallion season auction at the legends auction website
this online auction of stallion seasons will directly benefit the continued research into improving the reproductive performance of the breeding stallion and features some of the top names in breeding stallions from the racing thoroughbred racing quarter horse and western performance horse industries
giants causeway smartyjones mineshaft giacomo and edubai highlight a list of top throughbred sires western performance sires include boonlightdancer cat ichi cd olena customcrome dual pep dual rey hes apeptospoonful high browcat high brow cd hydrive cat invitationonly mecom blue nu chex to cash peptoboonsmal playgun one timepepto royal fletch smart chic olena shiningspark smart lil scoot smooth as a cat spooks gottagun tr dual rey top sail whiz and wimpyslittle step in their first year at stud high performers in the racing quarter horse industry onefamous eagle no secretshere carters cartel androck solid jess are represented
we are extremely excited about the level of participation in our auction said dr dickson varner professor and pin oak stud chair of stallion reproductive studies we have been able to secure seasons from some of the nations top sires this auction is quite unique because monies generated from this auction will be used exclusively for stallion reproductive research we are ever so grateful to the farms and ranches who have committed their support for our program we have over $1 million worth of stallion seasons offered at this auction
bidders must register in order to bid and may do so by going to the auction website bidding begins at noon cst on dec 1 and will continue through noon cst on dec 19th all proceeds from the auction will be directed to texas a&ms stallion reproductive studies program to further research aimed at enhancing the reproductive performance of breeding stallions
over the past two decades the texas veterinary medical center at texas a&m university has established the most internationally recognized academic program in stallion reproduction the programs closely integrated focus on both clinical application and scientific research creates unique opportunities to identify important clinical reproductive problems and use novel methods for investigating causes of reproductive failure
as a premier center for all activities related to stallion reproduction our program has established an international reputation for excellence in areas ranging from the diagnosis and treatment of reduced fertility in stallions to preservation of semen to development of assisted reproductive technologies for maximizing reproductive performance the resulting developments and discoveries have had a phenomenal impact on the equine breeding industry
for information about the stallion reproductive studies program or about the legends premier stallion season auction visit our website or contact at 979-845-1700
college station tx -as hurricane ike sets its eye on the texas coast thousands of coastal residents are going to be mandated to evacuate their homes fortunately for them new mandates allow them to bring their pets
in the aftermath of katrina it was discovered that many of those who suffered the greatest losses were those who stayed behind unable to bring their animals with them in an evacuation in recognition of the importance of the human-animal bond evacuating agencies are no longer able to refuse someone bringing their pets with them
the brazos county emergency management team in cooperation with the brazos animal shelter and the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine has been preparing to receive animals arriving with evacuees from hurricane ike a unique part of the sheltering plan in brazos county has been the response plan for those evacuating with horses and domestic livestock although it is not currently mandated that evacuees must be allowed to leave with livestock to many horse and livestock owners the economic impact of losing a prize horse or show animal would be devastating for this reason the brazos county animal issues committee has been working since hurricane rita to prepare not only for small companion animals but also for larger ones as well
after receiving shelter assignments from the reception center at veterans park animal owners will be directed to the appropriate animal shelter for their pets large animals (domestic livestock including horses) and small animals will be housed in two separate locations
the brazos animal shelter with support from the brazos valley veterinary medical association and the brazos valley small animal response team will manage the small animal shelter veterinarians and students from the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences will manage the large animal shelter
both the small animal hospital and the large animal hospital located at the college of veterinary medicine will be available only for emergency care of those animals arriving in brazos county sick and/or injured and those that may become sick and/or injured while in a shelter these facilities will not be available as shelter sites
at this time animals will be sheltered on a first come first served basis in the large animal shelter there is a limited capacity of 200 horses 80 head of cattle and 80 small ruminants and pigs
in addition the college of veterinary medicine has established an emergency response website that can be a valuable resource to those planning for evacuation at vetmedtamuedu on the site are links to maps on how to reach the reception center at veterans park policies and procedures for pet owners sheltering at one of the two designated sites and preparation lists for evacuating with pets
for additional information please visit vetmedtamuedu or brazos county emergency management – wwwbcdemorg (979) 393-9913or (979) 393-9914
few wildlife species stir our emotions and reach the iconic status of the american bison and for generations this species has symbolized the strength and sprit of the american west from its rapid demise over 100 years ago when animal numbers fell from millions to just a few hundred survivors to the spectacular recovery that now allows thousands of animals to roam throughout many us and canadian federal lands bison have proven to be an ultimate survivor
over the last 10 years scientists from texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences have conducted genetic studies to help ensure the long-term conservation of bison by identifying critical issues affecting germplasm (dna) integrity and diversity through the course of these studies drs james derr natalie halbert and joe templeton have amassed one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of dna samples from any wildlife species
a majority of their work has involved the us federal bison herds and has been funded through the national park service the fish and wildlife service and the us geological survey working with personnel from these department of interior agencies texas a&m university scientists have collected dna samples from blood and/or hair follicles from well over 4500 individual bison these samples were collected from five national parks (badlands np grand teton np theodore roosevelt np wind cave np and yellowstone np) and five fish and wildlife service herds (fort niobrara nwr national bison range neal smith nwr sullys hill national game preserve and wichita mountains nwr) bert frost associate director for natural resource stewardship and science notes that bison are the icon of the department of the interior and this work represents a giant step in retaining genetic integrity in these bison herds and maximizing their genetic diversity in the future
making these dna samples available for future research focusing on the long term survival and health of this important keystone species should be a priority says sue haseltine associate director for biology at the us geological survey
this valuable repository of bison genetic material and a tremendous amount of associated scientific data were recently accessioned into the museum of southwestern biology division of genomic resources at the university of new mexico this internationally recognized museum manages a number of federal collections and is the largest frozen archive for wild mammals in the world the museum will professionally curate these samples and provide worldwide access through a web-based database to investigators that are interested in using bison dna for scientific purposes
each bison dna sample was carefully divided into two portions one aliquot was delivered to the permanent archive at the museum of southwestern biology at the university new mexico and the other half of each sample will remain at texas a&m university for ongoing genetic studies
as pointed out by the scientists at texas a&m university our hope is that studies of american bison conservation genetics using modern genomic technologies will serve as a model for conscientious stewardship of other species worldwide and that making these dna samples available to the scientific community will ultimately help protect this treasured natural resource
contact information:angela g clendenindirector communications & public relationsofc – (979) 862-2675cell – (979) 739-5718
on july 27 2008 the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences lost one of our own when cassandra scott was killed in a car accident scott was committed to her veterinary medical education and was very active in many organizations within the college she was passionate about orthopedics her friends and her cat gatsby who was also lost in the accident
a fourth year veterinary medical student scott would have graduated with her dvm in may 2009 during her time at the college scott served as president of the student chapter of the american holistic veterinary medical association and the feline practitioners group she also was in charge of the orthopedic/rehabilitation room during the colleges annual open house for the past two years scott touched many lives while at texas a&m as both an undergraduate and as a veterinary medical school student and will be missed by not only her family but also the entire college
in honor of her memory her fellow students have established the cassandra scott memorial scholarship fund within the college of veterinary medicine donations can be made by check payable to the texas a&m foundation with cassandra scott scholarship included on the memo line checks/donations should be mailed to: college of veterinary medicine office of the dean 4461 tamu college station tx 77843-4461
silver taps will be held on tuesday september 2 2008 in honor of cassandra scott and five other a&m students on the texas a&m campus the ceremony begins at 10:30 pm in front of the academic building
silver taps is a tribute paid to an aggie who at the time of his or her death was enrolled in undergraduate graduate or professional courses at texas a&m university
the ceremony begins on the day of silver taps when the flag in front of the academic building is placed at half-staff notices are posted at the memorial student center evans library and at the base of the flagpole in front of the academic building at 10:15 pm chimes from the albritton bell tower begin to play the ceremony begins at 10:30 oclock as the ross volunteers firing squad marches in slow cadence to the statue of lawrence sullivan ross three volleys are fired silver taps is played by six buglers three times – to the north west and south this concludes the ceremony but not the feelings of respect and honor
the ceremony of silver taps is dedicated to the deceased aggie and is a solemn and serious event some important observances must be remembered:
college station tx – administrators from texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences renewed a 2 + 2 articulation agreement with austin community college providing a pathway for students in central texas to make their way to texas a&m university
we are proud to partner with other educational institutions in our state in an effort to increase educational opportunities for students said dr h richard adams dean of veterinary medicine
under the terms of the agreement after two years at austin community college those students satisfactorily completing the prerequisite courses are admitted into the biomedical sciences undergraduate program at texas a&m university to complete their degree
accs transfer students do exceptionally well said dr steve kinslow president of austin community college we are excited about this articulation agreement with texas a&m and the growth in opportunities for students in veterinary medicine and the biomedical sciences
acc is one of the first schools of 12 in texas that has signed an articulation agreement with the texas a&m biomedical sciences program with the original agreement signed in 2003 since that time a total of seven students have successfully met the requirements and transferred to texas a&m university to continue their education
according to dr f h skip landis assistant dean for biomedical sciences 2 + 2 agreements benefit students in a number of ways
students who attend one of the colleges that have a 2 + 2 agreement are able to start off their education closer to home said landis this can save money for them by often reducing their living expenses for those students who are the first in their families to go to college this can mean the difference between not going to college and earning a degree after they successfully complete the prerequisites they are then automatically admitted into the biomedical sciences program here at texas a&m our program has established a legacy of successfully preparing graduates for and placing them in professional schools (veterinary medicine medical dental etc) many of our students who arrived through the 2 + 2 program have returned to their hometowns to practice
for more information on the biomedical sciences program in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website: vetmedtamuedu/bims
college station tx – administrators from texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences entered into a 2 + 2 articulation agreement with midland college paving the way for students in west texas to make their way to texas a&m university

we are proud to partner with other educational institutions in our state in an effort to increase educational opportunities for students said dr h richard adams dean of veterinary medicine
under the terms of the agreement after two years at midland college those students satisfactorily completing the prerequisite courses would be admitted into the biomedical sciences undergraduate program at texas a&m university to complete their degree
were really excited about the opportunity that this agreement presents students in midland and the surrounding region said dr margaret wade dean of math and science at midland college it will begin to open more doors for our students than what many of them have had in the past
midland college is the eleventh college in the state of texas that has signed an articulation agreement with the texas a&m biomedical sciences program
according to dr f h skip landis assistant dean for biomedical sciences 2 + 2 agreements benefit students in a number of ways
students who attend one of the colleges that have a 2 + 2 agreement are able to start off their education closer to home said landis this can save money for them by often reducing their living expenses for those students who are the first in their families to go to college this can mean the difference between not going to college and earning a degree after they successfully complete the prerequisites they are then automatically admitted into the biomedical sciences program here at texas a&m our program has established a legacy of successfully preparing graduates for and placing them in professional schools (veterinary medicine medical dental etc) many of our students who arrived through the 2 + 2 program have returned to their hometowns to practice
for more information on the biomedical sciences program in the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website: vetmedtamuedu/bims
college station tx – there has been no bigger contributor to the battle against heart disease than dr michael e debakey cardiovascular surgeon and medical pioneer although upon his death friday evening he will no longer be found in the surgical suites of the texas medical center his name and his passion for saving lives will live on in the institute that bears his name at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
the michael e debakey institute for comparative cardiovascular science and biomedical devices has been a cornerstone of our research at the college said dr h richard adams dean of veterinary medicine while we pause to pay respect to a legendary surgeon we also recommit ourselves to continuing his good work heart disease is not just a human condition and it affects thousands of companion animals every year the innovative partnerships that have made up the debakey institute over the last nine years have led to new and novel treatments and advanced technology that continues to save lives today
the debakey institute was founded by dr theresa fossum a veterinary cardiothoracic surgeon at the cvm fossums early research into spontaneously occurring heart disease in animals led to a very productive relationship with debakey who was looking for a way to begin testing the biomedical devices he invented although housed at the cvm the debakey institute embodies research collaborations with the college of science and the dwight look college of engineering at texas a&m university the baylor college of medicine and the ut health science center in houston under the leadership of director dr glen a laine the institute continues its investigation into the causes and prevention of heart disease whether that is in humans or spontaneously occurring in animals
biomedical devices require extensive testing in animals prior to the beginning of human trials said laine as texas only veterinary medical college and veterinary teaching hospital by locating at the college the debakey institute is uniquely positioned to impact both animal and human health as we study heart disease across multiple species
while dr debakey will be missed the impact he has made through the tens of thousands of lives saved (both human and animal) will be felt for an eternity
college station tx – g kent carter dvm ms was recently inducted into the international equine veterinarians hall of fame as the 2008 college and industry veterinarian as well as the international horseshoeing hall of fame
dr carter is a diplomate in the american college of veterinary internal medicine texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and was honored jan 31 2008 by being inducted into the international equine veterinarians hall of fame and international horseshoeing hall of fame the honor recognizes his accomplishments achievements and contributions in the advancement of equine foot-care
i am very honored and humbled by receiving this award said dr carter
the international equine veterinarians hall of fame was established in 1997 by the american farriers journal to honor veterinarians who have contributed to the knowledge and recognition of proper equine hoof-care nominations for the hall of fame are made in two classes: practicing equine veterinarian (involved with veterinarians in the field) and college and industry veterinarians (involved with teaching research or other important components of hoof-care education)
current hall of fame members select new inductees and the hall is sponsored by american farriers journal and the kentucky derby museum a mere 33 members compose the equine veterinarians hall of fame
a utah native dr carter attended colorado state veterinary school and then went into private practice in reno nev he completed a residency in large animal medicine at texas a & m university and went to purdue university after two years at purdue he became board certified in internal medicine dr carter then moved to texas a&m in 1984 where he is currently chief of medicine working in conjunction with farriers for over two decades he has been instrumental in helping promote a healthy relationship between the two professions
dr carter has launched an innovative instructional rotation at texas a&m university dedicated to equine lameness which includes foot care and its relationship to many lameness problems
the equine lameness rotation is designed to give veterinary students a focused experience in equine lameness said dr carter working with a farrier and foot-related lamenesses in an integral part of this service
the future is bright for the texas a&m equine program in addition to graduating high caliber equine veterinarians dr carter and the rest of the equine veterinary staff are working to build a covered arena with a state-of-the-art surface and a new imaging center dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of lamenesses
we want to create a regional lameness center here at texas a&m said dr carter where we can utilize the tremendous expertise and technology here to comprehensively treat our clients the arena will also enhance the quality of education we provide for our students by exposing them to the most current diagnostic and treatment techniques that are not seen elsewhere
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
its the largest undergraduate degree-granting program at one of texas largest universities and now the biomedical sciences (bims) program at texas a&m university will be led by a woman for the first time in its 30-year history

dr elizabeth merriam crouch has been promoted to be the fourth director of biomedical sciences at texas a&m crouch previously served as assistant director of the bims program where she was also the first woman to hold that title
for crouch the new role will come with added oversight responsibility for academic appeals and many of the processes required to administer the growing program
i hope to maintain our status as educating the best and brightest students for professional programs said crouch were looking at the future of the program and growing it by increasing opportunities for students which could include international programs and a spanish language certificate its also important that we continue the success of our 2+2 programs and the diversity efforts that were implemented under the leadership of dr skip landis assistant dean of biomedical sciences these will help us make great strides in achieving our vision 2020 goals
crouch is no stranger to the bims program having completed her undergraduate bims degree in 1991 she then went on to earn in 1996 a phd in genetics also from the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences crouch signed on as an administrator in the bims program in september of 2001
we have tremendous confidence in dr crouchs ability to lead this program said landis she understands the needs of the program having graduated from it and has a strong vision for where this program needs to go in order to continue graduating students who are extremely competitive in professional schools
the biomedical sciences program is the only undergraduate degree-granting program housed in a professional school (medical dental veterinary etc) in the state of texas and one of 12 in the united states
college station tx -dr dickson varner dvm ms dact was honored by being selected as the presenter of the 2007 frank j milne state-of-the-art lecture at the 53rd annual convention of the american association of equine practitioners in orlando fla on december 3 2007
the frank j milne state-of the-art lecture showcases and honors a member of the aaep who has dedicated themselves to a specific area of equine study dr varner was chosen as the expert regarding the stallion his four-hour lecture entitled from a sperms eye view – revisiting our perception of this intriguing cell focused on the equine male gamete including spermatozoal structure function and events that accompany a spermatozoans sojourn through the male and female reproductive tracts the lecture was directed toward practical applications and advancements in stallion reproduction and the accompanying manuscript detailed the cellular and molecular mechanisms relating to spermatozoal function
named for past president and distinguished member frank j milne this lecture series focuses on equine subjects deemed state of the art by members of the equine veterinary profession nominees are chosen by a group within the education program committee of the aaep and approved by the executive board of the aaep
dr varner embodies all that this award is meant to convey said dr stuart brown ii partner in the world-renowned equine practice hagyard equine medical institute in lexington kentucky he is the first to be recognized for stallion expertise with this award and we were proud to recognize him as a pioneer his presentation was incredible
dr varner received his veterinary degree from the university of missouri in 1978 he also has a masters of science in veterinary anatomy from texas a&m university following graduation from veterinary school dr varner completed an internship at castleton farm in lexington kentucky in the early 1980s dr varner relocated to new bolton center at the university of pennsylvania college of veterinary medicine to enter a residency in theriogenology under the tutelage of dr robert m kenney after completing his residency in 1983 he served as a lecturer in large animal reproduction as well as director of the hoffman center for reproductive studies and director of the endometrial biopsy service all at new bolton center in 1984 he received diplomate status from the american college of theriogenologists (act) he has been on the faculty of texas a&m university since 1986 where he is presently professor of theriogenology and pin oak stud chair of stallion reproductive studies
indeed it was a real honor to have the opportunity to share my understanding of the trials and tribulations of a spermatozoon with so many distinguished members of the veterinary community i sincerely hope that the lecture reached out to young veterinarians and scientists in order that they may have the incentive to receive advanced training and focus their professional efforts to further our understanding this fascinating cell said dr varner
dr varner is author or coauthor of over 400 manuscripts research abstracts and textbooks he is a member of the avma act society for theriogenology and american society of andrology dr varner joined the aaep in 1979 and has since served two terms on the reproduction committee (the last term as chair) and as a member of the abstract review educational programs and equine insurance committees
we are extremely proud to have dr varner as one of our five theriogenologists on faculty texas a&m has become a pioneer in equine reproduction and we are continuing the level of excellence that dr varner has helped us reach said dr moyer texas a&m university large animal clinical sciences department head and professor of sports medicine the milne lecture is often seen to showcase the world expert on a given subject and dr varner is more than deserving of this distinguished recognition
the texas veterinary medical center at texas a&m university has established one of the most effective and influential academic programs in equine reproduction the basic and clinical science aspects of equine reproduction are closely integrated thereby creating opportunities to: identify important clinical reproductive problems use novel research technologies to investigate causes of reproductive failure and develop strategies to improve care and performance of the breeding stallion and broodmare
all phases of equine reproduction are pursued at the tvmc the faculty has established preeminence in areas ranging from diagnosis and treatment of reduced fertility in stallions to preservation of semen to development of assisted reproductive technologies for oocyte transfer
college station tx – dr noah cohen professor of large animal clinical sciences at texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been recognized as the recipient of the 2008 schering-plough animal health applied equine research award at the 10th world equine veterinary association (weva) congress in moscow russia
cohen received his award jan 28 in recognition of his extensive research in the field of equine neonatology and perinatology most recently cohen has focused his efforts in collaboration with drs ronald martens and keith chaffin (and others from the cvm and other institutions and practices) to study rhodococcus equi foal pneumonia – a major cause of disease and death in foals
dr cohens selection recognizes the quality of his research and its clinical relevance to the health of foals said dr warwick bayley past president of weva
weva was founded in 1985 and has a principal mission of advancing the health and welfare of horses everywhere by promoting and offering continuing education for equine practitioners from less developed countries
our research in this area is a team effort aimed at controlling and preventing pneumonia caused by r equi said cohen it is my belief and hope that by examining risk factors for this illness and novel approaches to treating it we will provide information to help control and prevent this devastating form of pneumonia that is of considerable importance to the equine industry
cohen has been involved in epidemiology and infectious disease research since receiving his phd in epidemiology from johns hopkins university in 1988 he received his vmd from the university of pennsylvania in 1983 and spent two years in private equine practice after completing a residency at texas a&m in 1991 cohen was offered a position as assistant professor in equine internal medicine
dr cohen has made significant contributions to our equine medicine program said dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine we are proud of his accomplishments and are pleased that he has received this distinctive recognition for his efforts
in addition to an honorarium that covered his expenses for attending the congress dr cohen also gave a lecture on his latest research although he was the individual recognized with the award cohen is quick to point out that it was far from an individual effort
no one does research alone cohen said good ideas come from sharing expertise; creativity generally requires crossing disciplines ive been blessed to have wonderful collaborators both within my department and others in the college there is an atmosphere of collegiality among veterinary researchers here at texas a&m that is exceptional
cohen also expressed thanks to large animal clinical sciences department head dr william moyer for championing his cause
awards dont just happen said cohen dr moyer championed my cause and without his efforts id be reading about who won this prize this award reflects his selfless generosity in helping his faculty succeed and earn recognition
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – theres new hope for breast cancer research and its coming from a very unlikely place
researchers at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences recently published articles in the journals molecular and cellular biology and carcinogenesis which indicate that a protein long suspected to play a role in down syndrome may also contribute to treating this devastating disease
it has long been known that down syndrome is caused when an individual has an extra copy of the 21st chromosome giving them a total of three instead of the normal chromosome pair with improved medical care people with down syndrome are now living longer healthier lives with this advance came the observation that individuals with down syndrome have a significant decrease in risk for several types of tumors most striking is the observation that women with down syndrome are 10-25 times less likely to develop breast cancer this effect is thought to be due to the presence of one or more tumor suppressor genes on chromosome 21 however the identity of such genes has not been known until now
years of research into the genetics of down syndrome has helped us to discover a very important gene on chromosome 21 said dr weston porter associate professor in the veterinary integrative biosciences department this gene called single-minded 2 or sim2 is thought to play an important role in down syndrome by regulating neuron growth in the developing brain based on its developmental role we hypothesized that sim2 may also be involved in breast cancer which is essentially a disease of uncontrolled growth
for the last five years porter and his colleagues richard metz brian laffin and elizabeth wellberg have been using human breast cells and mouse models as part of a research grant from the national institutes of health to validate this hypothesis and what they have found is very promising sim2 is lost or suppressed in a majority of human breast tumors and deletion of the sim2 gene triggers rapid tumor growth in mice
however the process by which sim2 suppresses breast cancer is complex and not fully understood this same protein which may hold so much promise for breast cancer treatment is also thought to contribute to the negative effects of down syndrome
as we move forward said porter it will be important for us to understand the circuit of sim2 and how it is turned on and off in light of the available data on breast cancer incidence in the down syndrome population and our experimental data knowing how to turn sim2 expression on and off and identification of down-stream targets should have great therapeutic value
while still in the early stages this research represents a promising weapon in the fight against breast cancer as it sheds light on a previously unknown target to shoot for
what we are seeing now is a paradigm shift in breast cancer research said porter for years we have gone after the wrong kinds of cells it was all about getting rid of the tumor itself this has led to a dandelion effect where we didnt get to the root and the cancers kept coming back and spreading now were looking at ways to get to the root of breast cancer and not simply shrinking the tumor to come back another day
while it may be years before their research results in a definitive treatment or cure it is impacting our approach towards understanding breast cancer today
college station tx – its been called the toughest job you will ever love and yet in spite of the many rewards there remains a national shortage of rural veterinarians

texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine biomedical sciences is committed to spreading the word to current and prospective veterinary medical students about the opportunities that can be found in this challenging line of work
the first step was hiring dr john davidson an aggie and former practicing veterinarian to join the food animal section of the department of large animal clinical sciences at the cvm
todays students need to be told about the best kept secret in all of veterinary medicine – mixed animal practitioners have more fun says davidson the variety and opportunities (both medical and surgical) available to todays progressive mixed animal practitioner are beyond compare if more graduates would just give it a try many would find these opportunities and lifestyles are very inviting there are tremendous practice opportunities in these communities and the clientele are so appreciative
and davidson should know he returns to a&m where he received both his undergraduate and veterinary medical degrees from a successful mixed animal practice that boasted two clinics in caldwell county leaving his practice and the strong relationships he had with his business partner and very talented associate veterinarians was a difficult choice but davidson realized that he had a calling to work with students – perhaps making a small impact on the rural practitioner shortage by being able to share his experience and passion for the job with them
one of my many goals while here at texas a&m is improving the awareness and correcting some of the negative stigmas that are often times incorrectly applied to rural/mixed or ‘general veterinary medical practice said davidson a key advantage that often goes unnoticed of entering mixed practice even if for a short time is the solidification of the broad vast general knowledge that all veterinary students get because of the foundation and implementation of my education as a mixed or general practice veterinarian i know that after spending significant time away from my practice i feel confident that i could successfully return to private practice at any point in the future
davidson acknowledges that some of the biggest challenges mixed animal veterinarians face are the different level of management intensity and sophistication among todays cattle producers this poses a challenge to all charged with providing a wholesome product to an increasingly conscious beef consuming public
cattle producers and veterinarians still need to have a close and productive relationship and the consumers want to know that the product is safe and wholesome said davidson in this way veterinarians working closely with the producers play a significant role in the safety of our food supply we also need to let producers know that when they make a choice to use texas a&m for their veterinary medical services they are having a profound effect on the future of veterinary medicine by creating positive exposures and experiences for our students the more this happens the more likely we are to increase the number of students who would choose to go into mixed or general practice
davidsons enthusiasm for working with cattle and cattle producers began at an early age and that passion was nurtured by his hometown veterinarians
dr davidson has a lot of energy and has already begun to outline a very ambitious set of goals for the program said dr dan posey chief of food animal medicine at texas a&m we couldnt have found a more dynamic individual to introduce our students to mixed animal practice were very excited hes on board and expect great things to come
college station tx – no good deed goes unrecognized and the veterinarians serving in the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences equine reproduction program have definitely found that to hold true
after helping one of his mares ralph gray wanted to show his appreciation to the clinicians at the cvm in a really unique way
mr gray enlisted the services of legendary saddle maker m l leddy to build a high-end hand-made cutting saddle to be auctioned off at the national cutting horse associations futurity sales event in december the internationally renowned texas saddle maker was honored by the request the recipient will have options on seat size and style (such as cutting cow horse or reining trees) examples of leddy saddles can be viewed on the m l leddys website – http://wwwleddyscom
western bloodstock will be handling the auction with proceeds directly benefiting the equine reproduction program at the cvm
the auction is scheduled for sunday dec 16 at the john justin sale arena located at the will rogers coliseum in fort worth texas mr ben emison of western bloodstock estimates the saddle to sell between 9 -10 am
the people at the cvm were very helpful to me and i wanted to do something special for them said mr gray theyre really nice and i hope that this saddle will do really well at the auction so that the proceeds will make a significant impact on their program
dr dickson varner professor and pin oak stud chair at the cvm said we are greatly appreciative of mr grays generous support of our program we have a very experienced team of clinicians here and providing excellent service for our clients is a priority we envison the proceeds of this saddle auction to further advance our research and educational efforts at the college level and within the horse industry we thank mr gray immensely for this bighearted gift!
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – researchers at texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences in collaboration with scientists representing institutions around the world have discovered the closest living relative to primates after completing a multispecies genomic comparison within the superordinal group euarchonta which includes primates dermoptera (colugos) and scandentia (treeshrews) their findings were released in the nov 2 edition of the journal science
determination of the closest living relative of primates has important ramifications for anthropology and genomics said dr william murphy a professor in the veterinary integrative biosciences and team leader of the study in order to resolve the ancestral relationships among primates and their closest relatives we had to compare alignments in recently sequenced genomes of multiple species looking for rare genomic changes which would suggest evolutionary branching patterns between species this gives us a clearer more accurate look at how primates evolved and may help in placing fossil primates and their relatives on the evolutionary family tree
as conclusions of the study have indicated that colugos (flying lemurs) rather than treeshrews are genetically more closely related to primates further sequencing of the colugo genome is warranted in order to develop a better understanding of the evolutionary changes leading to primates as well as to more accurately reconstruct the ancestral primate genome
according to murphy the origins of primates and those found in the fossil record has been a topic of intense debate as there has been an increased focus aimed at identifying adaptive evolutionary changes with primates by decoding the past through changes in genomics a clearer picture of the evolution of primates provides a broader context for future research
the multidisciplinary approach to the genomic comparisons utilized in this study also revealed additional information that will prove beneficial to global biodiversity
in addition to identifying colugos as the closest living relative to primates we were able to make some very important discoveries about the treeshrews said murphy the phylogenetic uniqueness we documented in ptilocercus coupled with its restriction to a lowland forest habitat and limited global range have certainly identified it as an important conservation effort in a global sense
the study was funded by grants from the national science foundation and the national institutes of health the paper was led by post-doctoral researcher jan janecka of texas a&m university and involved specialists in bioinformatics and mammalogy from several institutions including dr webb miller from penn state university dr thomas pringle of the sperling foundation dr mark springer of the university of california at riverside dr kristofer helgen of the smithsonian institution and drs annette zitzmann and frank wiens of the johann wolfgang goethe-university and the university of bayreuth respectively
contact: dr william murphy (979) 458-0906 wmurphy@cvmtamuedu
college station tx – lessons lived and lessons learned
the disasters that struck the heart of this nation the world trade center collapse and hurricanes katrina and rita demonstrated the urgent need for a coordinated response to public health emergencies as the world continues to shrink this response must also include protection and prevention from emerging threats such as a pandemic influenza severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars) and the intentional and natural exposure to radiological/chemical/biological agents
our public health infrastructure had been neglected for years said dr gerald parker principal deputy assistant secretary in the office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response since 9/11 and since katrina we are light years ahead of where we were but we still have a long way to go weve begun to put a coordinated emphasis on emerging infectious diseases and weve been working on exercising plans and scenarios and developing performance measures for our efforts
parker who received his dvm from texas a&m and a phd from baylor college of medicine addressed the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences he emphasized the need for collaboration and teamwork across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions
in order to be prepared for any future public health emergency we have to have a better scientific understanding of the efficacy of our current medical countermeasures said parker we also have to be able to provide better public health guidance to citizens the decisions we make today not only affect individuals but they have a significant impact on decisions made in industry and in government at many levels for this reason we have to have a balanced use of our resources and find a point of shared responsibility for our emergency preparedness some responsibility belongs at the federal level but there is also a certain amount of responsibility that lies with the state and local levels of government with industry and with individuals
one of the key movements in the nation towards better preparedness is the joining of hands between the american veterinary medical association and the american medical association both organizations have established new directives to work more collaboratively promoting the one health concept through a shared foundation in the basic sciences veterinarians and physicians are able to work together in the development of novel medical countermeasures and improved surveillance techniques and reporting structures to the benefit of public health
practicing veterinarians are often on the front line of many of the emerging diseases that appear in animals said parker they are able to have a situational awareness in what they see in their client base and through diagnostics and reporting are able to be leaders in their communitys preparedness more importantly they need to have developed leadership skills in addition to their clinical skills because it is no longer sufficient to be a good clinician or a good scientist only leadership and management are critical to overall success as a clinician or scientist and will be whats needed in time of emergency
veterinarians are poised to play a key role in preparedness and response with contributions to the basic science behind research and development efforts all the way to deployment of medical countermeasures
it takes a truly multi-disciplinary team to accomplish the directives we have been given added parker veterinarians will be a significant part of that allied health professional team whether its at the federal state or local level our success is based on how we make the most of the expertise thats available to us while maximizing our resources to the greatest extent possible in the end we hope to achieve our vision of ‘a nation prepared
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – dr garry adams of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has been named to the national research councils biodefense standing committee for the department of defense this committee is charged with overseeing the science performed on behalf of homeland security by analyzing and reviewing current ongoing biodefense research and making recommendations for new science
the veterinary profession brings a rich background and experience in the role of animals in public health said adams many of the emerging diseases today are zoonotic meaning they affect both humans and animals and then there are threats from diseases that are still unknown or could even be engineered my role with this committee will be to help with the understanding of biothreats and the creation of new and novel biodefense mechanisms
in addition to his role on the national research councils biodefense committee adams has also been named as the new associate dean for homeland security at the texas a&m cvm the first associate deanship dedicated to homeland security housed within a school of veterinary medicine
adams as were the other members of the nrc committee was selected for his expertise in in the biological sciences the committee mandate of serving as a point of integration and convergence for research and transitioning the results into application will enable him to open doors and build relationships that will benefit texas a&m researchers through his new associate deanship
we are going to be working in the realm of ‘discovery science said adams our goals will be to work with scientists and researchers around the world building collaborations resulting in the development of the next generation of surveillance recovery and mitigation tools for biodefense and homeland security as one of few veterinarians on the committee i hope to bring a different perspective in public health and biosecurity to the discussion for us to be able to make a broader and more complete analysis of our biodefense efforts
the main focus for adams in his new position at the cvm will be to integrate the cvm faculty internally and with colleagues from the texas a&m university colleges of science agriculture engineering and public policy and the texas a&m health science center to formulate an integrated approach for biodefense and homeland security
across the spectrum of texas a&m university and the health science center there is already a great deal of work underway through federal agencies such as the department of homeland security national center of excellence for foreign animal and zoonotic disease defense the national institutes of health western regional center of excellence and five department of energy national laboratories said adams we can act as a conduit coordinating and supporting a network between researchers at texas a&m federal agencies and other scientists around the world hereby making a significant impact on the discovery of novel approaches to homeland security against infectious agents and toxins
adams also wants to address the need for human resource development through educational program development in the homeland security arena as emerging threats continuously change societys ability to respond
this is a unique opportunity said adams to interconnect people across multiple scientific disciplines to expand horizons for the veterinary profession and to begin developing science-based policy by which decisions can be made for animal and human health in our society
adams will also be working to support the new integrated center for homeland security (ichs) at texas a&m the ichs is led by dr david mcintyre and has been approved to offer a bachelors and masters degree initially adams will work with cvm faculty to develop the biological course structure for these degree programs within the cvm and across the university in the ichs
dr garry adams has a wealth of experience in research and scientific collaborations said dr h richard adams dean of veterinary medicine his background and expertise in infection biology as well as his ability to establish relationships with both governmental agencies and academic institutions will serve to solidify the lead role that texas a&m university is already playing in homeland security it is an honor for texas a&m to have him accept this new role within the college of veterinary medicine
college station tx – making sure pets are healthy and safe is an important part of the mission of texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and leading experts in toxicology on faculty it was no surprise that the college would be called upon to assist in the response to the pet food crisis earlier this year
in april 2007 the board of directors of the pet food institute established the national pet food commission made up of board-certified veterinarians state and federal feed regulatory officials nutritionists quality control personnel and ingredient specialists this commission was tasked with making recommendations about how to prevent the adulteration and contamination of pet food in the future and reducing risk to pet health the npfcs report released by the pet food institute at the beginning of november addressed multiple points in the pet food industry
dr murl bailey toxicologist at the cvm served on the commission and early on during the crisis that resulted in numerous recalls indicated that there would be multiple compounds contributing to the pet deaths across the country
early information initially led many veterinarians and diagnosticians to focus in on one particular compound said bailey however it soon became very clear that there were multiple factors at work
the identified compounds – melamine cyanuric acid ammeline and ammelide (also know as melamine and related compounds or marc) – were responsible for hundreds of pet deaths and even more illnesses across the country and resulted in the recall of thousands of pounds of pet food from multiple manufacturers the initial investigations conducted by the fda and pet food companies discovered that no validated analytical method existed for detecting marc in pet food or feed more than 2000 person-hours at the food & drug administration center for veterinary medicine alone were spent developing improved methodologies to detect contaminants in a pet food matrix
one of the very important things in our recommendations to the fda-cvm and the pet food institute was that the development and implementation of a comprehensive animal feed safety system had to be completed said bailey we need to have a science and risk-based approach that addresses all points in the pet food manufacturing process we also need to formalize the criteria and the system by which veterinarians report illness and/or death potentially related to feed
in addition to the recommendations made directly to the fda-cvm the npfc recommended implementation of current good manufacturing practices (cgmp)-based model regulations for feed and feed ingredients along with improving the timeliness of the ingredient definition process for feed terms and feed ingredients
other recommendations for the pet food institute pet food manufacturers and colleges of veterinary medicine were to develop educational and communication efforts to include the establishment and maintenance of an improved network between all organizations involved in pet food manufacture
by addressing key quality control points in the process and educating people at all levels of the process we can take a more proactive approach to preventing a crisis such as this from happening in the future said bailey just like no one ingredient was responsible for the contamination no one organization can hope to solve the problem it will take everyone from the manufacturer to the retailer to the consumer to the veterinarian and thats why we as a commission took such a broad-based approach to our recommendations
college station tx – dr allen roussel professor of large animal clinical sciences at texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been named a de facto diplomate in the european college of bovine health management (ecbhm)
roussel is the only veterinarian from the united states neither trained nor having practiced in europe that earned acceptance as a diplomate in the college which consists of 181 diplomates representing 25 countries
it is quite an honor for me to receive this recognition said roussel i have the greatest respect for my european colleagues in bovine medicine many of whom have led the world in this field my interactions with them have been gratifying both professionally and personally
the college was established late in 2003 as the first production animal college of the european board of veterinary specialisation with the objective of improving the health and welfare of the european cattle herd and increasing the competency of those who practice in the field of bovine herd health these goals will be achieved by overseeing postgraduate clinical education towards specialization administering specialist european diploma examinations encouraging research and scholarly activity and promoting the dissemination of knowledge related to the subject
i hope to broaden my interactions with european bovine veterinarians through active participation in this organization added roussel we both have so much to learn from each other exploring the methods and philosophies of practice of others can open the door to new possibilities its my hope that my experience with the american college of veterinary internal medicine (acvim) can also contribute in some way to the growth and maturation of the ecbhm
working together and developing collaborations is a sentiment that is echoed by the administration of the ecbhm
we are very pleased to welcome dr roussel into the college said david barrett president of the ecbhm we are keen to develop links with colleagues in north america and particularly the acvim food animal specialists and hope that those individuals who are members of the acvim and ecbhm such as dr roussel will assist us in developing collaboration in the training of residents both in north america and europe
veterinarians considered for de facto diplomate status in the college had to meet significant criteria that measured not only their experience in practicing bovine veterinary medicine but also their contribution to the creation and communication of new knowledge in the field of bovine herd health future diplomates will be required to successfully complete a residency and certification exam for inclusion in the college
it is my hope that my participation in this college will lead to more opportunities for intellectual and cultural exchanges between my colleagues in europe and those on this continent especially those at texas a&m university said roussel we have so many professional challenges in common that by sharing ideas and perspectives perhaps we can address them on a global scale
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – dr jason osterstock in the department of large animal clinical sciences at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has received one of two richard merkal memorial fellowships awarded by the international association for paratuberculosis

the fellowship will sponsor dr osterstocks participation in the 9th international colloquium on paratuberculosis (iap) to be held in tsukuba japan in october 2007 during this symposium dr osterstock will provide a platform presentation on his submitted research abstract entitled assessing the familial aggregation of paratuberculosis in beef cattle of unknown pedigree
the award is certainly very important to me and our research program in paratuberculosis because it gives us an opportunity to present information to an international audience with considerable influence in policy development and research in this area said dr osterstock we feel that the work we have completed provides valuable information in helping to understand familial risk for paratuberculosis and the ability to share this information with the iap members attending this colloquium will open opportunities for collaboration and showcase the work done at texas a&m dr osterstock who will complete his phd degree in december had been working on this project under the direction of his major professor dr geoffrey fosgate of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences
texas a&ms paratuberculosis research program is a bit unique in that the majority of our work is done in beef cattle providing a different perspective to this disease and presenting some additional challenges that the majority of researchers in this area working with dairy cattle do not face additionally the specific work that will be presented is a novel approach to assessing family associations with disease status that will contribute generally to the field of genetic epidemiology in livestock infectious disease
we are very proud of dr osterstock and his research efforts said dr h richard adams carl b king dean of veterinary medicine this opportunity will place texas a&m on an international stage in the fight to understand and eradicate paratuberculosis
paratuberculosis commonly referred to as johnes disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of ruminants including cattle sheep goats and deer caused by mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis it has been associated with substantial economic losses in the us beef and dairy cattle industries with estimated losses exceeding $250 million annually in decreased production decreased value of animals at slaughter cost of diagnostic tests and control programs and loss of potentially valuable genetics
a selection committee comprised of members of the international association for paratuberculosis awards the fellowships in honor of dr richard merkal a leader in paratuberculosis research during the 1970s and 80s and a former researcher at the national animal disease center in ames ia who is considered a founder of the iap
this award is given every two years to two graduate students in paratuberculosis research and is awarded on the basis of their submitted abstract ongoing work and potential future contributions to the field of paratuberculosis research
dr osterstock is currently completing a phd in biomedical sciences in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences his primary research focus is genetic epidemiology of paratuberculosis in texas beef cattle his collaborators in these research projects include drs geoffrey fosgate allen roussel noah cohen and james derr
college station tx – texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences (cvm) has entered into an agreement to create an educational alliance with cargill/nutrena inc that will benefit the college and enhance the education of dvm students
representatives from both the college and cargill were on hand to sign the agreement in a ceremony held today at the cvm
cargill/nutrena inc is pleased to assist in advancing the programs and educational opportunities for veterinary medical students at texas a&m university said john windwehen cargill inc south texas general manager we have had a long relationship with many programs at texas a&m university and we realized that we needed to strengthen our relationship with the college of veterinary medicine this college is at the forefront of veterinary medical education and to be able to support their continued excellence is a tremendous opportunity for us we look forward to working together with the faculty and staff of the cvm to promote animal health
as a part of the educational alliance cargill will work with the cvm to develop nutrition education opportunities for veterinarians and clients in addition cargill will provide student scholarships achievement awards and will bring in leaders in the agri-business industry as guest speakers for continuing education and classroom programs
the college of veterinary medicine has been very fortunate to have excellent support for our programs from the agri-business industry said dr h richard adams dean of veterinary medicine cargill/nutrena inc has been a friend to the cvm for many years and their commitment to and continued support of our faculty staff students and programs is truly appreciated
the educational alliance is designed to enhance horse and livestock health through education of veterinarians veterinary medical students faculty and horse/livestock owners about current trends in nutrition management the initial term for the alliance is for two years
college station tx – the eyes have it especially when it comes to horses and texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
the texas a&m cvm is now the only place in the southwest united states that is equipped with the necessary technology to perform the delicate operation necessary to remove cataracts from a horses eye
horses have a special place in our society they are not only beloved as pets but they are also considered high performance athletes and workers when a horses vision is suddenly diminished with cataracts they are unable to function properly and can even develop problems with the other eye
horses that work whether it is in the pasture the arena the racetrack or the polo field have a great need to be able to see well in order to do what they were trained to do said dr millichamp a horse that cant see is at risk for injuring itself or others with the new equipment recently added to the veterinary medical teaching hospital combined with the expertise we have on staff we are now able to treat these large animals safely and successfully and we are the only place in the state that can do so
it is estimated that between five and seven percent of horses are affected by some form of lens opacity with otherwise clinically normal eyes the only recourse many horse owners have is to take the horse out of service or take the horse in for treatment in this case the only treatment is surgery
until now cataract surgery was primarily reserved for dogs and human beings the incision required was large and led to an increased risk for postoperative complications a new procedure developed at texas a&m by veterinarians dr joan dziezyc and dr nick millichamp called phacofragmentation uses much smaller corneal incisions allowing for greater control and minimizing the postoperative inflammation
over the past two years cvm veterinarians treated 12 horses for cataracts and that number is expected to continue to increase
texas a&m cvm is home to two board certified veterinary ophthalmologists according to millichamp there are only a handful of other places that are able to perform similar procedures in florida ohio and michigan
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – dr theresa fossum surgeon with the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been recognized as a distinguished alumnus of the ohio state university college of veterinary medicine
recognition such as this by ones peers is truly an honor said fossum i am thrilled to receive this award from the ohio state university an institution for which i hold great respect
fossum currently holds the tom and joan read chair in veterinary surgery and is the director of cardiothoracic surgery and biomedical devices for the michael e debakey institute at the texas a&m cvm her work in treating cardiac disease in animals and the testing of new technology and therapeutic agents has improved the quality of life for many of her patients while providing data that aids in the development for treatment of cardiac disease in humans
dr fossum has distinguished herself by pursuing excellence throughout her career said dr rustin moore chair of the department of veterinary clinical sciences at the ohio state university college of veterinary medicine she truly epitomizes the ‘triple threat academician as she is an accomplished scientist gifted clinician and skilled educator we are proud that dr fossum is an alumnus of the ohio state college of veterinary medicine where she completed her small animal surgical residency and master of science degree in the department of veterinary clinical sciences
arriving at texas a&m in july 1987 as an assistant professor fossum received her tenure in 1993 as an associate professor she was named chief of surgery in 1996 and was honored as a wiley distinguished professor of veterinary medicine in 1994 her work in device testing has led to the establishment of the texas institute for preclinical studies in 2007 a division of texas a&m university which she will assume leadership of upon commencement of operations
dr theresa fossums efforts in veterinary cardiology and preclinical studies have earned her an international reputation for excellence said h richard adams dean of veterinary medicine her contributions to veterinary medicine both in and out of the surgical suite have made a lasting impact on not only our college but also the veterinary profession we are very proud of her recognition as a distinguished alumnus and look forward to her continued accomplishments
contact information:angela g clendenindirector communications & public relationsofc – (979) 862-2675cell – (979) 739-5718
college station tx – texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences veterinarians have been monitoring the developments of the recent recall of pet food
pets are an important part of our lives and of our society said dr h richard adams carl b king dean of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences as clinicians and researchers we are always concerned when events have detrimental effects on animal health
preliminary investigations have indicated a rodenticide called aminopterin may be involved in the contamination of the pet food this toxin appears to have been applied to wheat that menu foods (the manufacturer of the pet food) received from china aminopterin has not been permitted for use in the united states since the 1950s when it was used as a cancer chemotherapeutic
studies are limited on the effects aminopterin can have on animals larger than rodents said dr murl bailey diplomate – abvt and veterinary toxicologist at texas a&m we need to continue to monitor the ongoing investigation into the contaminated food until we know for sure we have arrived at a complete answer
owners that are concerned about the health of their pets should check their pet food against the recall list if it is recalled stop feeding it immediately if there is a change in the pets behavior it should be taken to the veterinarian for a precautionary exam
one of the positive things that will come out of this added bailey is that more people are going to be much more ready to take their pets to the veterinarian when they suspect something is wrong instead of waiting pet owners will also become more involved in their pets health and thats a good thing
for more information on the pet food recall go to wwwfdagov
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station – cc the worlds first cloned cat may not have nine lives but she has produced three kittens whose lives already are unique
cc short for copy cat was born dec 22 2001 and became the first-ever cloned cat by a team of texas a&m university researchers in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences she has since lived with duane kraemer a veterinary medicine professor who helped clone her and his wife shirley in nearby bryan
the couple cat fanciers all of their lives successfully mated cc with smokey like cc a tabby but with different markings the three kittens were born almost exactly three months ago
although not the first cloned cat to have a litter of kittens cc is believed to be the first in texas to give birth of her three kittens two bear a very similar resemblance to her while the third is identical to the gray color of smokey the dad
cc has always been a perfectly normal cat and her kittens are just that way too duane kraemer says
we purchased smokey for the specific purpose of mating him with cc weve been monitoring their health and all of them are fine just like cc has been for the past five years
cc was always a very playful kitten and her babies have a similar type of personality shirley kraemer adds
they are as cute as kittens can be just healthy and normal cats well never part with them they will always remain with us or other family members
texas a&m has cloned more species than any institution in the world since 1999 researchers have cloned cattle swine goats horses a deer and a cat
###
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station november 9 2006 -dr f h skip landis director of biomedical science at texas a&m university has been named the new assistant dean for biomedical sciences in the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences
the responsibilities of the assistant dean for biomedical sciences begin with facilitating the academic opportunities for nearly 2000 undergraduate students and 150 graduate students
landis and his staff help students register advise the students on courses and oversee that students are meeting degree requirements and are prepared for graduation
i appreciate the confidence dean adams has placed in me landis said i look forward to working with our students to grow our program over the next several years it will be my challenge to position our undergraduate program as the premier feeder program to all of the medical arts programs in the state and to ensure that our graduate program is the recognized leader in the area of biomedical sciences in the years to come
landis returned to aggieland seven years ago to assume the role as director of the biomedical science program after serving as a financial advisor at tarlton state university prior to his time in stephenville landis served as a financial aid advisor and assistant area coordinator for the corps of cadets at texas a&m
a fort worth native and graduate of southwest high school landis received his bachelors in wildlife and fisheries science from texas a&m in 1982 he also received his masters in education (1984) and doctorate in education administration (1992) from texas a&m
the assistant dean of biomedical sciences will be an important role as we commit the college to educating the brightest students said h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences we appreciate the direction that skip has taken biomedical sciences and we expect great things to come from a great program
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
dewey the first cloned white-tail deer born in the world is the proud father of triplet female fawns born on june 21 at texas a&m universitys wildlife and exotic animal center
researchers at the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences were hoping to study whether deweys large antlers would be inherited by his male offspring dewey may be deficient in gametes containing the y chromosome! says dr alice blue-mclendon with a chuckle
sandy debbie and gavi are the first set of triplets ever born at the center according to blue-mclendon who oversees the care of the animals researchers will just have to wait for the next round of deweys offspring in hopes of a male
the winnie carter wildlife center serves as a teaching facility for introducing students to the management handling behavior and veterinary care of exotic and wildlife species
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt director of cvmbs communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
college station july 18 2006 – dr kenita rogers a professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university has been named the colleges new associate dean for professional programs
rogers brings over 23 years of service to the college in various positions including her current responsibilities as associate department head and co-chief of the medicine section in the department of small animal clinical sciences she is also a diplomate of the american college of veterinary internal medicine and holds dual board certification in oncology and internal medicine
rogers appointment is effective immediately however she will continue her clinical commitments until another oncologist is hired the responsibilities of the associate dean for professional programs are extensive and involve everything related to the professional veterinary student from admission to graduation said rogers
this position was held until recently by dr deborah kochevar who has been named dean of the cummings school of veterinary medicine at tufts university
dr kochevar left behind a great legacy of advocacy for both faculty and students and i hope to continue that tradition in a very active way this is a fantastic opportunity at an exciting time and i look forward to working with the outstanding students staff and faculty of this college she said
rogers received her bachelors degree from west virginia university in animal science in 1979 her dvm degree from louisiana state university in 1982 and in 1986 she received her masters degree in veterinary medicine from texas a&m
she has received numerous teaching awards and honors including the norden distinguished teaching award in 1989; the association of former students college-level distinguished teaching award in 1991 1997 and 2003; the colleges veterinary teaching hospital clinical service award in 1998 and 2004; and the west virginia university distinguished alumni award in 2004
rogers is a member of the american veterinary medical association the texas veterinary medical association and the veterinary cancer society she has published 53 refereed journal articles in a number of prestigious veterinary publications and has authored numerous non-refereed publications proceedings and book chapters
the associate dean for professional programs is a critically important role for the entire college we express our sincere appreciation to dr rogers for accepting this key post and its important set of responsibilities said h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
college station may 11 2006 – guy sheppard president of the texas veterinary medical association urged veterinary medicine graduates to find ways to give back to their chosen profession and to remember the great responsibilities they have as animal care providers during texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences commencement ceremonies thursday in rudder auditorium
sheppard who earned his dvm degree from texas a&m in 1978 and has his own practice in san angelo told the 125 new aggie veterinarians to be sure and give back to others
i know that each of you has been beneficiaries of one or more mentors and encouragers you could not have entered or completed the veterinary educational process without mentors please remember this when young people dreaming of a career in veterinary medicine approach you and remember that you are always a role model to someone you may never know who is watching and emulating you but someone is taking notice of you live your life so as not to disappoint an impressionable young person
sheppard also urged graduates to get fully involved in their profession through service activities and volunteer work
as dr elbert hutchins executive director of the tvma is fond of saying ‘you have now been handed a profession that you did nothing to create it was done for you by dedicated veterinarians who have gone before you it is our duty to make sure that we are able to hand off a profession to those who enter after us that is at least as good or better than that which we were handed
sheppard added that the new veterinarians cannot hand off an improved profession to your successors by simply viewing veterinary medicine as an occupation and a means to pay your bills you have to see it as an heirloom something to be treasured protected and perfected and it requires much effort to preserve
sheppard reminded the graduates that they had some help getting their hard-earned veterinary medicine degrees
you did not get here by yourself he said and you will not progress very far with a ‘lone ranger mentality you are surrounded by people who have given you all kinds of support including encouragement love inspiration the freedom to seek your dreams financial support and academic and technical support
tell them ‘thank you with your words and actions and dont forget to say it often throughout your life people love to hear these words and if you say them often you will also get to hear them in return
the veterinary medicine graduation was one of five – plus a commissioning ceremony for the corps of cadets – texas a&m will hold thursday through saturday with more than 5 500 students receiving degrees and approximately 40 000 family members expected to attend the ceremonies
college station may 8 2006 – the canine hereditary nephritis research project now in its 14th year at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been possible due to the generosity of its founding contributors the college recently honored vera stewart of dallas addi pittman of alice and laura and danny weaver of navasota at a luncheon to recognize their special contributions to this ongoing research enterprise

dr george lees research project coordinator along with dr h richard adams dean of the college dr oscar bubba woytek senior development officer and dr sandee hartsfield department head of small animal clinical sciences hosted the luncheon and presented each of the honorees with a plaque the canine hereditary research project would never have existed much less become successful without the gifts and assistance so generously provided by the honorees said dr lees
ms vera stewart was cited for being the founding contributor for the english cocker spaniel kidney disease research project ms stewart gave us our first monetary donations and two of the first dogs we studied lees said if it were not for her we would never have begun
ms addi pittman was recognized for her extraordinary dedication as the leading proponent for the english cocker spaniel kidney disease research project ms pittman has been the chairperson for the health education committee for the english cocker spaniel club of america (ecsca) throughout the 14-year period according to lees she first arranged for me to present the plan for the research project to the esca at its national specialty show in frederick maryland in may 1993 said lees addis unflagging advocacy of the project has been a key element in maintaining the clubs commitment to the project of the years overall the ecsa and its members and friends have provided us with approximately $188 000 in monetary support
laura and danny weaver were cited for being the founding contributors for the canine hereditary nephritis project in the summer of 1993 they brought us the first dog with the x-linked form of the disease that we now study explained lees the weaver familys contributions permitted us to establish the canine hn research colony at the university in 1997 to date we have raised a few more than 500 dogs in this colony which as been supported by three national institute of health (nih) grants
this research project is an extraordinarily unique program in that it originated from a single canine clinical patient diagnosed by dr lees and through his subsequent diligence and teamwork with other faculty and staff developed a major research project supported by the national institutes of health said dean adams what a tremendous accomplishment this is
college station may 4 2006 – the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is pleased to announce establishment of a new council on diversity and professionalism (cdp) the group is designed to promote a welcoming respectful environment within the college for students faculty and staff of diverse backgrounds because the college of veterinary medicine exists in part to educate capable compassionate veterinarians the cdp hopes to encourage professionalism and foster open mindedness in veterinary professional students the group also aims to act as a support network for any and all students faculty and staff who wish to be involved in encouraging diversity the cdp is not a disciplinary body but rather will use any concerns or suggestions put forth by students faculty or staff to help enhance the college environment
the cdp was founded initially by a small group of interested students and faculty members a cdp executive committee is currently being elected and next fall the council will open for general membership
thus far response to the cdps inception has been very positive the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is excited to incorporate this new aspect of professional training into the college environment and hopes above all that students faculty and staff of all backgrounds will feel welcome
college station may 2 2006 – laurie jaeger associate professor in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university has been named a 2006 piper professor an award that carries with it a $5 000 honorarium
the award was established by the san antonio-based minnie stevens piper foundation and annually recognizes and honors outstanding texas college professors
jaeger who joined the texas a&m faculty in 1991 as an assistant professor in the department of veterinary anatomy and public health has won numerous teaching honors and citations including texas a&ms presidential professorship for teaching excellence award; the center for teaching excellence scholar award for the college of veterinary medicine; the association of former students college level distinguished teaching award; the wiley distinguished teaching professorship in veterinary medicine and the association of former students faculty distinguished achievement award in teaching
she has published dozens of peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters and has reviewed journal articles for the american journal of veterinary research biology of reproduction and the american journal of veterinary research and others much of her research is focused on understanding fundamental mechanisms associated with successful implantation and establishment of pregnancy
jaeger holds a bachelors degree from penn state university and a phd and dvm from purdue university
the minnie stevens piper foundation was organized in 1950 by randall gordon piper and his wife minnie stevens the principal donors the piper professors program was established in 1958 and honors professors for superior teaching at the college level including two- and four-year colleges and universities both public and private
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
five outstanding alumni of the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university have been honored at campus ceremonies for their professional achievements the 2006 award recipients are jock r collins of houston thomas b hairgrove of haskell billy b hancock of fort dodge ia d reid patterson of bonita springs fl and horace a bud smith of brenham
the college annually recognizes former students who have contributed to society through the veterinary profession in a way that has brought recognition to themselves and thereby to the college and the university
each of these alumni has represented the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences and the veterinary medical profession with great distinction said h richard adams dean of the college we are proud to recognize their outstanding accomplishments
collins class of 1957 practiced medicine for almost 40 years after a short career as a federal regulatory veterinarian both in animal inspection and quarantine and as a usda meat inspector collins was named the 1988 outstanding companion animal practitioner of the year by the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) since his retirement from clinical practice collins has devoted much of his time to environmental concerns and the impending world energy shortage his love of science research and development has led to numerous patents for materials and energy savings devices and delivery systems colleagues note
hairgrove class of 1974 is an active promoter of cooperative efforts between the veterinary medical profession and the beef industry he was one of the first practitioners to embrace the texas beef quality assurance (bqa) program hairgrove received the 2002 veterinary diagnostician of the year award by the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory and the 2004 merial preventative medicine award he is a member of numerous veterinary associations and serves on several state and national committees that focus on animal disease and prevention
soon after graduation hancock class of 1951 joined fort dodge laboratories where he assisted in the testing of the hog cholera vaccine and in developing important animal health drugs including nolvasan he obtained his ms in 1957 and phd in 1960 while at ohio state university and advanced to assistant professor throughout his career hancock has been involved with production and regulatory responsibilities related to the animal health industry as director of production for american scientific laboratories and then as vice president of production at fort dodge hancock has also served as an evaluator of national policies and procedures related to drugs for animal health
patterson class of 1969 has served in numerous high-ranking positions within global healthcare companies managing as many as 400 professional and technical pharmaceutical specialists patterson has broad international experience including worldwide regulatory scientific and managerial responsibilities for preclinical and metabolic issues he received his phd in 1976 in comparative pathology and is a board certified diplomate in three different specialties including laboratory animal medicine (daclam 1976) veterinary pathology (dacvp 1978) and general toxicology (dabt 1981) he now operates his own consulting business as a resource for companies that conduct pharmaceutical safety testing
smith class of 1966 has had multiple leadership roles in a wide variety of veterinary organizations and public interest entities he joined the brenham veterinary hospital in 1966 and practiced there until 1995 smith was named the1994 texas veterinary medical association (tvma) equine practitioner of the year and remains an active member of the american veterinary medical association (avma) tvma and the american association of equine practitioners (aaep) he is involved with youth in his community and often gives to talks to local 4-h and ffa groups smith was instrumental in formulating the strategic plan the colleges veterinary medical teaching hospital he also serves on the colleges development council and on the rural veterinary student scholarship fund committee
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station april 27 2006 – approximately 400 veterinary technicians will converge on the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university this weekend for the 13th annual veterinary technician seminar april 28-30
sponsored by the colleges office of veterinary continuing education the seminar should prove to be a weekend filled with interesting and informative lectures and laboratory opportunities for new and experienced veterinary technicians the seminar theme is ‘depend on your skills not your luck which emphasizes the importance of improving ones veterinary technician skills says sherry adams veterinary continuing education coordinator thats the goal of this conference
the veterinary technician seminar continues to grow in numbers and popularity each year a tremendous amount of preparation goes into putting on a quality seminar of this size and depth adams says it takes a lot of people working together to offer such a comprehensive program
the seminar will cover topics related to both small and large animal technician skills from pain management to dermatologic disorders and everything in between in addition to the college faculty and staff speakers at the conference special guest speakers include tony basile equine dental coordinator at uc davis veterinary school and a leader in the treatment of equine periodontal disease and angel rivera aht cvt vts from the animal emergency center in glendale wisconsin who is an internationally renowned speaker on all aspects of emergency care practice management and ventilator medicine
the seminar lectures and labs begin on friday april 28 at 5:00 pm and will conclude on sunday april 30 at 12 noon
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station april 18 2006 – a fund for injured wild animals has been established at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences through the zoological medicine service
the college has a long history of providing aid to injured wildlife such as birds reptiles and mammals however due to the increasing costs of treating these animals it is becoming more difficult to care for them without public support officials note
the cost of treating these injured animals increases every year said dr sharman hoppes a zoological veterinary specialist at the college with roughly 300 to 500 animals needing care each year
the zoological medicine service works hard to deliver care to wild animals in need of treatment but the cost involved is making it more difficult for the college to provide this service hoppes explained
when injured animals are brought to the zoological medicine service they are evaluated to see if they can be helped in order to effectively care for the animals the experts at the college determine the extent of the injuries the likelihood of recovery and return to the wild and the ability of the animal to be placed in an educational facility if they cannot be returned to the wild animals that can be returned to their habitat are medically treated and then are rehabilitated by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before their release
in order for injured wildlife to continue to be cared for by the colleges veterinary medical teaching hospital personal donations are needed if the enjoyment of wild animals is a part of your life we encourage you to help support our veterinary medical program by making a donation to the fund for injured wild animals program hoppes said
to make a contribution to the fund for injured wild animals checks can be made payable to texas a&m university with the memo line of the check indicating wildlife fund 511095 contributions can be mailed to: veterinary medical teaching hospital attn: financial manager college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences 4457 tamu college station tx 77843-4457
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station april 11 2006 – professor evelyn tiffany-castiglioni phd of texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences recently participated in a symposium sponsored by johns hopkins university that addressed alternatives to developmental neurotoxicity testing (dnt)
organized by the universitys center for alternatives to animal testing (caat) with support from the national institutes of health (nih) the united states environmental protection agency and several private organizations the workshop brought together leaders in the field of cell and molecular mechanisms to discuss future alternatives to developmental neurotoxicity testing (dnt) the conferences testsmart program was designed to look for new approaches to meet the demands for identifying neurotoxic agents with speed reliability reduced cost and respect for animal welfare
caat introduced its first testsmart program in 1999 and organizers today continue to focus on improved efficiency and cost in neurotoxicity testing while identifying opportunities for reducing or replacing the use of animals in dnt
the need for such testing is growing as scientists recognize that exposure of fetuses and children to certain chemicals in the environment may harm the development of the nervous system causing life-long learning and behavioral deficits said tiffany-castiglioni there are 70 000 chemicals used commercially and only a very small fraction has been adequately assessed for neurotoxicity
dnt which is a major issue in childrens health worldwide has caused concerns among several organizations such as childrens health and environmental health advocacy groups and animal rights advocates according to caat current methods for dnt testing are complex and expensive in terms of scientific resources time and animal use the goal of the organizations involved was to develop scientifically rigorous and humane alternative approaches to dnt that utilize in silico in vitro and alternative animal models
tiffany-castiglioni head of the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the college presented a 45-minute plenary lecture that gave a broad overview of the use of in vitro systems such as cell cultures for the study of developmental neurotoxicity her presentation served as an introduction to several group discussions concerning model systems in vitro endpoints for assessment of developmental neurotoxicity and high-throughput and omic approaches the latter involving the screening of large panels of genes or proteins for toxic effects tiffany-castiglioni is editor and co-author of a book released in 2004 by humana press entitled in vitro neurotoxicology: principles and challenges
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station april 4 2006 – parents who have a child who loves animals or ever wondered what a veterinarian does – and everyone else – are invited to attend texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences 13th annual open house on saturday april 8 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
this free event is designed to educate the public about the roles of veterinarians in society
the open house is a great way for the public to see our facilities and see what we do everyday says staci carter executive director of the event and a 3rd year veterinary medicine student we completely open up the veterinary school and hospitals so the public can walk around and learn more about the veterinary profession
the college will be offering a variety of activities for people of all ages and interests some of the activities planned are self-guided tours of the small and large animal hospitals a petting zoo pictures with reveille teddy bear surgery snake encounters world champion frisbee dogs a dairy cow milking demonstration and many other interesting and exciting events
our most popular event is teddy bear surgery where children from all ages are given the opportunity to simulate real surgery by bandaging or suturing a loved-on teddy says carter we set up everything just like we would for a regular surgery and its a lot of fun for everybody
educating the public about animal care and safety is another goal of the open house many organizations will be present to provide information to the public says carter animal interest groups from around the state such as woodstock animal foundation the brazos valley animal shelter wildlife rehabilitation groups and search and rescue organizations will be available to answer questions there will also be several exhibits geared to promote responsible animal care in areas such as heartworm disease dentistry dermatology and geriatric care
about 8 000 people attended last years open house and carter expects possibly 10 000 people this year im surprised at how far the interest extends from our local community she says we receive e-mails from all over the state from people who are excited to come to this event
if you love animals and love to have fun this is the event for you adds carter we like to think of it as a little gift we give to our local community and state for more information visit wwwcvmtamuedu/openhouse or call (979) 845-5051
college station april 3 2006 – dr katrin hinrichs professor of veterinary physiology and pharmacology in texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences has been named the first patsy link chair in mare reproductive studies following an international search the chair is part of an endowment established in 1995 by texan h patsy link to support equine programs at texas a&m
hinrichs received her bachelor of science in 1976 and doctor of veterinary medicine in 1978 from the university of california at davis she completed a residency in large animal reproduction at new bolton center university of pennsylvania in 1984 and served as a lecturer there for an additional four years while completing her phd at the university hinrichs was on the faculty at tufts university school of veterinary medicine from 1988-1998 and then joined the faculty at texas a&m
hinrichs is head of the colleges equine embryo laboratory she holds a joint appointment in the department of large animal clinical sciences and is a diplomate of the american college of theriogenologists her research centers on the physiology of the oocyte and fertilization in the horse including factors affecting the efficiency of nuclear transfer (cloning) in this species
hinrichs is known internationally for her work in equine reproduction she is the author of widely referenced papers on the hormonal requirements for establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in the mare on equine oocyte maturation and on equine embryo development in vitro in 2005 dr hinrichs laboratory produced the first cloned horse in north america – the third in the world her research is specifically in line with mrs patsy links expectations for this endowment according to members of the reproductive biology signature program search committee who enthusiastically endorsed hinrichs for this chair position
named theriogenologist of the year in 2003 by the american college of theriogenologists hinrichs was also the recipient of the richard h davis teaching award in 2001 from the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m which is presented to faculty members who show an outstanding ability and interest as a teacher
hinrichs is in great demand as an international national regional and local speaker on equine reproduction and has made approximately100 presentations at conferences and symposiums across the united states and abroad
hinrichs currently serves on the biotechnology committee of the american college of theriogenologists and on the international equine reproduction symposia committee she is an active member of the american veterinary medical association american association of equine practitioners american college of theriogenologists international embryo transfer society society for the study of reproduction and society for theriogenology
she is an ad hoc reviewer for numerous professional publications including biology of reproduction reproduction american journal of veterinary research equine veterinary journal journal of animal science and theriogenology hinrichs is currently a member of the biotechnology/assisted reproductive techniques question development team of the american college of theriogenologists and has served on the editorial boards of the journals theriogenology and animal reproduction (journal of the brazilian college of animal reproduction)
hinrichs serves as the principal investigator on four currently funded research projects in areas dealing with equine oocyte maturation fertilization embryo development and nuclear transfer she has served as principal investigator on 15 previously funded research projects centered on equine reproduction
additionally hinrichs has published 72 refereed journal articles for a number of prestigious publications including: biology of reproduction reproduction theriogenology journal of the veterinary medical association and zygote she has authored 67 reviews non-refereed publications proceedings and abstracts in publications such as reproductive fertility and development cloning and stem cells theriogenology and the proceedings of the american association of equine practitioners hinrichs has also authored numerous book chapters
this is the first time that two endowed chairs in mare and stallion reproductive studies have existed simultaneously within a college dr dickson varner was appointed the first pin oak stud chair in stallion reproductive studies in 2001 and now dr hinrichs joins him as the link endowed chair in mare reproductive studies said dr william moyer department head of large animal clinical sciences this attests to the high caliber of the equine reproduction research and clinical programs that exist at texas a&m university
the college is extremely proud of dr hinrichs remarkable accomplishments in equine medicine and reproduction which led to her being named the first recipient of the patsy link chair said h richard adams dean of the college dr hinrichs is a tremendous asset to our college the university and the field of equine reproductive sciences
hinrichs said it is truly an honor to be appointed as the first patsy link chair in mare reproduction i am grateful that mrs link thought enough of horses a&m and the future of equine medicine to endow the university and make this position and related equine studies possible this will give me the resources to continue the research i love and that i feel is so important
the patsy link endowed chair in mare reproductive studies will support advancements in the field of veterinary medicine as well as in basic understanding of mammalian reproduction and will help in further development of an innovative clinical teaching outreach and research program in equine reproduction studies
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station march 22 2006 – researchers at texas a&m university have successfully knocked down the expression of possible disease causing genes in a cloned goat fetus perhaps paving the way for breeding disease resistance in other animals even those genes that might cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse) commonly known as mad cow disease
researchers mark westhusin and charles long in texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences working with fellow scientists greg hannon michael golding and michelle carmell at the howard hughes medical institutes cold spring harbor laboratory successfully utilized genetic engineering to produce a goat cell line in which the gene encoding for prion protein (prp) was targeted for silencing by a process known as rna interference they then utilized these cells for nuclear transfer to produce a cloned transgenic goat fetus which exhibited a greater than 90 percent knock down of prp previous studies involving mice in which the prp gene has been silenced have demonstrated the animals to be resistant to prion mediated diseases such as bse
their work is published in the current proceedings of the national academy of sciences
their success raises the possibility of introducing the same technology into cattle to prevent numerous diseases the exciting part is that we may be able to use this technology to prevent other diseases from ever starting westhusin explains
we were able to knock down the genes that are involved with diseases in goats in cattle the disease that would most likely be targeted would be bse although there are numerous other genes that could be targeted to produce animals resistant to a variety of diseases moreover the success raises possibilities to develop similar disease resistance strategies in other animal species westhusin adds
bse or mad cow disease is a fatal brain wasting disease first identified in the united kingdom in 1986 bse affects a cows nervous system and causes the animal to lose much of its movement before it eventually dies
more than 180 000 cases of bse have been confirmed worldwide including recent cases in the united states the disease can be passed to humans and more than 100 such cases have been confirmed most of those in england
the next step is to try and avoid the cloning process – to skip that step if possible in developing the disease resistant animals westhusin says thats where more research is going to be needed and where the process goes from here
westhusin has been involved in several cloning firsts among them the first cloning of a cat in 2002 and a white tailed deer in 2004
the teams project was funded by the national institutes of health and the us department of agriculture
college station – march 3 2006 – as the lifespan of pets continues to increase the field of dentistry is becoming one of the fastest growing service areas within veterinary medicine says dr jr bert dodd clinical associate professor and veterinary dentist at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university
the texas a&m small animal pet dentistry service is now offering full-time dental services for dogs and cats dodd offers routine cleanings as well as oral surgery periodontal evaluation and treatment endodontic therapy restorations orthodontics oral evaluations and digital radiology
dental disease can contribute to generalized systemic disease in veterinary patients – its not merely a localized or cosmetic problem says dodd in fact dental disease is the no 1 disease entity affecting adult pets
in a study done by the american veterinary dental society more than 80% of dogs and 70% of cats develop some degree of periodontal disease by three years of age this may include gingivitis periodontal infections malocclusions fractured teeth oral tumors or painful cavity-like lesions
bacteria in the mouth associated with periodontal disease can spread to vital organs including the liver kidneys or heart and lead to infections in these organs according to dodd bacteria are released into the bloodstream every time a pet chews or plays with toys he says
good dental care can have a very positive effect on a pets overall health dodd believes ideally all pets should have their teeth brushed daily and have annual dental examinations and/or cleanings to ensure they have the best possible health
a 1979 graduate of texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine dodd opened the hiway 620 animal hospital in austin in 1981 he is a diplomate of the american veterinary dental college and a fellow and past president of the academy of veterinary dentistry
teaching veterinary dentistry to other veterinarians veterinary students and veterinary technicians is one of his passions as he lectures throughout the united states dodd says he is available to veterinarians for dental consultations and as a resource regarding dental equipment
dodd is assisted in the dental service by tommy koenig rvt avdt tommy has been with me for the past 18 years in austin and is now with me here full-time at the college says dodd he is invaluable in providing educational lectures and equipment training for veterinarians
dodd also works closely with other members of the department of small animal clinical sciences – including behaviorists radiologists oncologists anesthesiologists cardiologists internists and surgeons – to provide a comprehensive referral service the service has access to state-of-the-art dental and diagnostic (radiography ct and ultrasound) equipment in the veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth)
located in the texas a&m vmths department of small animal clinical sciences the small animal pet dentistry service can be contacted for appointment scheduling monday-friday at 979-845-2351 referrals are not required for more information visit vethospitaltamuedu/small-animal/dentistry/
college station march 7 2006 – you may not be familiar with the name of sonja lee but perhaps you should be she is a small part of texas history
lee became the first woman ever in texas to get a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from texas a&m university earning her diploma in 1966 and because texas a&m has the states only veterinary college that means she is still the first female aggie veterinarian in the states history
i knew i was the first woman ever to graduate with a veterinary medical degree from texas a&m but to be honest it wasnt that big a deal to me lee says from her lubbock office
i was more concerned with graduating and completing the courses the courses were not easy then and im sure they arent any easier today
lee said times were different then texas a&m once an all-male military school did not allow women to attend until 1963
i was the only woman in the vet school but you could walk across campus in the mid-60s and not see very many women at all in any of the buildings she recalls
it does show how times have changed today about 70 percent of the students in the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences are women
lee a native of corpus christi says fellow students and her professors were highly supportive of her while attending school but some other texans were not
i got some letters that were pretty bad mostly saying that a woman had no business trying to be a veterinarian she recalls one letter said i was part of a communist conspiracy or something like that but it didnt bother me very much
once she graduated and started treating animals lee said some of her clients who walked through the door were surprised to see a woman wearing a white lab coat
a few pet owners let me know that they did prefer that a man treat their animals she says but most of my clients were nice about it they kept coming back to me so i guess they believed i knew what i was doing
lee was a classmate of current college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences dean h richard adams
sonja adapted well to an all-male environment and excelled in her studies thereby setting the stage for other women to follow in her footsteps says adams in 2001 she received the outstanding alumni award from our college
lee says she is not that surprised that so many women today want to be veterinarians now celebrating its 90th anniversary the veterinary college uses a highly competitive admissions process and only about 125 students are admitted each year
i guess its just taken a while for women to be accepted into veterinary medicine but in other fields too lee believes
it used to be rare to see a female medical doctor and now they are everywhere the same is true in law school and dental school and even business women are accepted now in every field of endeavor
what has changed since she got her diploma 40 years ago
technology for one thing she believes
the medical equipment we use today has really improved since 1966 and there are many more medicines available also the amount of money people are willing to spend on their pets has changed dramatically since then plus pet insurance is fairly common today and it certainly wasnt in 1966
with decades of experience behind her lee says she has no intention of retiring she still enjoys going to her clinic every day and meeting with people and their pets
there are really no two days in vet medicine that are alike she says
so there are new challenges every day and whats funny is that now some of my clients are grandchildren of my first clients every now and then someone will say ‘you know my grandma says she brought her cat to you years ago
its been a rewarding career and a fun career id do it all over again in a heartbeat
college station february 27 2006 – from its humble beginnings in animal stalls and few professors to todays state-of-the-art facilities that produce research that affects the world texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences turns 90 this year amid a world that is far different than its founders envisioned in 1916

today texas a&m remains the only veterinary college in texas and one of the worlds largest veterinary medicine schools – 1 of every 10 practicing veterinarians in the united states has an aggie diploma the college of veterinary medicine (it added biomedical sciences to its title in 2004) produces world class researchers and its animal care programs continually draw praise from the international scientific community
in recent years the institution has become the cloning capital of the world – it is the only organization that has successfully cloned six different species (cattle swine a goat a horse deer and a cat) but it is also recognized for its leading research in animal diseases and most recently work in bioterrorism issues
it was not always so
dr mark francis inoculates a bull
in 1888 dr mark francis was appointed as the first veterinarian to join the texas a&m faculty and in 1916 he became the first dean of the new school of veterinary medicine francis later wrote of those early days there were no laboratories or equipment for our work we had no hospital we had a room about 14 feet by 16 feet that served as office classroom and laboratory the adjoining room became vacant and was assigned to us as a classroom and in this unsuitable place we toiled for 15 years
francis overcame the difficulties cramped space and tight budgets to become one of the worlds most famous veterinarians – he is often called the father of texas veterinary medicine and it was he who discovered that ticks were causing texas cattle fever that was wiping out herds all over the state he would go on to develop effective inoculations to stem the disease
the first veterinary graduation class was in 1920 and it didnt take long to hand out diplomas – a whopping four students earned dvm degrees the college now graduates an average of 125 students each year
dr theresa fossum veterinary cardiac surgeon
other key dates:

mark francis would hardly recognize the college today it has an enrollment of about 500 students selected from a highly competitive admissions process and about 2 250 students are enrolled in the undergraduate biomedical sciences program and 160 in the graduate program the veterinary medical teaching hospital is composed of a large and small animal hospital and a wildlife and exotic animal center that treats about 20 000 in-hospital cases each year the teaching hospital is a state-of-the-art facility that rivals most human hospitals with its equipment clinical services and medical specialists the vmth employs more than 100 faculty members in disciplines ranging from behavioral medicine to diagnostic imaging large and small animal dentistry to neurology and neurosurgery and internal medicine to dermatology
surgical heart treatment nephrology research small animal rehabilitation and comprehensive testing available at the gastrointestinal laboratory are just a few of the services available for animals through the vmth generating approximately $10 million annually
veterinary students on ophthalmology rotation
as testimony to the high caliber of students admitted to the college the current president of the student american veterinary medical association (avma) is 4th year student travis mcdermott who represents 10 000 veterinary students across the united states as a delegate at avma functions the veterinary college also hosted a highly successful 2005 student avma symposium which was completely student managed and attracted more than 2 000 veterinary students from across the us to college station
dr garry adams conducts cutting edge research
in addition to awarding dvm degrees the college has a dvm and masters of business administration dual degree program oriented toward business and leadership development in veterinary medicine the dvm/mba program was developed through the colleges new center for executive leadership in veterinary medicine the college also has a dual dvm/phd program which is integral to the on-going success of the colleges teaching and research programs
and while francis and his fellow professors spent almost all of their time on animal care and diseases todays veterinary professionals are internationally minded and may work in a myriad of animal health fields related to bioterrorism such as anthrax food safety and zoonotic diseases (those passed from animals to humans) public service research the corporate sector and other areas that were inconceivable in 1916
the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is one of the premier institutions in the world for education research and patient care in veterinary medicine through innovative educational programs and strong research capabilities the college continues to affirm its commitment to provide the best in health care for animal patients
the advances made through the colleges research from basic animal anesthesia to cloning continue to prove indispensable not only in the improved health and production of food companion sporting and service animals but toward new medicines and procedures for the health of humans as well
dr joanne hardy answers questions for students during their large animal emergency clinical rotation
the challenges facing veterinarians today are changing faster than at any time in history with more global implications than ever before says the carl b king dean of veterinary medicine h richard adams dean of the college since 1998 and a 1966 dvm graduate of texas a&m university
since that first graduating class we have granted more than 6 200 veterinary medicine degrees today texas aggie veterinarians work all over the world and they serve the 19 million residents of texas and their animals in roles dealing with private practice but also in areas dealing with the military industry government and universities says adams
weve had a distinguished 90 years but i can honestly say that our best and most exciting days are ahead of us the veterinary medicine student of the 21st century will be the most highly trained in history
college station february 20 2006 – faculty members daniel posey and deborah kochevar from the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university were recognized at the texas veterinary medical associations annual honors and awards program
each year the outgoing-president of the tvma selects up to three recipients for special awards recognizing exceptional contributions and assistance to the president in obtaining his or her major goals for that year
tvma president dr roland lenarduzzi acknowledged dr posey clinical assistant professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences for his contributions to the large animal continuing education programs offered by the tvma dr kochevar associate dean for professional programs was recognized for her overall contributions and especially for advancement of student involvement with the tvma and its membership
having two faculty recognized during the same year is a truly fine accomplishment and exemplifies the commitment of our faculty to facilitate and contribute to tvma programs in highly significant ways said h richard adams dean of the college
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718

college station february 8 2006 – researchers at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university are seeing more clearly the relationships between nutrition and visual performance in puppies
they are studying correlations between dietary intake of docosahexaenoic acid commonly known as dha and its effects on visual stimulus response in canines
dr john e bauer the mark l morris professor of clinical nutrition and his associates in the department of small animal clinical sciences have recently published an article in the journal of nutrition concerning the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on neural development in puppies
bauers research focuses on dietary lipid (fat) metabolism because some fatty acids like dha cannot be synthesized by animals including humans and must therefore be ingested bauer explains there is evidence in non-human primates and premature infants that omega-3 fatty acids help the overall development and functional capacity of the nervous system as measured by response to non-invasive visual stimulus
the teams three-and-a-half year study funded in part by nestlé-purina petcare involved analyzing the visual performance of dogs fed diets with different fat types bauers team provided the nutritional specifications and nestlé-purinas pilot plant in st louis mo supplied the dha-enhanced food for the study
bauers team analyzed electroretinogram (erg) responses from a test group of 56 twelve-week-old puppies that were administered clinically safe levels of dha from the point of gestation throughout lactation and at the time of weaning the team found significant improvements in visual performance with puppies on dha diets not only in terms of perceptual intensity but also in regard to response time transduction efficiency and low-light sensitivity
bauer says this nutritional research will have far-reaching effects on companion animal nutritional guidelines especially puppy formulas and dietary supplements he says this type of research will change the way we feed dogs in the future-both for gestation and puppy growth
similar research is already benefiting human infant nutrition since the fda recently approved the use of dha in infant formula for example bauer says that further comparative veterinary medical research may eventually lead to creating optimal food blends that benefit other sensory functions in companion animals such as smelling or hearing which may play an important role in raising and training service dogs
for more information contact dr john bauer at 979-845-9073 or e-mail
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station january 31 2006 – for canine lovers 2006 could prove to be a doggone good time – its the chinese year of the dog
mans best friend has been celebrated in literature songs and movies many a tear has been shed while watching old yeller or lassie while benji made kids laugh and cujo showed fidos meaner side
many people consider dogs the best companion animal says bonnie beaver a veterinarian and animal behavior expert at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
dogs are probably the easiest of all animals to train they are used as service animals to help blind and disabled persons they are used to rescue people find injured or deceased individuals and now some believe they may even be able to detect cancer in humans its not hard to understand why dogs are so popular
in the year of the dog some interesting canine facts to chew on:
dogs helped cavemen in hunting and were the first animal to be domesticated they have been at mans side for thousands of years and that likely wont change beaver adds
they make great companions they give you unconditional love and they give you a friendly greeting every morning she adds
but when it comes to pets in the united states poochie is not top dog according to the american veterinary medical association there are about 62 million pet dogs in the us – compared to almost 70 million pet cats but in 2006 the year of the cat will have to wait its turn
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station january 30 2006 – with the popularity of exotic pets on the rise pet owners and those interested in learning more about exotic pets are invited to a free zoo medicine lecture series & open house on saturday february 11 sponsored by the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university
lectures on reptiles ferrets birds rabbits and rodents will be presented by veterinarians david phalen and sharman hoppes and veterinary technician teresa shisk-saling rvt before you decide to get an exotic pet you should be knowledgeable about its general care behavior growth life expectancy common medical problems and the practicality of owning such an animal says phalen director of the zoological medicine service at the college the open house and lecture series offers an opportunity for people who are already exotic pet owners to become better informed about the care of their pet and for the general public to learn more about a variety of exotic animals
each one hour lecture will conclude with an optional tour of the colleges veterinary medical teaching hospital and zoo medicine service conducted by veterinary students the first lecture begins with reptiles at 9:00 am; ferrets at 11:00 am; birds at 1:00 pm; and rabbits and rodents at 3:00 pm open house attendees can come to the front lobby of the college where they will be directed to the designated lecture rooms
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station january 20 2006 – four faculty from the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences at texas a&m university have been selected to attend the 2006 faculty development program of the bayer animal health communication project at the bayer institute for healthcare communication in new haven connecticut june 11-16

proposed to bayer animal health by the colleges center for executive leadership in veterinary medicine this project provides comprehensive training in the area of veterinarian-client communication and utilizes the train-the-trainer model to be shared with the entire faculty says dr e dean gage executive director of the center faculty members selected to attend are sharon kerwin dan posey joanne hardy and alice blue-mclendon this is a great honor for each of these faculty and they will become our leaders in training says gage
one of the major priorities identified by the centers external advisory council was to find ways to integrate more leadership business management communication and team-building education into the current veterinary curriculum those skills sets are the ones we are systematically integrating into the four years without adding hours to the curriculum or taking away from any of the science explains gage the bayer animal health communication project held in june will train our faculty representatives how to incorporate these skills into the classroom and the veterinary medical teaching hospital
the bayer institute for healthcare communication is a world leader in healthcare communications and training in both human and veterinary medicine bayer has the best training and development programs in this area of any institution available to us gage says we appreciate bayers support of our veterinary executive leadership program and we look forward to taking full advantage of this exciting opportunity
the goal of the center for executive leadership in veterinary medicine is to become the nations leading program in dvm leadership and to provide model leadership programs for other colleges
college station january 18 2006 – the university of texas md anderson cancer center has named its new center for veterinary medicine and surgery in honor of the late john h jardine a 1962 graduate of the college of veterinary medicine at texas a& m university
the naming of the facility – the john h jardine center for veterinary medicine and surgery – recognizes the major contributions jardine made during his 29-year career to develop outstanding veterinary medical services that support animal research conducted at m d anderson and many other institutions jardine died in 1997
jardine became m d andersons first veterinarian when he joined the staff in 1962 the same year he received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from texas a&m his initial assignment was to design a model animal facility which when it opened in 1968 included innovative laboratories surgical areas and specialized radiation equipment for a wide range of research animals
in the early years jardine recruited and cross-trained medical technologists and histology technicians to provide laboratory support for multiple species of research animals he collaborated with colleagues in radiation oncology and nuclear medicine to design a specialized cobalt radiotherapy unit and gamma camera suite that would provide pioneering research involving non-human primates swine and canines he also coordinated planning for m d andersons two-unit science park in bastrop county
the jardine center for veterinary medicine and surgery contains almost 55 000 square feet of space in the basement of m d andersons clinical research building the center includes five operating rooms two surgical laboratories an intensive care unit a microsurgery suite for training reconstructive and plastic surgeons diagnostic imaging equipment for advanced mri and ct scanning comprehensive pathology and laboratory medicine suites a cobalt radiation unit and a clinic devoted to non-surgical procedures the center also has a tumor biology laboratory specialized housing for large animals and offices for the veterinary faculty and staff
kenneth n gray dvm and chair of the department of veterinary medicine and surgery and a 1969 graduate of the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m said jardines vision and perseverance provided the foundation for the comprehensive facilities we have today renaming these facilities in his memory is a fitting tribute to a wonderful man and an outstanding veterinarian
grays group of nine veterinarians and 80 support staff oversee the breeding care and use of approximately 60 000 animals on m d andersons main campus and in its smith research building on the south campus a mile away
about 290 scientists and physicians are using research animals in almost 700 approved protocols at least 98 percent of the animals are mice and other rodents but we also coordinate the care and use of rabbits guinea pigs dogs pigs monkeys frogs fruit flies and sea urchins gray said
jardine was a charter member of the american society of laboratory animal practitioners and a frequent consultant for new research animal facilities across the country he received the 1983 distinguished atonement award from the texas veterinary medical association and the 1993 distinguished alumnus award from texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine m d anderson honored him with its 1992 distinguished service award
contact information:angela g clendenindirector communications & public relationsofc – (979) 862-2675cell – (979) 739-5718
college station january 12 2006 – duane c kraemer dvm phd a professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences was presented the pioneer award at the international embryo transfer societys (iets) 32nd annual conference in orlando florida january 8-10 for his contributions to the development of embryo transfer technology
the iets pioneer award recognizes early contributors to the development of embryo transfer technology and the embryo transfer industry kraemer is a world leader in embryo transfer technology and reproduction and is an integral member of the research team at texas a&m who has successfully cloned four different species – cattle goats a deer and a cat
kraemer has worked on various aspects of embryo transfer and related technologies since 1959 he worked for eight years at the southwestern foundation for research and education in san antonio texas on the development and testing of contraceptive agents and on embryo transfer in the baboon in 1971 kraemer performed the embryo transfers which resulted in the first purebred calves to be produced by a commercial embryo transfer company
in addition kraemer his colleagues and students have produced the first nonhuman primate to result from embryo transfer; produced the first embryo transfer foal in the united states; produced the first embryo transfer in dogs and cats; produced the first white-tailed deer by insemination with frozen epididymal semen; produced the first addax antelope by insemination with frozen semen; and produced the first white-tailed deer and suni antelope to be born following embryo transfer
kraemer established project noahs ark in 1991 which uses advanced technology and research methods to collect and preserve eggs semen embryos and dna from endangered mammals birds and reptiles genetic material collected by project noahs ark is maintaining genetic diversity or is saved for potential use in reintroducing the species several years later kraemer developed a first of its kind mobile reproduction laboratory making it possible for scientists to enter the habitat of wild animals and perform reproductive technologies which might help preserve numerous endangered species
kraemer received the ms (1960) and phd (1966) in physiology of reproduction a bs in veterinary science (1965) and the doctor of veterinary medicine degree (1966) from texas a&m he is a professor in the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology with appointments in the texas agricultural experiment station the department of animal science and the faculties of genetics and reproductive biology
established in 1916 the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is one of the worlds largest veterinary colleges and is an international leader in animal health care and research
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station january 9 2006 – more than 200 united states pony club members from across the rio grande region will be introduced to the basics of horse medicine at texas a&m universitys ‘aggie day on saturday january 14 at the college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences with the event co-sponsored by the department of animal science
youngsters of all ages will be exposed to horse care and anatomy presented by the colleges veterinary medicine students topics will consist of horse breeds and bridles to shoeing and nutrition and everything in between notes dr larry johnson a professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at the college
‘aggie day is designed to refine the veterinary medical knowledge of young people who already have an interest in horses by exposing them to the world of large animal veterinary medicine says dr johnson it is also a great opportunity for our veterinary students to hone their communication skills with potential future clients and give something back to the community and texas
the day-long program features tours of the large animal teaching hospital lectures on equine eye problems and nutrition and interactive sessions in anatomy and with live horses the program will conclude with a veterinary student panel discussion at 3:30 pm focused on entry requirements for veterinary school and achieving success in the veterinary medicine field
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
dr michael walker has been presented the 2005 deans impact award (faculty) in recognition of his long-term sustained impact on radiology services at the college of veterinary medicine biomedical sciences according to h richard adams dean of the college

walker is a 1972 graduate of the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university he has been an assistant professor in radiology at ohio state university and served in various capacities including radiology section head at the university of tennessees college of veterinary medicine before returning to texas a&m in 1989 as a radiology professor at the college of veterinary medicine
dr walker has been instrumental in keeping radiology on board during some tough times always working to ensure the highest quality of teaching instruction for our students in addition he goes above and beyond the call of duty to keep our radiology service competitive and successful in an ever-changing climate said dean adams we are extremely proud to present dr walker who is both a gentleman and a gentle man with this well-deserved recognition
college station dec 6 2005 – thanks to a rare medical procedure a pet standard poodle has had a hole in its heart repaired by a cardiac catheterization technique performed at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences
the ground-breaking procedure – technically called non-invasive catheter based atrial septal defect occlusion – was performed friday for the first time ever in texas a procedure using a similar device was believed to have been conducted at purdue university within the past year
peschi a 5-year-old standard poodle was born with a heart defect called an asd – atrial septal defect it means theres an opening between the hearts two upper chambers and if not repaired the leak will likely result in the development of exercise intolerance breathing difficulty and eventually premature death
we learned a lot from this experience and from here we can make a few equipment adjustments and move on said dr sonya gordon a cardiologist in the small animal hospital who assisted with the heart repair she was aided by colleague dr matthew miller also a cardiologist at the hospital
were all still learning and theres a learning curve to this but it has been a good day for us she said following the procedure
dr ronald grifka who has performed the same procedure hundreds of times at texas childrens hospital in houston said that a dogs heart is about the same size as that of a small child
the device is shaped sort of like an oreo cookie with two discs at each end that serve as a wedge to block the hole in the atrial wall grifka explained
the entire procedure took about six hours to complete peschi went home the day after the repair and is doing well gordon said we may possibly try to schedule some of the other dogs for the procedure before christmas she added
peschi belongs to ronnie and guinnette peebles of houston we believe this surgery is a stepping stone for other dogs with this type of defect mrs peebles said we hope this will lead to more awareness of this rare defect
october 26 2005 – the first southwest regional national science foundation (nsf) gk-12 conference held at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences attracted more than just 67 teachers graduate students and directors of gk-12 programs from six states – its activities also caught the attention of young minds marta kobiela left a graduate student in the math department from the gk-12 program at texas a&m is shown with some youngsters and their parents who participated in the math and science hands-on activities open to the public at the two-day conference
college station – october 14 2005 – sixty-seven teachers graduate students and directors from six states and ten national science foundation (nsf) gk-12 programs will attend the first southwest regional nsf gk-12 conference on october 21 and 22 2005 held at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences at texas a&m university
nsf gk-12 programs around the country finance graduate students to be resources in mathematics and science content in public schools to improve the use of inquiry learning and stimulate interest in mathematics and science careers in k-12 schools according to larry johnson phd professor of veterinary integrative biosciences at texas a&m graduate students benefit from honing their organization and communication skills as they develop an avocation for future public school interface as scientists or other types of professionals said dr johnson
the purpose of the regional conference is to establish collaborations and share resources and ideas to enhance effectiveness of the collective gk-12 programs the conference program consists of a reception presentations from each of the gk-12 groups group activities as would be presented in public schools panel discussions and poster presentations the meeting will be recorded in a peer-review proceedings
notable features of the conference will be an address by dr karen watson dean of faculties at texas a&m on recruitment of women and minorities in science technology engineering and mathematics and the attendance of dr sonia ortega of the national science foundation and the director of 144 gk-12 programs across the united states the public is welcome to attend the poster presentations on saturday from 1:00 to 1:50 pm on the second floor of the veterinary medical science building at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences for more information visit http://peertamuedu
college station – october 11 2005 – daniel posey a veterinarian and clinical assistant professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences texas a&m university was named a montague center for teaching excellence scholar posey received a $5 000 grant to research and develop innovative teaching techniques

the centers objective is to stimulate the development of innovative teaching strategies and technologies at texas a&m university and to recognize excellence in teaching early in a faculty members career
posey said the grant money will be used to further develop a fourth year clinical rotation entitled contemporary issues in animal agriculture and food production the rotation is offered to senior veterinary students who are interested in food animal production
the six areas that the students will study are timely issues related to bio-terrorism alternative food production food safety environmental health regulatory medicine and animal welfare said posey the students will also participate in field trip experiences interactive data management and a problem-solving simulation they will also be given a pre and post test assessment posey said the rotation will be used to develop an outcome assessment model for use in a clinical setting
dr posey is a great teacher who is offering incredible leadership in helping our students better understand the business of agriculture said dr bill moyer professor and head of the department of large animal clinical sciences
dr r bruce simpson center is presented the association of former students distinguished achievement award for teaching from marty holmes assistant executive director of the afs along with dean h richard adams
dr mark johnson center receives the association of former students distinguished achievement award for teaching from marty holmes assistant executive director of the afs and congratulations from dean h richard adams
college station – september 30 2005 – drs mark johnson and r bruce simpson both veterinarians and professors at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences were presented the association of former students college-level distinguished achievement award for teaching for 2005 each received a cash gift and framed certificate
according to fourth year veterinary student thomas j palvino dr johnsons consistently high expectations for students and his teaching abilities set him apart his lecture style keeps students attention and makes even the most esoteric subject interesting and understandable he answers questions with great authority and clarity and fosters an environment that is conducive to discussions; no easy feat in a lecture hall filled with 135 students
in support of simpsons nomination second year veterinary student amber jennings said instead of merely quoting from a textbook dr simpson goes out of his way to show us photos and videos of the afflicted animals and makes them accessible on the class website he is also able to put concepts into simple terms making the information more clinically practical he maintains a relaxed classroom environment that is always open for questions and class discussions
the association of former students distinguished award for teaching recognizes encourages and rewards superior classroom teachers whose command of their respective discipline teaching methodologies pervasive caring communication skills and commitment to the learning process exemplify the meaning of teaching and mentoring in the highest sense we are extremely proud to have such outstanding teachers as drs johnson and simpson on our faculty and congratulate them both on receiving this prestigious award said h richard adams dean of the college
college station sept 27 2005 – a new strain of flu-type virus has been proven to pass from horses to dogs a rarity in the animal world – and its been detected in texas
while its not uncommon for a flu-type virus to hop from one animal to another such as several horses becoming infected from a sick one while all are confined in a close environment it is rare that a disease is passed to a different species – such as a dog – and cause for concern
the virus – identified as h3n8 first discovered in florida – has been confirmed to being passed from horses to greyhounds killing some of the infected dogs at racetracks in several states according to results published in the current issue of science magazine
texas a&m university graduate student pamela ferro one of the authors of the study says there is no evidence yet of the virus being passed to humans
the virus we identified originally started as a horse-type flu ferro explains
but this is one of the first viruses of its type that we know has been passed on to dogs so yes it is unusual and it is a definite reason to be concerned especially among dog breeders such as those in the racing industry
so far the disease has been detected in florida texas iowa arizona west virginia wisconsin and massachusetts says the center for disease control (cdc)
the cdc says that while the chance of human infection is very low the fatality rates for dogs that contract the disease can be as high as 10 percent an alarming number especially to those in the racing industry where greyhounds have been particularly hit hard
we identified the disease last year and tests proved conclusively this year that the disease is related to the equine influenza strain explains ferro a researcher in the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory
as you might expect there are several groups trying hard right now to develop a vaccine to fight it
the disease often resembles kennel cough a common ailment found in dogs housed in kennels and a cousin of the bacteria that is often found in whooping cough in children
because dogs dont have a natural immunity to the h3n8 virus researchers believe it is likely that more dogs will contract the disease which is highly contagious
college station – september 12 2005 – the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences texas a&m university recently recognized their 2005 staff award recipients for the contributions they have made toward to the success of the college this past year

recipients dan cary education communication resources; gloria craft veterinary physiology & pharmacology; diane green vmth/veterinary small animal clinical sciences; marty malone education communication resources; sandy nunn vmth/veterinary large animal clinical sciences; amy rapczyk vmth/veterinary small animal clinical sciences; davida scanlin vmth/veterinary large animal clinical sciences; becky simmons veterinary physiology & pharmacology; patsy story veterinary pathobiology; and debra turner veterinary pathology were each presented with a plaque and a cash award
in addition the following individuals were recognized for their dedication and exceptional work: dr tia nieuwoudt pharmacy director-large animal hospital pharmacy received the 2005 pearl enfield staff leadership award; candise mckay community practice technician-large animal hospital received the 2005 staff teaching award; and yvonne kovar business administrator assistant to the director michael e debakey institute was the staff recipient for the deans impact award each employee received a plaque and cash award
dean h richard adams congratulated the award winners and expressed his appreciation to all of the staff for their hard work and dedication to the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences
on june 22-23 2005 top leaders of the veterinary medical profession met at texas a&m university for a two day summit this historic meeting brought together for the first time executive leaders from all segments of the veterinary medical profession to discuss the critical need for development of future leaders in the veterinary medical profession as the external advisory council for the new center for executive leadership in veterinary medical education at texas a&m university this blue-ribbon panel focused on strategies for meeting the expanding leadership roles of veterinarians in private practice industry public health and education and how to address the shortages of veterinary leaders in specific areas
the applications for a veterinary medical education are much broader today than they were ten years ago said dr e dean gage director of texas a&m universitys center for executive leadership in veterinary medical education there is a compelling need for veterinary medical professionals to address the demands that we are facing in the coming years through this inaugural meeting of the advisory council todays leaders in veterinary medicine have made a strong commitment to help us develop the leaders of tomorrow and to create a model program to share with others added gage
the challenges facing society offer great opportunities for veterinarians to make a difference using their professional education to address critical areas of human and animal health said h richard adams carl b king dean of veterinary medicine at texas a&m we are proud to be working with executive leaders from all segments of the veterinary medical profession to ensure that leadership development is incorporated into the training for all future veterinarians
fundamental to the advisory councils mission is identifying major issues facing the veterinary medical profession and society as related to the education and leadership training of future veterinarians council members are developing opportunities within their areas of expertise for students to further their veterinary medical education to expand the role of coaching and mentoring students in veterinary medical education and to broaden the opportunities for veterinary students to gain valuable experience as part of their formal education and professional development
we are developing a ‘train-the-trainer program to coach faculty in areas within the existing veterinary medical curriculum where communication interpersonal relations and leadership skills can be taught said gage at texas a&m veterinary medical students receive instruction on leadership communications team building and ethics in the first semester and take a practice management course in their third year several business management and leadership electives are in the development stages
throughout their clinical rotations students learn about interpersonal communications conflict management team leadership business practices and the responsibilities that they have as members of the veterinary medical profession said gage extracurricular activities including the professional development seminar series co-sponsored with the tamu student veterinary business association offer additional opportunities to hear presentations on leadership and management topics more than 20 professional student organizations provide a broad selection of leadership experiences for the students all of these experiential and clinical opportunities are essential to the professional and leadership development of our students since leadership development has been shown to be 80% experience gage further stated
the advisory council is also committed to helping the college develop a career center to include an effective website about career and leadership opportunities and special on-campus programs for the entire professional student body they plan to create a web-based program that includes a list of new and expanded summer jobs summer internships international externships and corporate/professional and government externships that provide veterinary medical students with hands-on real-world leadership experiences the center will also focus on expanding the opportunities for students to pursue graduate and specialty training
although this unprecedented meeting took place at texas a&m the objective is to make an immediate and lasting impact throughout the veterinary medical profession with support from other veterinary medical organizations and institutions the possibility of holding a national summit on veterinary medical leadership development is being considered
strong and active veterinary leadership programs are also offered at washington state and michigan state but gage sees a greater need the texas a&m university center and council members look forward to working with other veterinary medical schools to create broad opportunities for all veterinary students to develop their leadership and communication skills
in its second year texas a&ms center for executive leadership in veterinary medical education has facilitated the development of dvm/phd and dvm/mba dual degree programs with almost 20 graduates from these programs thus far two milestone projects for students in the dvm/mba program were the completion of the economic impact of veterinary medicine on the state of texas report and the compliance study for the texas a&m university veterinary medical teaching hospital each group of dvm/mba students is required to complete a business consulting project in some business segment related to veterinary medicine
the next meeting of the external advisory council will be held on october 28 2005 at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences
college station aug 18 2005 – if youre a world-class researcher youre wanted all over the world

that pretty much describes stephen safe who holds the rank of distinguished professor at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and in the institute of biosciences and technology in the health science center talk about flying the friendly skies hes your man – he is approaching his 3 millionth mile of travel since coming to the university 24 years ago
he may be the most traveled faculty member in the schools 129-year history
a conference in cairo a seminar in seoul a meeting in melbourne – its all in a days work for him safe has earned his wings – he crosses time zones the way most people go around the block
its safe to say so to speak that this safe is one very very frequent traveler
most of the travel is enjoyable but some of it – well lets just say i cant wait to get home safe says from his veterinary school office one of two he maintains in college station and houston
safe has been involved in numerous research projects the past few years most of them dealing with cancer research his work in toxicology has drawn critical acclaim from researchers all over the world and hes recently been investigating the development of new lines of cancer drugs to combat the dreaded disease
his work has won him dozens of international awards and is on such a high level that hes invited to give lectures and seminars from bangor to bangkok the key word here is invited – all of his expenses are paid for by the hosting organization inviting him to speak which includes health centers universities government agencies and other groups
but he gives new meaning to the term safe travel
while compiling those 3 million travel miles safe has consumed his share of complimentary peanuts while listening to the spiel about flotation devices he admits hes learned a few tricks along the way – hes likely one of the few frequent travelers in the world who can claim hes never made a trip to the island of lost luggage
i learned many years ago that its best to take one bag and i always keep it with me he explains so i can proudly say ive never had to worry about lost luggage
that doesnt mean he hasnt had some incidents along the way
in the early 1990s he was on a commuter plane that had trouble with its landing gear in dallas the pilot was not able to determine if the planes landing gear was locked into place when the plane touched down
they had to cover the landing field with foam and get all of the emergency trucks out to meet us safe recalls we had to assume the crash position with our heads down and all of that but come to find out the landing gear was down thankfully it was not as close a call as it could have been
hes been to every major american city many times and you can name a foreign city and safe has been there or close to it france japan mexico australia england canada holland thailand korea the list goes on and on many countries hes visited multiple times such as 10 trips to germany
his favorite
two places he says one is cairo and getting to see the great pyramids the other is india and the taj mahal id like to see both again – theyre fantastic better than advertised
since he travels up to 100 000 miles every year the frequent flyer miles do add up safe says he often gives the miles to relatives friends and others who need them
one who doesnt care for the extra flying miles is his wife of 40 years lorna when the couple travels together its usually behind a wheel not at 30 000 feet shell take four tires on asphalt
shes not that crazy about flying safe laughs she prefers car trips
its a surer way to a safe arrival you might say
college station – august 9 2005- a new and improved small animal zoological medicine service under the direction of dr david phalen and dr jean paré is now available at the small animal hospital college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences at texas a&m university
the service offers comprehensive care to a wide range of exotic animal species that are kept as pets pet owners who are seeking primary care for their exotic animal and clients referred by their veterinarians are both welcome animals treated will include pet and aviary birds raptors kept by falconers racing pigeons reptiles amphibians invertebrates and small exotic mammals such as ferrets rodents rabbits hedgehogs prairie dogs and sugar gliders according to phalen we will also treat less traditional species that may be privately owned or in zoo collections including fish large cats bears coatimundis lemurs and macropods (wallabies wallaroos and kangaroos) at this time the service cannot accommodate venomous reptiles or privately owned monkeys
the service is also seeking veterinary referrals related to avian behavioral problems avian and exotic pet surgeries reptiles neoplastic diseases and ornamental fish said phalen we are also providing an ambulatory service to accommodate the needs of aviaries reptile collections and other small exotic pet production facilities
phalen has an international reputation as an avian veterinarian and for his research of infectious diseases of birds a diplomate of the american board of veterinary practitioners – avian specialty phalen holds a phd in avian infectious diseases from texas a&m he has been a member of the colleges zoological medicine section for more than 12 years and has also been in private practice
paré is a diplomate of the american college of zoo medicine and has expertise in the medicine and surgery of a wide range of exotic animals including birds reptiles and fish he was in private practice before completing a 2-year clinical residency in wildlife and exotic animal medicine and surgery at the ontario veterinary college of the university of guelph ontario canada and a 3-year dvsc in zoo animal medicine and pathology at the toronto zoo he served as a clinician at the calgary zoo prior to being a clinician and professor of zoological medicine at the school of veterinary medicine at the university of wisconsin for the last seven years
a full-time registered veterinary technician experienced in handling avian and exotic species completes the staff
the small animal zoological medicine service will be working closely with other members of the department of small animal clinical sciences including behaviorists radiologists oncologists and surgeons to provide a comprehensive referral service the service will have access to state-of-the-art imaging facilities at the college including a new digital fluoroscopy unit and ct helical scanner
appointments may be scheduled monday through friday from 8:00 am-5:00 pm and a 24-hour 365-day a year emergency service is also provided by the sections faculty members our goal is to offer the finest care and quality service to our patients clients and referring veterinarians said phalen the service has its own exam room surgery suite and separate treatment areas designed to provide optimum environmental quality and bio-security for the various species that may require hospitalization
for more information on the small animal zoological medicine service or to schedule an appointment call 979-845-4300
college station – august 2 2005 – dr leon russell a professor at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences became the first american elected president of the world veterinary association (wva) during the 28th world veterinary congress held in minneapolis mn july 16-20

over the next three years russell whose candidacy was endorsed by the american veterinary medical association (avma) will head the worlds oldest international professional veterinary organization comprised of almost a hundred member countries the wva works closely with the food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao) world organization for animal health (oie) world health organization (who) and similar organizations on matters of food safety food security antimicrobial resistance animal welfare and zoonotic diseases
a visionary leader and authority in both veterinary medicine and food safety dr russell is an extraordinary ambassador for organized veterinary medicine at the international level said dr bonnie beaver immediate past president of the avma and veterinary professor at texas a&m
following the election russell said to be a great organization the wva must be the best in the world in at least one important veterinary activity and must develop better team work to increase our effectiveness throughout the world
two areas that russell would like the wva to be considered best in the world are food safety and zoonotic disease control the wva should be the primary authoritative source of advice for international organizations such as the who fao and oie on food safety and toxicology and for zoonotic diseases such as rabies and avian influenza said russell he has spent a lifetime working in the area of food safety and toxicology and has given scientific presentations on current food safety problems throughout the world russell has also dedicated many years to teaching and research of zoonotic diseases especially rabies
better teamwork is a must for all wva officers councilors and representatives according to russell as president i want to create a mentoring system to help new and experienced representatives of national associations understand wvas mission and how it is supposed to function most effectively he explained in order to be a global leader the wva has to be the best in the world
russell has been an active member of the wvas veterinary education committee from 1994-1999 a council member from 1999-2002 and vice-president from 2002-2005 in addition he has served as president of the texas veterinary medical association american veterinary medical association and american association of food hygiene veterinarians
an internationally recognized expert in public health russell holds both a veterinary degree and a phd and is a board certified diplomate of the american college of veterinary preventive medicine russells outstanding contributions to international understanding of veterinary medicine were recognized with the 12th international veterinary congress prize in the year 2000
with the election of russell to the wvas top leadership post for a period of about 20 hours the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences had three aggies in key veterinary leadership positions simultaneously russell was elected president of the wva on tuesday july 19; travis mcdermott a fourth-year veterinary student from lagrange texas is currently serving as president of the student avma until next march; and president of the avma bonnie beaver a professor in small animal clinical sciences became immediate past president the day after russell was elected
dr russell will be a tremendous asset to the wva i am confident that his knowledge dedication and enthusiasm will move the association forward under his excellent leadership said dr h richard adams dean of the college it is quite a distinct honor to have dr russell dr beaver and mr mcdermott representing our college in such influential positions in the veterinary medicine arena we are extremely proud of their achievements
college station july 22 2005 – breakages in chromosomes in mammalian evolution have occurred at preferred rather than random sites as long thought and many of the sites are involved in human cancers an international team of 25 scientists has discovered
the researchers reporting in the july 22 issue of the journal science also found that chromosomal evolution has accelerated based on the rate of breakages and reorganization since the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago
in a study led by harris a lewin of the university of illinois at urbana-champaign and william j murphy of texas a&m university the organization of chromosomes of humans mice rats cows pigs dogs cats and horses was compared at high resolution
this study has revealed many hidden secrets on the nature and timing of genome evolution in mammals and it demonstrates how the study of basic evolutionary processes can lead to new insights into the origin of human diseases said lewin director of the institute for genomic biology at illinois and a professor of animal sciences
the multi-species comparison was aided by a computer visualization tool – the evolution highway- developed by collaborators at the automated learning group at the national center for supercomputing applications at illinois other lead participants were from the university of california at san diego and the genome institute of singapore
the speed-up of evolution since dinosaurs disappeared surprised the researchers who studied a computer-generated reconstruction of genomes of long extinct mammals including the ancestor of the majority of living placental mammals of 94 million years ago
based on our findings of the mammalian rate speed-up we postulate that early mammals with conservative body plans retained fairly conserved genomes as evidenced in the striking similarities in the reconstructed ancestral genomes murphy said
the widespread origin and diversification of most mammalian orders after the k-t extinction due to exploitation of new ecological niches may have facilitated isolation and opportunities for the fixation of karyotypic differences said murphy a professor of veterinary integrative biosciences
the k-t extinction occurred 65 million years ago as the cretaceous period closed and the tertiary period began the cretaceous-tertiary boundary a defining moment marked throughout the world by a thin layer of iridium-rich clay between the rocks of the two periods is believed to have resulted from a massive comet or asteroid strike
the studys data murphy added provide a potential link between post-k-t isolation and the accelerated development of species-specific chromosomes since the k-t extinction rates of chromosomal evolution among the species have increased from two-to-five fold the researchers reported
rates of changes were obtained by analyzing the placements of breakpoints in the genomes of the species studied a breakpoint is where one chromosome has split and the dna is rearranged by the insertion of a piece from another chromosome or a different part of the same chromosome
breakpoints have been implicated as potentially major triggers for cancers and many other human diseases we looked closely at these breakpoints asking if there are specific dna signatures in these regions lewin said the answer is we still dont know but in the human there is a high frequency of segmental duplication around the sites of breakage we are interested in characterizing the genes and their functions in these regions
the multi-species comparison showed significant overlapping with breakpoints that occur in a variety of human cancers lewin said while more work needs to be done to clarify this relationship it is clear that the overlap is real and that there is likely to be biological significance to this discovery
the researchers theorize that chromosome rearrangements that result in the activation of cancer-causing genes are related to the propensity of chromosomes to break and form new combinations as new mammalian species evolve
in all 1 159 pair-wise breakpoints were found among the genomes of human and six non-primate species using a bioinformatics tool researchers aligned and compared the breakpoints across species and constructed an evolutionary scenario for chromosomal rearrangements among all genomes and ancestors they found 492 evolutionary-specific breakpoints and analyzed them for segmental duplication; 40 breakpoints were considered to be primate specific
understanding the features of the dna sequence in and around the evolutionary breakpoint regions is of key importance in determining why chromosomes break in specific regions said denis larkin a visiting animal scientist at illinois and a principal author
the researchers found that chromosomes tend to break in the same places as species evolve evidence for such a pattern had been suggested previously by larkin and lewin and by study co-authors pavel a pevzner and glenn tesler both of the university of california at san diego however the new study is the first to show the phenomenon on a genome-wide basis by multi-species comparison
finding rearrangement hotspots in mammalian genomes is a paradigm shift in the study of chromosome evolution said pevzner a professor of computer science at the university of california at san diego the next important questions he added involve what it is that makes some regions fragile and how fragility in an evolutionary context is related to fragility in cancer
the regions immediately flanking breakpoints they discovered have more genes than the rest of the genome on average
one of the most gene dense regions of the human genome the authors wrote is characterized by recurrent breaks in different mammalian lineages (dog cat cattle rodents) marked by large amounts of gene turnover and variation in centromere placement (centromere refers to highly condensed and constricted regions of chromosomes where spindle fiber is attached during mitosis)
scientists at several other institutions contributed key genome-mapping information to the project
mapping data for the dog genome was provided by scientists at the us national human genome research institute and french national center for scientific research (cnrs) cat-mapping data was contributed by the us national cancer institute
scientists at illinois texas a&m university and the national institute for agricultural research in france provided genome maps of cattle horses and pigs the genome maps of humans mice and rats were available from public sources
none of this would have been possible without the strategic investments by the national institutes of health and by the us department of agriculture in the genome projects of humans model and agriculturally important organisms lewin said its a perfect example of the unity of biology when studied at the level of dna many more surprises await us as we relate genomes to biology and these surprises will lead to better understanding of how species evolve and what peculiarities in their genomes cause one species to have a high rate of cancer and others not
contact: william murphy at (979) 848-0906 or email at wmurphy@cvmtamuedu
college station – small animals are benefiting greatly from a new state-of-the-art imaging system helical ct which allows radiologists at texas a&m university ‘s college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences to obtain detailed wafer-thin cross-sections of internal anatomy without the need for surgery with helical ct or helical cat scan x-ray technology and high-speed computers can produce numerous cross-sectional images of an animals anatomy in less than a minute
the equipment assists veterinarians in the study and diagnosis of animal diseases injuries and abnormalities this is currently the best ct scanner in all of brazos county said dr anne bahr an assistant professor and veterinary radiologist at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences this is the same kind of ct scanner that is used in human hospitals but we are easily adapting it for imaging dogs cats and sometimes birds we are hoping to remodel the ct exam area and purchase a special table that will enable us to also perform ct exams on horses
the technology of the general electric lightspeed helical ct scanner allows for more rapid image acquisition and processing than our previous ct machine bahr explained the circular pathway of the x-ray tube around the patient can be likened to a helix or continuous coil which results in a much shorter exam time a very high speed computer processes the digital information obtained to produce many cross sectional images on a high resolution computer monitor
bahr said for just a few examples we can study brain or spinal cord disease nasal disease orthopedic disease and tumors in various parts of the body we can examine almost any part of the small animals body with this equipment
radiologists and technicians can now perform studies of certain body parts that before were difficult to accomplish whereas previously it took such a long time to perform ct studies of the thorax or abdomen we can now do them on a routine basis bahr said were also able to do more specialized studies because of the high speed of the machine for example weve begun performing non-invasive ct angiograms to evaluate blood vessels with just an intravenous injection of contrast medium
another benefit of the high-speed scanner is that some ct exams can now be performed without administering general anesthesia to the animals this is a big improvement especially when dealing either with orthopedic cases involving relatively healthy animals or possibly with animals too sick to safely anesthetize now we can just sedate some of these animals and scan them without the associated risks of general anesthesia said bahr
the sophisticated computer power of the scanner allows the veterinary professionals to manipulate and to enhance the images the computer makes it possible for us to shade rotate correlate and measure the anatomy in the ct images said bahr we are obtaining more diagnostic information than ever before
thursday may 12 2005 – college station – the world of veterinary medicine is changing faster than at any time in its history bonnie beaver professor of veterinary medicine and current president of the american veterinary medical association said thursday during commencement ceremonies at texas a&m university
beaver addressing the 123 graduates who received their degrees from the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences said the profession is changing faster than ever and let me give you an example a high school counselor told me that ‘girls could not become veterinarians i became one of two women in my veterinary class and had job offers of significantly less money than my male colleagues were offered
since then i have received invitations to present seminars around the world and on 9-11 i watched cnn and the bbc from a hotel room in rio de janeiro where i was presenting a paper on dog bite prevention last july the little girl from rural minnesota who was told she couldnt be a veterinarian became president of the american veterinary medical association the profession is changing
beaver said that bioterrorism will be a challenge for the class of 2005
after a simulation exercise of the introduction of foot and mouth disease the us secretary of agriculture dr ann venimin said ‘we know that veterinarians will be among the first responders to acts of bioterrorism ' beaver noted
not only will we be dependent on first responders to control the outbreak we will be very dependent on veterinarians to educate the public about what is going on back in the ‘dark ages we would roll our eyes at the mere mention of a foreign animal disease – it only existed in some other world
now that other world may be used against us
among the 123 graduates receiving diplomas was pat ryan a houston resident who at age 57 is the oldest person ever in texas to receive a veterinary medicine degree ryan plans to work at a small animal clinic in houston
beaver said the bond between humans and animals will always be a strong one but even it undergoes changes
the human-animal bond is a double-edged sword she believes
animals are often called family members and that of course attracts vultures who want to make owners into ‘guardians and others who want to sue for the intangibles like emotional distress
until that owner is willing to pay the veterinarian an amount equal to that paid a surgeon anesthesiologist and hospital for a human hysterectomy an animal is really not an equal while there are owners who are willing to pay anything for their animal most put limits on their spending
our profession and thus our clients cannot afford the malpractice insurance premiums that our physician colleagues have to spend which result from unrealistic legal settlements
we are a small profession she added
every veterinarian in the united states could fit into kyle field with seats left over but that makes every voice important
may 3 2005 – at age 57 pat ryan says she is dog-gone tired
when she receives her degree next week (thursday may 12) from texas a&m university ‘s college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences the houston native will become the oldest person ever in texas to graduate with a veterinary medicine degree
its also taken her 10 years to do it which included years of prerequisite courses before she could embark on the four-year veterinary medicine degree
its no exaggeration to say that when i do get that diploma it will be one of the happiest days of my life ryan confirms
the hardest part of all of this has been believing in myself to have the self-confidence that i could complete the courses necessary and believe me these are not easy courses they are demanding they are tough they are nerve-racking
the last few years have been the toughest and most challenging of my life but also some of the happiest simply put theres a lot to learn before you can become a veterinarian
ryan wanted to become a veterinarian 25 years ago but as she phrases it a thing called ‘life had other plans for me
shes packed a lot of living into her 57 years at various times shes been a highly paid fashion model who walked runways from new york to houston a writer and editor for mademoiselle magazine a flight attendant for pan american airways a former junior miss of connecticut a theatrical producer a public relations specialist for neiman marcus an award-winning charity organizer who raised $200 000 for the houston spca (society for the prevention of cruelty to animals) and her most important role – a wife of 33 years and mother of two grown daughters
in between all of that she battled cervical cancer and was hospitalized for weeks following surgery which finally rid her of the disease that struck in her mid-30s
like one of the felines she will probably be treating in a few weeks ryan has seemingly had nine lives – or at least lived nine different ones
ryan graduated in 1970 from all-womens smith college in massachusetts but her degree was in theater which is a tad different than doing emergency canine surgery
she enrolled in houston baptist university and the university of st thomas to get the required prerequisite courses such as advanced chemistry physics biology and others behind her then it was on to texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences which has an international reputation and the long hours of hard study that go with it
while her architect husband jeff who has degrees from rice and harvard stayed home in houston ryan rented a house in college station settled in with three dogs and prepared for the hard courses to come
the first year was very very difficult for me she recalls besides the course work which is very demanding i found out that i just didnt have the stamina these 22-year-olds have but i got through it the faculty and students have been wonderful and supportive of me she adds i came here to learn im certainly not shy about asking questions ryan says she will work in a private small animal practice in houston were there times when she thought shed never graduate
every day she laughs
but ive been living a dream ive had for decades to be a veterinarian is the deepest desire of my heart im just so glad that day is finally here ceremonies for her and the other dvm graduates are set for 2 pm thursday may 12 in rudder auditorium
what: in what is believed to be the first success of its kind in north america researchers at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences at texas a&m university have successfully cloned a horse the privately owned colt named paris texas was cloned from the adult skin cells biopsied from its genetic donor by french collaborating partner cryozootech a company dedicated to preserving the genes of exceptional horses for their use in producing cloned offspring
the bay colored-foal was born on march 13 making texas a&m the first academic institution in the world to have cloned six different speciespreviously researchers at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences have cloned cattle goats pigs a deer and a cat
paris texas is the second cloned horse of cryozootechs horse champions cell collection making this company the leader of horse cloning for genetic purposes
who : dr katrin hinrichs veterinarian and professor and dr young-ho choi associate research scientist texas a&m university and eric palmer of cryozootech
how: to schedule interviews with dr katrin hinrichs lead scientist on the project contact texas a&m university (979) 845-9102 or e-mail jburke@cvmtamuedu
to schedule interviews with eric palmer chairman of cryozootech contact +33 1 34 84 43 13 or e-mail contact@cryozootechcom
background sheet
(college station tx) – the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences texas a&m university will be honoring five outstanding alumni at a ceremony on april 15 2005 at the george bush library conference center
brigadier general michael b cates dvm class of `80 is the highest-ranking veterinarian in the united states armed forces serving as chief of the us army veterinary corps cates is also commander of the us army center for health promotion and preventive medicine in aberdeen proving ground md where he oversees 1100 scientific personnel and an $80 million budget providing leadership direction and services in preventive medicine
larry m kornegay dvm class of `71 began practicing small animal veterinary medicine in houston tx kornegay and his wife chris dvm class of `74 founded kornegay and kornegay pc together they established two free standing small animal clinics in northwest harris county kornegay is a member of several state and national organizations serving as president of the texas veterinary medical association (tvma) and the harris county veterinary medical association (vma)
travis mcguire dvm an honors graduate of the class of `65 received his phd from washington state university (wsu) during his 37 years as a faculty member at wsu mcguire has brought distinction to the university through his creative scholarship research teaching and public service an internationally acclaimed scholar in veterinary immunology and infectious diseases mcguires research findings have been included in the core information provided in textbooks worldwide and his current investigations are published in leading scientific journals he is among the most highly quoted and recognized veterinary immunologists in the world
john p toelkes dvm class of `62 is recognized for establishing a very successful equine breeding program in 1978 at the 825 000 acre spread known as the king ranch he and his team rose to the challenge of breeding and raising nationally competitive cutting horses while achieving an eighty percent pregnancy rate toelkes is well-known in the equine industry because of his role in breeding two of the most influential stallions in the history of the american quarter horse mr san peppy and peppy san badger
michale keeling dvm class of `66 is credited with establishing one of the most successful chimpanzee breeding and rehabilitation programs in the country for 29 years he was administrative director of md andersons department of veterinary sciences at the university of texas in bastrop county texas keelings vision for housing breeding and re-socializing chimpanzees earned him international respect keeling died in an automobile accident december 21 2003 the facility that he envisioned and dedicated his life to developing now bears his name the michale e keeling center for comparative medicine and research was dedicated on february 1 2005
each of these alumni have represented the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and the veterinary medical profession with great distinction said dr h richard adams dean of texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences we are proud to recognize their accomplishments
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station mar 11 2005 – texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences has a unique dual distinction – that of having a professor and a student head the top two veterinary posts in the country
travis mcdermott a third-year veterinary student from la grange will be installed as the student american veterinary medical association (savma) president at the associations 2005 symposium friday and saturday (march 11-12) at texas a&m university dr bonnie beaver will continue to serve as president of the avma through the associations 2005 meeting in minneapolis minn july 16-20
as student avma president mcdermott will attend avma executive board meetings serve as a delegate to the avma governing board and participate on the avma legislative advisory committee
mcdermott is also serving as manager of this years savma symposium the symposium will give approximately 2 000 students from around the globe a chance to experience the professionalism and hospitality of the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences the event consists of lectures on the latest veterinary topics and hands-on wet labs given by experts in their field academic and athletic competitions will allow students to show off their muscles and their brains
saturday evening caps off with a keynote address by national tv celebrity jeff corwin two-time emmy winner of animal planet networks wildlife adventure series the jeff corwin experience the symposium concludes with a lone star gala at the hilton conference center
beaver has served as the president of the american veterinary medical association since july she is only the second woman and the eighth veterinarian from texas to serve as the president of the 141-year-old 70 000-plus member organization beaver is focusing on three key areas during her term as president – excellence communication and animal welfare
as health care professionals said beaver we are expected to deliver the highest quality of veterinary medicine in the private and public practice areas for a small profession we have a lot of responsibility we serve two publics she added the animals and the people
established in 1916 the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences is one of the worlds leading institutions in animal health care and research
college station – jeff corwin 2-time emmy award-winning host of animal planet networks wildlife adventure series the jeff corwin experience will speak to veterinary students at rudder theater saturday march 12 as part of the student american veterinary medical associations (savma) symposium hosted this year by texas a&m university ‘s college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences
corwin has been an activist for rainforest preservation and education since an expedition to belize in 1984 during that time as an undergraduate at bridgewater state college corwin helped in the establishment of the emerald canopy rainforest foundation a grassroots organization for the protection of rainforests in central and south america and served as a member of the youth action committee for the united nations environmental program
in 1994 corwin returned to the rainforests of belize as an expedition naturalist for the jason project a televised broadcast from the rainforest corwin also hosted and produced jaguar trax a natural history docudrama filmed on location in the jungles of costa rica from 1997-1999 corwin co-created produced and hosted the disney channel series going wild with jeff corwin
currently corwin is the host and executive producer of the jeff corwin experience on animal planet corwin also presents an outreach lecture series on wildlife ecology and conservation across the united states and is developing a series of books to explore the natural history of endangered species
corwin holds bachelor of science degrees in both biology and anthropology as well as an honorary doctorate in public education from bridgewater state college for his work in educating the public about natural resources wildlife and ecosystems
approximately 2 000 veterinary students from across the nation will be participating in the savma symposium held march 10 – 12 2005 the annual event is organized and operated entirely by and for veterinary students as a way to learn about the latest veterinary topics and to network with fellow future and current veterinarians in america and all over the world hosting this event is no easy task requiring hundreds of hours of planning and preparation by student run committees says travis mcdermott a third year veterinary student who will be installed as the next savma president on saturday with the theme ‘everythings bigger in texas the aggie vet students are going to put on a texas-sized show for all of their colleagues
college station – student winners of a drawing/essay contest co-sponsored by texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences peer program and the universitys chapter of sigma xi office of the provost will be recognized at a dinner held on march 8 at the universitys presidential conference center
the partnership for environmental education and rural health (peer) is an outreach program designed to stimulate students career interests in the field of environmental health sciences the contest challenged local middle school students to either draw a poster depicting houses from around the world a historic house from their community a house of the future or write an essay on how to build low-cost housing around the world
this contest is an opportunity to share texas a&m university ‘s resources and knowledge with the community and public schools within a 70-mile radius of college station says dr larry johnson peer director it also helps the peer program to foster an appreciation among tamu undergraduate students of the value of interfacing with public schools
from among the 350 entries received the following winners were selected for each division the winners of the poster drawing division include alycia garrett a&m consolidated middle school college station; yu-xin sun a&m consolidated middle school college station; nimrah riaz cypress grove intermediate school college station; amy gropp montgomery middle school montgomery tx; and tyler mitchan giddings middle school giddings tx
the winners of the essay division include daniel fonville giddings middle school giddings tx; luis montes de oca caldwell middle school caldwell tx; annalesha sims caldwell middle school caldwell tx; lane hahn caldwell middle school caldwell tx; and lauren eichler giddings middle school giddings tx
the dinner will be held in association with the texas a&m university ‘s distinguished lecture series presented by dr david woodcock entitled discovery through documentation: architectural investigation of historic and cultural resources the students will receive a certificate and a $75 check for their efforts and their work will be displayed in the foyer of the presidential conference center along with the other entries
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
scientists from texas a&m university have shared their passion for science by visiting more than 30 000 students in their classrooms over the past five years as a result of peer (partnership for environmental education and rural health) an innovative outreach program of the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences
lighting a fire in youngsters about the world of science and discovery is the goal of the program says dr larry johnson director of peer the peer program is a partnership between rural public schools and higher education to stimulate interest and enthusiasm in science among middle school students
the program has been making a significant impact on students for the past several years grant money was recently awarded from the national institute of environmental health sciences (niehs) and the national institute of science (nsf) to continue the work of nurturing the minds of budding scientists
middle school is the prime development time to stimulate a students interest in math and science johnson says the curriculum materials used in the program offer a unique approach to integrating environmental health science into science and non-science classes such as math english language arts and social studies the curriculum engages students through a written narrative where they travel to different parts of the world and are faced with various environmental health problems which they are required to solve explains johnson
each adventure narrative is in power point and contains links along the way to various learning resources with information on skills needed in each subject examples of these include links on how to calculate percentages in math how to establish latitude and longitude of a location in social studies how to write a satire in english or what types of bacteria or parasites can cause a particular illness johnson says for example the kiss of the assassin focuses on pathogens and bacterial infectious diseases that can be obtained from insects like the kissing bug that harbor the bacteria and serve as vectors for the disease
the program also provides valuable learning resources and opportunities for students teachers and scientists in addition to ‘firing up students about science and math the program also serves as a comprehensive online distance learning tool for science teachers and their students it also gives graduate scientists the platform to share their excitement and knowledge about science with the schools in rural and remote communities johnson says
texas a&m faculty view the program as an enrichment tool for their personal and professional development and a unique opportunity to serve as mentors to our scientists of the future says johnson
for more information about the peer program at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences visit http://peertamuedu
(college station) dr james e womack a distinguished professor and director of the center for animal biotechnology and genomics at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences has been awarded a $1 million research grant from the robert j kleberg and helen c kleberg foundation for cattle genome research womack was the recipient of the prestigious 2001 wolf prize in agriculture and is a member of the national academy of sciences usa
domestic cattle have a rich history as animal models for the study of human medicine by comparing the human genome with the genomes of different organisms such as cattle and mice researchers can better understand the structure and function of human genes that can lead to the development of new strategies in the battle against human and animal diseases
this research will help us understand what makes bovine breeds and individuals different with respect to reproduction lactation growth bone structure fat deposition altitude and heat tolerance and resistance to specific pathogens which will be invaluable in clarifying physiological processes important to human health says womack
well be focusing on understanding the differences in specific genes in cattle that show a resistance or susceptibility to potentially damaging pathogens to the united states and texas cattle industry womack says a major state of urgency for this research now exists due to the discovery of two animals with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse) or mad cow disease in the us and the increasing threat of agricultural bioterrorism
the grant allows the scientists in the center for animal biotechnology and genomics at texas a&m university to begin to take advantage of the flow of information generated from the $53 million bovine sequencing initiative currently underway at the baylor college of medicine human genome sequencing center in houston says womack valuable sequence data are already being generated and the first draft of the bovine genome sequence was publicly announced in october 2004
this exciting new field of biological research called comparative genomics allows researchers like womack and others around the world to efficiently use an organisms genome in comparative studies in simple terms we will be overlaying the bovine genes on the genes of humans and mice and comparing the differences not only between species but within the species womack explains
the goal of the research says womack is to identify specific gene variations in selected breeds of cattle that include both european and asian breeds we will be targeting resistance and susceptibility to diseases of interest including bse and johnes disease as well as those that pose a potential bioterrorism threat such as foot and mouth and rift valley fever
womack says he will be employing graduate students post-doctoral students and additional staff to work with him on the project we have most of the equipment we will need so the majority of the grant will be used for staffing and supplies
one project specifically funded by the grant will involve developing better computational tools to analyze information known as bio-informatics says womack this project will be under the direction of drs david adelson and christine elsik in the department of animal science
womack has received many prestigious honors and belongs to numerous professional associations in the field of genetics he is the wp luse professor of pathobiology in the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences in addition he is a member of the faculty of genetics and holds a joint academic appointment in the department of medical biochemistry and genetics he serves as coordinator of the usda-csrees national cattle genome project is the current president of the international society for animal genetics and past president of the american genetics association and the texas genetics society he was the recipient of the 1994 ciba prize for research in animal health
womack has published with students and associates more than 300 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals his research interests are comparative genomics mapping the bovine genome and the genetic basis of disease resistance in mammals
the research grant is officially a two-year project but will probably be stretched over a four to five year period according to womack research is expected to begin within the next two weeks
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
in the first study of its kind the field of veterinary medicine is credited with having a $172 billion economic impact on the state of texas
veterinary medicine services total $827 million annually and when the multiplier effect – how much each dollar generates in related revenue is applied – more than $172 billion is produced in texas researchers conclude
the 4 507 licensed veterinarians in texas contribute to the states economy in a variety of sectors including private practice government military industrial and academia the veterinary medical profession returns to the state economy an annual average estimated output of $381 629 per veterinarian in total business sales
texas is the second most populous state in the nation and is a leader in many aspects of animal agriculture and companion animal care said h richard adams the carl b king dean of texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences
when the tens of millions of livestock are considered along with the tens of thousands of dogs cats and other companion animals in our state the full economic value of animal health and well being becomes apparent
texas a&m is the only veterinary medicine college in texas and one of the largest in the nation
the majority of texas licensed veterinary practitioners graduated from texas a&m and are engaged in private practice which is estimated to provide more than 12 871 jobs including veterinary support staff according to the study the private practice sector provides more than $369 million in salaries with approximately $25 million being generated for the state government in the form of indirect business taxes
although the economic impact of veterinary medicine in government military industrial and academia sectors may be more difficult to quantify the impact of the veterinary medical profession in safeguarding our nations food supply protecting the public health and educating the next generation of veterinary medical clinical and research scientists is evident in the daily lives of texans across the state say the authors three veterinary medical students who are also working toward their mba they include dana r boehm m erin mitchell and amber c williams all of whom worked with various consultants and experts in economic impact studies
the study was jointly sponsored by the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and the texas veterinary medical association
whether you eat a safe and nutritious steak have your child immunized or enjoy the companionship of your special pet one thing appears to be certain: veterinarians helped to make it possible somewhere along the way the authors add
the students are among the first graduates from the recently developed dual-degree dvm/mba program at texas a&m university involving both the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and the mays business school
in recognition of the vital role that veterinarians play in society and the economy texas a&m university established the center for executive leadership in veterinary medical education which was instrumental in creating the dual-degree dvm/mba program as well as the dvm/phd veterinary medical scientist training program
our goal in establishing the center was to provide the nations model leadership training program for dvm students to develop as leaders in their personal and professional lives and to benefit the communities in which they live and work said dr e dean gage executive director of the center for executive leadership in veterinary medical education and holder of the charlie and mildred bridges chair in leadership
we are fortunate that many leaders across the veterinary medical profession including industry and government leaders are joining our efforts to develop the veterinary medical leaders of tomorrow through service on the centers external advisory council added gage
executives from several well-known companies and organizations provide counsel regarding the major issues facing the veterinary medical profession and will help to secure funding for the center and other college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences programs related to professional student leadership and veterinary medical education they include pets choice inc banfield pet hospitals vca antech diagnositcs inc hills pet nutrition inc nestle-purina petcare inc the iams company novartis animal health us inc fort dodge animal health inc bayer animal health pfizer animal health r&d merial animal health idexx laboratories cargill inc brakkee consulting inc university of texas md anderson cancer center and the texas veterinary medical association
college station – january 1 2005 – dr oscar bubba woytek sr director of development for texas a&m university ‘s college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences is this years recipient of the prestigious texas a&m foundation trustee award
dr woytek has been a positive force on the development team at the foundation for the past 15 years his fund-raising initiatives have consistently yielded high expectations and successful results said james j palincsar sr vice president for development texas a&m foundation
over the years dr woytek has developed an uncanny ability to create and strengthen vital relationships between constituents and the foundation relationships that are critical to the ongoing success of the college of veterinary medicine
dr woyteks association with the college of veterinary medicine has produced notable results and has financially enriched student faculty and academic programs the creation of the stevenson companion animal life-care center has given texas a&m a national showpiece palincsar noted colleagues from around the country have visited the center to get ideas on how to start such a program
dr woytek a 1965 graduate of the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university has earned the respect of veterinarians across the state and nation he consistently promotes personal professional and organization development while fostering loyalty among former students and friends of the college said pilincsar dr woytek is very deserving of this honor
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station – september 2004 dedication of the newly completed expansion area of the stevenson companion life-care center which provides lifelong care of pets whose owners can no longer do so will be held at 10 am friday oct 1 at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences at texas a&m university


the new 3 500-square feet addition will greatly expand the stevenson center which was established in 1993 clients of the center include pet owners who want to assure their pets future prior to entering a retirement home being hospitalized for an extended period or predeceasing their pet it is the only such center in the southwest and one of the few in the united states
we are so grateful to all the people who donated more than $600 000 toward the expansion project said dr henry l presnal director of the center the five-year fund raising initiative resulted in 125 gifts from 98 donors special plaques have been placed throughout the building to recognize our major donors
the expansion increases the facility to 8300 square feet for small animals current residents include 15 cats 11 dogs a pony and a llama
the expansion was needed to accommodate our growing number of animal enrollees presnal explained we have 94 owners from 18 different states with approximately 250 animals enrolled to enter the center at various times in the future this expansion allows us to comfortably care for our future residents in a home-like atmosphere
the new addition includes a large living room memorial garden area honoring deceased residents three canine living areas each with an adjoining exercise yard two feline bedrooms an aviary and a student apartment with a living area and attached patio
the stevenson companion animal life-care center opened its doors in 1993 and is an integral part of the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences the privately funded center provides the physical emotional and medical needs of companion animals whose owners are no longer able to provide that care due to illness or death
pet owners establish an endowment with the texas a&m foundation generating a perpetual income to support the lifetime care of their animal when the pet passes away the income from the endowment may be directed toward other college initiatives such as scholarships a particular research project or can remain with the center in accordance with the owners wishes said presnal
the minimum endowment to secure enrollment in the center depends on the age of the youngest owner at the time of enrollment the endowment for each animal can be established by bequest through a will or trust or can be fully paid-up at the time of enrollment with a considerable discount presnal explained
the majority of enrolled pets at the center have no family guardian to care for them or the family is not able to take on this additional responsibility i want to emphasize that the people who enroll their pets in our program are ordinary people who share a special love for their animals noted presnal typically they are people who have accumulated some savings over the years and have planned ahead to ensure their pet is cared for when they are no longer able to take care of it
the center because of its close association with college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences offers many unique benefits we are still the only facility of this kind associated with a major university that offers the extent of care we provide to our animals presnal said
texas a&m students live in apartments at the center and provide daily care and companionship for the animals in a home environment this is a mutually rewarding situation for both the students and the animals according to presnal the students are typically aspiring veterinarians so the center provides hands on educational experiences for them
when the pets need medical attention their care is provided by the texas a&m veterinary medical teaching hospital their knowledge of the latest advances in veterinary medicine combined with their specialized facilities ensures the best possible care for our residents presnal noted
presnal a retired veterinarian has served as the centers director for about seven years this is the perfect job and second career for a veterinarian who has organizational and business skills that they want to use while still getting to work with veterinarians pet owners and their animals said presnal i get to deal with all the good things in life the center is located on ten acres adjacent to the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and is named after the late madlin stevenson a houston-area animal fancier and early major supporter of the project stevenson died in 2000 and her for cats seven dogs pony and llama came to reside at the center upon her death the center is located in the wp luse building named in recognition of the luse foundations support of the centers early development
college station – three iraqi veterinarians spent two weeks in august at the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences to learn how veterinary medicine is taught and practiced in the united states dr majid hamid nijidi dean of the college of veterinary medicine at the university of baghdad was accompanied by dr majid nassir hussain an assistant professor and assistant dean for administration dr ali fuad ibrahim an assistant lecturer at the school and captain lawrence camacho from the us armys 1st cavalry division the request to host the iraqi veterinarians came from the united states military and the us state department
faculty and staff from texas a&m university presented information on the student selection process and curriculum for the professional program classroom technologies academic departmental overviews and provided a tour of the veterinary medical teaching hospital for their iraqi colleagues
we were pleased to assist the us military by hosting the veterinary delegation from iraq and hope that weve helped to support their efforts to advance veterinary medicine and higher education in their country said dr h richard adams dean of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences
in 2003 the us militarys 414th civil affairs battalion based out of utica ny helped to renovate the university of baghdad school of veterinary medicine which had been used by republican guard soldiers as a fighting position during the war although the facilities were never bombed the battles fought there and the looting that followed caused considerable damage the school reopened on october 4 2003 and continues to receive support from around the world in the form of donated textbooks and supplies
veterinary medicine is an important component in public health food production and it improves our quality of life through strengthening the human-animal bond said adams it was a great privilege for the colleges faculty and staff to meet and share information with our colleagues and new friends from iraq
(college station tx) the texas a&m university board of regents and the texas higher education coordinating board approved a new name for the college of veterinary medicine (cvm) and three of its academic departments
the college of veterinary medicine is now officially the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences the former department of veterinary anatomy and public health is now the department of veterinary integrative biosciences the former department of large animal medicine and surgery is now the department of large animal clinical sciences and the former department of small animal medicine and surgery is now the department of small animal clinical sciences these new designations are effective immediately; however stationary directory listings and signage will gradually be replaced
after college efforts reaching back well over a decade i am pleased to announce a historic change for the nomenclature of our college and three departments said dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences these changes better reflect the depth and breath of veterinary medical science today and our commitment to graduate future biomedical scientists at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in addition to our traditional responsibility of educating veterinarians
inclusion of biomedical sciences in our college name not only acknowledges our unique 2000-student undergraduate baccalaureate degree in biomedical sciences; it also lends emphasis to our biomedical research program that generates over $20 million per year in grant and contract awards added adams
dedicated to serving the state of texas texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the united states and canada texas aggie veterinarians proudly serve our state our nation and indeed the world in countless ways from highly sophisticated veterinary practices serving the residents of texas and their animals to military industrial government and university roles aggie veterinarians hold positions of prestige and responsibility
college station texas – dr bonnie beaver a professor at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine assumed the presidency of the american veterinary medical association at a special installation ceremony on tuesday july 27 at the associations national meeting in philadelphia dr beaver is the second woman and the eighth veterinarian from texas to serve as president of the 141-year old 70 000-plus member organization
in her friday july 23 speech to the opening session of the avma house of delegates dr beaver identified three areas of importance for her presidency – excellence – communication – animal welfare as health care professionals said dr beaver we are expected to deliver the highest quality of veterinary medicine in the private and public practice areas for a small profession we have a lot if responsibility we serve two publics dr beaver added the animals and the people
the ability of our profession to meet the diverse needs of society is as strong as it has ever been our challenge is to keep it that way said dr beaver according to dr beaver the avma is working on excellence in professional activities on many fronts including education diversity productivity and quality of life
our educational evaluation programs will continue to undergo reevaluation and improvements to ensure they are the best it is important that we all work to protect the educational excellence of our profession from challenges that are or will occur from inside our borders as well as outside said dr beaver
in order to effectively serve society with excellence the profession must promote diversity said dr beaver this applies to diversity in the expertise we have and it applies to the racial ethnic and gender diversity of our colleagues she added how can we fully appreciate the nature of animal relations to the native americans asians or hispanics in our country asked dr beaver if we do not seek out the best young people in those cultures
communication establishes the relationship of veterinary medicine with society the profession according to dr beaver needs make a concerted effort to educate the public and even members of the profession about who veterinarians are and what we do as a small profession said dr beaver we must all speak with one voice to be heard in defense of the animal and human publics we serve we must be willing to listen to each other so that we become advocates for all segments of our profession
veterinarians said dr beaver are the ultimate authorities on animal welfare and it is important that we retain this authority in light of challenges by animal rightists and humane organizations as has been made evident in recent newspaper attacks as the world changes dr beaver added our need to become more outspoken in this area has increased so that the image of the veterinarian being the one true advocate for the animal is not lost animal rightists are pushing their agenda in small increments under the guise of animal welfare and with mistruths
in order for veterinarians to hold the position as leaders in animal welfare according to dr beaver the avma must become more proactive in several areas first we must recognize that the animal industry and the general public have been asking us to lead in this area in fact added dr beaver they expect it
dr beaver has proposed and the avma executive board has accepted a recommendation to develop a task force on the legal status of animals to address the hot topics of animal guardianship and non-economic status of animals
to retain a high visibility as leaders in animal welfare said dr beaver the avma will need to increase time resources and efforts in the area this she added will mean instituting and phasing in a division of animal welfare within the avma staffed by veterinarians who remain current on the global aspects of animal welfare science and issues and who are respected throughout animal related industries
dr beaver is a charter diplomate of the american college of veterinary behaviorists and a former president of the texas veterinary medical association dr beaver is an internationally recognized authority on animal behavior animal welfare and the human-animal bond she has authored eight books nearly 200 scientific articles and presented over 400 seminars
dr beaver will serve as president of the american veterinary medical association through the associations 2005 meeting in minneapolis minn july 16-20 2005 established in 1916 the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine is one of the worlds leading institutions in animal health care and research
college station texas- travis mcdermott third-year student at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university was elected student avma president-elect at the american veterinary medical association (avma) convention held in philadelphia pa july 24-28 2004
mcdermott will serve as savma president-elect until its march 2005 symposium when he will be installed as the student avma president his term will run through march 2006
as student avma president mcdermott will attend avma executive board meetings serve as a delegate to the avma governing board and participate on the avma legislative advisory committee
i feel this is a great chance for me to represent the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine within the savma and avma said mcdermott there will be many occasions to help educate and inform veterinary students of the opportunities available to them through organized veterinary medicine
the 10th annual english tea benefiting members of the brazos valley multiple sclerosis support group (bvmssg) was hosted at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university on may 15 2004 by dr jane welsh associate professor in the department of veterinary anatomy and public health and her scientific team
the english tea provided a forum for discussion of advances in multiple sclerosis (ms) and allowed graduate students to present their research to members of the bvmssg demonstrating the vital role that veterinary medical research plays in promoting public health
this years discussions focused on the impact of stress on the ms patient and the important role of the blood brain barrier
in ms patients the immune system attacks the virus and the myelin membranes making it difficult for the sensory nerves to conduct electrical impulses when myelin dissolves as a result of ms a scar forms in its place these scars prevent signals from traveling through the body and can be aggravated by stress levels at the onset of ms more than 80 percent of those diagnosed had suffered a highly stressful life event in the preceding year
current research suggests that neurological disease combined with stress can initiate the breakdown of the blood brain barrier thereby allowing an influx of immune cells to cross over
the theory is that if you have the genes that predispose to ms and high stress levels which often interfere with the ability to generate an effective immune response to ms causing agents then the agent will persist and lead to illness welsh commented
members of the bvmssg welcomed the scientific information and shared their own unique perspectives on living with ms which included suggestions on which medications to take how to deal with depression and finding the right doctor or neurologist to care for their needs
the english tea proved to be a tremendous success and allowed researchers to meet and discuss their findings with the patients that they hope will one day benefit from their work
college station texas – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and the dallas county community college district (dcccd) have signed an agreement to facilitate the admission and academic transfer of students from the dcccd campuses at brookhaven cedar valley mountain view and north lake into the undergraduate biomedical science program at texas a&m
as dcccd students progress successfully toward the completion of the associate of arts degree this agreement will ensure the seamless transition of students into the biomedical science program according to the following academic provisions and conditions students must meet all the standard admissions requirements and maintain a 360 grade point average in courses taken at dcccd have completed 67 hours in a designated degree plan and not earned below a b in their math and science courses
partnerships in education are one key to providing opportunities for our high achieving students said dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university the college of veterinary medicine is pleased to join the dallas county community college district in offering this opportunity to students in the dallas area
the bachelor of science degree in biomedical science is the largest major on the texas a&m university campus with approximately two thousand students enrolled in the program most students pursuing this degree are preparing for a career in the allied health field which includes such professions as medicine optometry veterinary medicine nursing ophthalmology and dentistry
dcccd continuously seeks to form partnerships with senior institutions to provide greater educational and transfer opportunities to our students said dr jesus jess carreon chancellor for the dallas county community college district we are really excited by our continued relationship with this outstanding university and our vision of supporting our students educational goals and dreams
dcccd is one of ten community colleges in texas to be selected to participate in this opportunity the agreement will take effect fall 2004 and any student meeting the requirements will be guaranteed admission to the biomedical science program as a junior
college station tx february 20 2004- dr margaret slater associate professor department of anatomy and public health has been awarded a partners in caring grant with the brazos feral cat allies (bfca) they are working with the veterinary medical teaching hospital (vmth) college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university to provide additional veterinary medical care for homeless cats in the brazos valley the grant will provide cvm students with the opportunity to spay/neuter vaccinate and microchip feral cats on scheduled surgery days
the american society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (aspca) has awarded bfca a partners in caring grant to help fund their trap neuter and return feral cat program in the bryan-college station area this grant will be used to support bfcas efforts to spay/neuter ear-tip vaccinate and microchip feral cats in our area
the ‘partners in caring grant program is one way that we support worthy organizations and initiatives says aspca president ed sayres the aspca views its grant recipients as their true partners in caring this honor is a mark of their support of the sponsored program
bfca is a 502c3 non-profit tax-exempt organization that works with cat caretakers in the area donations can be sent to: bfca po box 10738 college station tx 77842 for more information visit their website at wwwcatfriendsorg
college station jan 27 2004 – future veterinarian pat ryan looks at it this way: if she were a dog shed be 392 years old
the 56-year-old ryan is in her third year of studies at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine a highly rigorous academic program for 20-somethings much less a senior adult when she graduates next year shell be the oldest person ever to receive a dvm degree at the school texas only veterinary college
while its not uncommon for older adults to go back to college to earn their bachelors degree its extremely rare for professional schools such as law medicine or dentistry to have someone begin his or her practice at age 57
ryan thinks its great
im living a dream just being here and thats the truth the houston resident laughs i wanted to be a veterinarian 25 years ago but a thing called ‘life had different plans for me
ryan has had a life of almost forrest gump-like scale
at various times shes been a highly paid fashion model who walked runways from new york to houston a writer and editor for mademoiselle magazine a flight attendant for pan american airways a former junior miss of connecticut a theatrical producer a public relations specialist for neiman marcus an award-winning charity organizer who raised $200 000 for the houston spca (society for the prevention of cruelty to animals) and her most important role – a wife of 32 years and mother of two grown daughters
in between all of that she battled cervical cancer and was hospitalized for weeks following surgery which rid her of the disease that struck in her mid-30s
like one of the felines she will probably be treating in a year ryan has seemingly had nine lives – or at least lived nine different ones
all students seeking admission to the college of veterinary medicine are required to fill out a personal statement form which is more or less an essay on why they should be selected ryans began ive waited 25 years to write this essay like that of the tortoise in aesops fable the path leading to this moment has been slow but steady deliberate and determined i bring a half-century of life experience to the table a background as varied as a patchwork quilt and a resume described by a friend as a ‘renaissance woman gone mad
admissions counselors were hooked – she got in but not before taking three years worth of prerequisite courses such as advanced chemistry physics and others ryan graduated in 1970 from all-womens smith college in massachusetts but her degree was in theater which is a tad different than doing emergency canine surgery
she enrolled at houston baptist university and the university of st thomas to get the required courses behind her then three years ago headed for texas a&ms college of veterinary medicine which has an international reputation and the long hours of hard study that go with it while her architect husband jeff who has degrees from rice and harvard and whose firm designed the owls state-of-the-art baseball stadium reckling park stayed home in houston ryan rented a house in college station and settled in with three dogs she adopted – sort of
the first year was very very difficult for me ryan admits besides the course work which is very demanding i found out that i just didnt have the stamina that these 22-year-olds have i found myself stressing a lot but i was determined to get through it
one big adjustment: computers
these kids grew up working and doing research on computers i didnt and i had a lot of catching up to do she recalls
fellow veterinary medical students she admits have been highly supportive of her
at first i had a few ‘hey grandma jokes thrown at me but overall the students and faculty have been wonderful ryan says ive come here to learn im certainly not shy about asking questions
when she graduates next year she hopes to work in a small animal practice for a long time
im not about to go through all of this and practice just a few years and retire ryan says im living a dream ive had for decades when i get that diploma its the start of my new career to be a veterinarian is the deepest desire of my heart so early retirement for me is just not an option
ryan who proudly says that her silver-colored hair goes well with her white lab coat is proof that you can teach an old – better make that middle-aged – dog new tricks anatomy class anyone
college station – in what is believed to be the first success of its kind researchers at the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university have cloned a white-tailed deer a fawn named dewey after duane kraemer one of the researchers was born to sweet pea a surrogate mother on may 23 2003
the fawn is believed to be the first successfully cloned deer and texas a&m is the first academic institution in the world to have cloned five different species previously researchers at the college of veterinary medicine have cloned cattle goats pigs and a cat
the announcement of the successful deer cloning was delayed until dna analysis could be performed to confirm genetic identity
this breakthrough in deer cloning at the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m was a joint project with viagen inc and may be useful in conserving endangered deer species including the key west deer of florida
dewey is developing normally for a fawn his age and appears healthy said dr mark westhusin who holds a joint appointment with the colleges of veterinary medicine and agriculture and life sciences and is the lead investigator on the project a dna analysis confirmed that dewey is a clone ie a genetic copy of the donor adding that future scientific advances resulting from the successful cloning of the deer are expected
the clone was produced using fibroblast cells which were isolated from skin samples derived from a deceased male white-tailed deer expanded in culture then frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen white-tailed deer oocytes were collected from ovaries of does and matured in vitro two teams of research scientists led by dr mark westhusin and dr duane (dewey) kraemer of texas a&m university and dr charles long of viagen inc performed the nuclear transfer procedures and transfer of the cloned embryos dewey is under the medical care of dr alice blue-mclendon a veterinarian at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university
with each new species cloned we learn more about how this technology might be applied to improving the health of animals and humans said westhusin
in december 2001 the first cloned cat was born at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university other cloned animals born at the university include several litters of pigs a boer goat a disease-resistant angus bull and the first brahma bull
the knowledge we gain from cloning these animals could greatly affect several areas of science and medicine said h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine with each successful cloned species we learn more about cloning procedures and how to make the process more efficient
white-tailed deer represent the most abundant wide-spread big game animal in north america they are popular game animals and are prized for their meat and antlers deer farming to produce meat and antlers is common-place in many parts of the world including texas when breeding animals die or are harvested as a result of hunting cloning may provide a valuable tool for conserving the genetics of superior animals
established in 1916 the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m is one of the worlds largest veterinary colleges and is an international leader in animal health care and research
texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine will be a partner with the university of texas medical branch in galveston for biodefense research part of the national institutes of health (nih) effort to combat a possible bioterrorism attack
the nih recently announced the creation of eight regional centers of excellence (rce) for bioterrorism research and awarded $350 million over five years for the centers to detect and find ways to combat bioterrorism acts the new rces provide a coordinated and comprehensive mechanism to support the varied research that will lead to new and improved vaccines therapies diagnostics and others tools against the threat of bioterrorism the nih said
garry adams associate dean for research and graduate studies in the college of veterinary medicine will help coordinate the research at texas a&m and work closely with the ut-medical branch thomas ficht also in the college of veterinary medicine and rene tsolis professor of microbiology and immunology in the health science center will also be instrumental in the bioterror work along with james samuel in the health science center adams said
texas a&m will receive $26 million over a five-year period to conduct its bioterrorism research activities adams said
our primary goal is to develop human brucellosis and q-fever vaccines which are somewhat similar diseases adams explained tsolis will work on brucellosis vaccines while samuel will concentrate on q-fever adams added
both diseases have been weaponized as terror agents by several countries so the threat already exists both diseases are rarely fatal but they make a person very sick with flu-like conditions and cause high fever both are difficult to cure and with brucellosis once you have it you usually have it for the rest of your life
about $48 million will be designated for bioterrorism research at utmb according to figures from the national institutes for health the centers will study infectious diseases develop vaccines antibiotics and other methods to combat biological terrorist attacks from such substances as anthrax smallpox and other deadly diseases
specifically the centers will develop new approaches to blocking the action of anthrax and other toxins; develop new vaccines against plague brucellosis q-fever anthrax smallpox ebola and others; develop new antibiotics and other drug strategies; study bacterial and viral disease processes; design new diagnostic approaches for biodefense and for emerging diseases; conduct immunological studies of diseases caused by potential agents of bioterrorism; and create new immunization strategies and delivery
systems
the simple explanation of our work is that we want to be able to detect a bioterrorist disease adams said we all know the threat of a bioterrorism attack is very real thats why this work is so important and why we have to come up with the best possible defense against a public health crisis
journeying into the heart of west africa a team of second-year veterinary students from the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university are helping to launch the ghana animal welfare society (ghaws) this summer in accra the capital city of ghana
for six weeks four students will assist local veterinarians in setting up guidelines and standards that will ensure proper animal care they will educate the people of ghana in developing a more compassionate attitude toward animals and understanding the important human health issues related to zoonotic diseases
ghaws began in january 2003 after angela williams the principle investigator for the project spent three months in ghana last summer working with head veterinarian maj dr joseph selorm tettey gaining valuable international experience and veterinary knowledge
while sharing her experience with others williams recruited her co-investigators molly jowell alexis willingham and krista hardy together this group will educate members of the ghana community by distributing materials that will serve to promote pertinent animal welfare topics
ghaws is needed to end the cycle of animal abuse neglect and inadequate care in ghana williams said as future veterinarians it is our obligation to address animal care issues and to begin educating the public
ghana located in west africa is primarily rural with more than half of the 185 million inhabitants involved in agriculture the city of accra is highly developed yet lacks appropriate animal care and control although the dominant language is english many tribal dialects are spoken causing a significant barrier that ghaws must overcome
developing effective ways to interact with the people of ghana will be the initial challenge for our team to overcome when we arrive willingham said they will be unaware of what we are doing but hopefully once the word gets out in the city and contacts are made with teachers and other veterinarians we will be able to break the communication barrier
in addition to educating the people of ghana the team will also lead the construction of an animal holding pen at the veterinary hospital in ghana and distribute donated veterinary supplies to clinics in accra it is often very difficult for veterinarians in ghana to acquire basic supplies because of high cost and low availability ghaws plans to collect veterinary supplies donated by local veterinarians and distribute them to the clinics in accra
awareness of the issues facing ghana is one of our major goals jowell said in our studies we tend to focus on problems pertinent to our country and as students we must realize that there are veterinarians out there that need our help
many professional veterinarians support the goals of ghaws but are unable to dedicate the time necessary to help set up the organization williams commented its amazing that a group of students can go over there and make such a huge impact in such a short time
assisting with the launch of the ghana program the geraldine r dodge foundation awarded the team a frontiers in veterinary medicine fellowship in the amount of $6 500 because of the projects potential to advance the humane treatment of animals through their faculty mentor dr jeffrey mb musser department of veterinary pathobiology the project is receiving financial support from the usda cooperative state research education and extensions service challenge grant global veterinary medicine and foreign animal diseases: trade control careers
the students are hopeful that the program will continue in the future and that anyone interested in going abroad will have the opportunity to go to ghana
we are trying to build a framework for future work in ghana hardy said our efforts this summer with ghaws will not end when we leave but will continue to help the society the people and animals of ghana
community identity stability describe the brave new world conceived by aldous huxley in 1932; today we stand on the brink of a brave new world characterized by the possibilities contained inside a double helix
recent technological advances in human and animal genetics have lead to sequencing the human genome mapping the severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars) virus and in the near future the release of the completed bovine genetic code
dr james e womack a distinguished professor at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university has spent 22 years in cattle genetics analyzing comparative maps that allow him to use the human genome as a rough key to unlocking the cattle code
one of the great things of working with a species like cattle is that we have the human model to follow womack said weve had to develop a few new technologies specific to cattle particularly in the statistical analysis and the breeding structure of families but as far as laboratory bench technologies weve pretty much followed the lead of human genetics
when womack began studying the bovine genome he was actively comparing the human and mouse genomes and trying to understand the evolutionary events that might have made our genomes different in 1982 he decided it was necessary to add a third group to the equation that didnt consist of primates or rodents and being from texas it was logical to choose the bovine
cattle have been difficult to map because like humans they breed slow and do not produce large numbers of offspring however the technologies developed for humans were generally applicable to cattle as well womack said
genetic mapping is an attempt to find mileposts along the genome of a particular organism the genome is the total genetic material contained in every cell of a species and the dna that makes up the genome serves as coding for a particular animal determining the exact sequence of the chemicals contained in dna involves a string of 3 billion figures
genetic sequencing is the ultimate map; knowing every inch of the road womack said mapping as we currently do it in cattle is not finding every inch of the road and defining it but finding mile posts along the way and the functional elements that actually code for something like disease resistance
in comparative mapping womack studies for example chromosome 1 on the human genome and by comparison identifies what genes on chromosome 1 match up in the bovine this may mean that chromosome 1 in the human matches chromosome 3 in cattle by using this method if a gene coding for human disease resistance is found on chromosome 1 then womack can look at the comparative map and hypothesize that a similar gene may be found on chromosome 3 in cattle this comparison may help to develop a better understanding of how viruses and bacteria affect cattle
instead of sequencing the host species some researchers focus on the virus or bacteria affecting that group sequencing a viral genome like sars is typically easier than an entire species because it is very small with just a few thousand bases as oppose to billions however viruses have the unique ability to rapidly evolve into resistant stages making it difficult to develop an effective antibiotic treatment in the case of the sars virus womack believes a new strain of a pre-existing virus genetically changed into a more virulent form knowing more about the human genome and the virus sequence may help slow the spread of this and other diseases
understanding infection involves understanding the pathogen and the host which both fall under genetic influence womack stated
there are an estimated 30 000 – 40 000 genes in the mammal all of which have approximately the same amount of genetic information whether it be cattle or human finding where those genes are on a genetic map is a big step to finding the gene and determining what changes the gene makes in a sick or healthy person or animal
texas poultry produces are keeping a close watch on the spread of exotic newcastle disease (end) as it continues to devastate parts of california and nevada as one of the top poultry producing states texas adheres to strict biosecurity measures as the threat of end approaches our boarders says dr john el-attrache assistant professor in the college of veterinary medicine who has a joint appointment in the poultry science department
exotic newcastle disease is an extremely contagious and fatal foreign animal disease that affects most bird species although this disease is not new to the united states a similar outbreak occurred in southern california in 1971 it is suspected to have entered the united states through the illegal smuggle of infected fighting cocks and amazon parrots near the mexican border
this disease is often spread from an infected bird to an uninfected bird in the same flock through bodily discharges including: feces and secretions from the nose mouth and eyes frequently these bodily discharges attach to shoes clothing and equipment causing humans and vehicles to be the main source responsible for spreading end from flock to flock and across state borders
signs of end include sudden death sneezing gasping for air nasal discharge coughing muscular tremors drooping wings swelling of the tissues around the eyes and in the neck and greenish watery diarrhea eradication is the primary goal when a flock is diagnosed with end even though an infected bird can be saved; it becomes a carrier of the disease and could potentially infect more birds
in the case affecting the poultry industry chickens are separated into two categories: layers and broilers layer chickens are raised to produce eggs while broilers are grown for consumption end is particularly devastating to the layer industry because these chickens have a longer lifespan and therefore a larger window of opportunity to become infected layer chickens usually live in houses that are both warm and humid with up to 20 000 other birds which may cause the disease to live for several weeks
the texas poultry industry could experience a similar impact that end is having on southern california if the proper preventative measures are not taken el-attrache said
the texas poultry industry is no 6 in the nation in both layers and broilers while california is no 8 in broilers and no 3 in the layer industry in california approximately 22 million birds have been destroyed to stop the spread of this disease that has affected 14 commercial operations and 2 000 noncommercial flocks the hefty price of fighting this disease is estimated at $35 million
most chickens have been vaccinated against end with water or a spray vaccine and even though this method is the most effective it will sometimes produce an uneven distribution of vaccine leaving some birds more susceptible to end despite regular boosters el-attrache said
it is important to contact the texas department of health or the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory at their facilities in college station center and gonzales before making any decisions to eradicate a poultry farm or bird species
end is a respiratory disease with symptoms that are often similar to that of other non-lethal respiratory diseases and must be identified in a diagnostic laboratory setting el-attrache said
contact information:angela g clendenindirector communications & public relationsofc – (979) 862-2675cell – (979) 739-5718
college station texas – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and mclennan community college (mcc) of waco texas have signed an agreement to facilitate the admission and academic transfer of students from mclennan community college into the undergraduate biomedical science program at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine
as mcc students progress successfully toward the completion of the associate of arts degree this agreement will ensure the seamless transition of students into the biomedical science program according to the following academic provisions and conditions students must meet all the standard admissions requirements and maintain a 360 grade point average in courses taken at mcc have completed 66 hours in a designated degree plan and not earned below a b in their math and science courses
partnerships in education are one key to providing opportunities for our high achieving students said dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university the college of veterinary medicine is pleased to join mclennan community college in offering this opportunity to students in the waco area
the bachelor of science degree in biomedical science is the largest major on the texas a&m university campus with approximately two thousand students enrolled in the program most students pursuing this degree are preparing for a career in the allied health field which includes such professions as medicine optometry veterinary medicine nursing ophthalmology and dentistry
it is a privilege for us to partner with texas a&m university and we are pleased to provide this opportunity for our students who want to transfer into the biomedical science program jack schneider vice president for instruction at mcc said mcc is widely recognized for quality academic programs and this agreement speaks very highly of our science departments
mcc is one of ten community colleges in texas to be selected to participate in this opportunity the agreement will take effect fall 2003 and any student meeting the requirements will be guaranteed admission to the bims program as a junior
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
the biomedical science program (bims) at the college of veterinary medicine (cvm) and the college of agriculture and life sciences at texas a&m university signed the first guaranteed acceptance agreement between an undergraduate and graduate program within the university
the pilot 4+2 agreement between biomedical science and the professional program in biotechnology (ppib) was signed by dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine and dr edward a hiler dean of the college of agriculture and life sciences and vice chancellor of agriculture on january 22 2003
the unique program name (4+2) comes from the four-year undergraduate degree and two-year ms graduate degree that students will earn upon completing the program the 4+2 program will facilitate the admission of students from the bims program into the biotechnology program and ensure a seamless transition this is a tremendous opportunity for undergraduates who are ready to map out their academic program leading to a professional career in biotechnology said dean adams
bims students considering the program must have a cumulative 375 gpa take a collection of directed electives specified by the department and complete the requirements necessary for graduate school admission to texas a&m university including letters of recommendation and an interview
the 4+2 program was implemented to facilitate the transition of qualified bims students into a graduate school program we are pleased that there is now a seamless process in place to matriculate these highly qualified students into our professional program said dean hiler the professional program in biotechnology began three years ago and prepares students for careers in both the laboratory and business world by earning a masters in biotechnology
the pilot 4+2 agreement is expected to begin in the summer of 2003 and is expected to have an annual enrollment of 20 students
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
staffed by experts in veterinary critical care and emergency medicine the newly renovated facility includes sophisticated equipment such as a human-health grade laboratory analyzer for blood a new state-of-the-art ventilator with graphics monitors for vital signs defibrillators syringe pumps and other emergency room instruments that are currently supporting cutting-edge medicine and surgery in human hospitals
this new facility reflects the rapid advancement in veterinary medicine over the past ten years said dr maureen mcmichael director of the emergency medicine and critical care program now veterinarians have access to some of the same technologies that human practitioners use
the new equipment and larger facility will help veterinarians at the small animal hospital to better diagnosis and treat a variety of emergency conditions including massive trauma neurological conditions toxicities renal failure and emergency referral cases from veterinarians across the state
expanded areas include intensive and intermediate care anesthesia preparation and a much-needed endoscopic procedure room we hope that our growing critical care and emergency medicine service will support veterinarians not only in texas but throughout the southwest added mcmichael
texas a&m universitys small animal hospital serves as one of the most sophisticated veterinary medical teaching laboratories in the nation where fourth-year students in the professional program can learn the art and science of veterinary medicine the expansion in critical care and emergency medicine facilities and staff is anticipated to increase the skills of graduating veterinarians in this growing specialty
in addition to mcmichael dana heath assistant hospital administrator and the newly-elected president of the national organization of critical care technicians lori atkins the critical care coordinator as well as other clinical specialists will staff the new critical care and emergency medicine facility veterinarians and members of the media got a sneak preview of the new state-of-the-art critical care and emergency medicine facility at texas a&m universitys small animal hospital on monday september 10 2002 it was a rare opportunity to see the facility because once patients are admitted to the unit; only veterinarians technicians and fourth year medical students working in emergency medicine and critical care will be permitted to enter
college station texas – the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university honored five outstanding alumni at a ceremony on august 30 2002 at the george bush library conference center

dr jerry b payne (dvm) class of 64 is a founding member and president of american animal health inc and american pharmaceuticals and cosmetics inc payne built his research and biologicals plant from the ground up and the company continues to be a leader in bovine bacterial research payne successfully developed the first freeze-dried avian encephalomyelitis vaccine to be licensed in the united states in 1998 he founded and later became president of the association of veterinary biological companies
dr j alford moore (dvm) class of 67 founded the eastex veterinary clinic in 1970 since its beginning five more locations have been added with 13 veterinarians and over 70 employees moore is currently chairman of the tvmas historical committee and co-chairman of the tvmas centennial task force moore has been actively involved in the humble independent school district the humble intercontinental rotary club and south main baptist church
dr doug bronstad (dvm) class of 72 is co- owner of the animal diagnostic clinic in dallas tx he served as staff veterinarian at the animal hospital of plano and owned and operated the cedar ridge animal clinic in duncanville tx in 1994 he received the texas academy of veterinary practice clinical referral and consultation award bronstad is a co-founder of the veterinary referral center of north texas which serves as a referral center for veterinary internal medicine surgery dermatology and radiology he has served as president of both the dallas county veterinary medical association and the texas academy of veterinary practice and is an active member of the tvma avma and the american college of veterinary internal medicine bronstad has competed in 20 marathons including the boston marathon in 1987 and 1988 and is an avid golfer
the late dr raymond t hander (dvm) class of 38 served as president of the panhandle veterinary medical association and was selected by southwestern veterinarian as outstanding practitioner of texas in 1952 for his untiring efforts in the advancement of the veterinary profession his leadership ability and participation in numerous civic activities such as the boy scouts hander purchased the childress veterinary hospital in 1947 and was a member of the tvma and the texas board of veterinary medical examiners
the late dr r henry harrison (dvm) class of 20 was the first graduate from the college of veterinary medicine and helped set the standard of excellence that continues today he was a stand-out quarterback for the undefeated aggie football teams of 1919 and 1920 he worked for the state of texas as a veterinarian for four years before furthering his study at baylor college of medicine where he received his md following graduation harrison returned to bryan tx where he practiced until his retirement in 1958 and served as team physician for the aggie football team harrison often made house calls for farmers and ranchers and created the first veterinary school full scholarship in 1960
each of these alumni have represented the college of veterinary medicine and the veterinary medical profession with great distinction said dr h richard adams dean of the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine we are proud to recognize their accomplishments
college station – texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine dedicated its recently completed equine pavilion one of the largest and most advanced facilities of its type in the world during ceremonies friday april 5 at 2 pm as part of texas a&m universitys 125th anniversary celebration the new facility located adjacent to the large animal hospital has more than 19 000 square feet of treatment rooms and breeding areas and will increase stall capacity for equine patients by about 70 percent
these much-needed stalls and treatment areas will enable the college of veterinary medicine to provide continued excellent service to texas veterinarians and horse owners both of whom are important parts of an industry that contributes billions to our economy said h richard adams dean of the college of the veterinary medicine this is truly a world-class facility adams added it will also enhance the learning experience of future generations of texas veterinarians who will be assuming key roles in the medical and surgical care of horses well into the 21st century funding for the equine pavilion included gifts from the patsy link estate and the fondren foundation
two crucial areas of the pavilion are the breeding areas and the equine reproduction laboratories both will further the understanding of equine reproduction and maximize reproduction efficiency adams said
with a focus on the diagnosis and treatment of reproduction disorders semen collection and preservation oocyte transfer and evaluation services the new facility will strengthen texas a&ms equine program one known internationally for its overall excellence adams noted
to commemorate texas a&m universitys 125th anniversary the equine pavilion dedication included a glimpse into the past with a farrier demonstration a chuck wagon with a cowboy cook and an historical photo display highlighting the development of texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine
tours of the equine pavilion were given following the dedication ceremonies
established in 1916 the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m is one of the worlds largest veterinary colleges and is an international leader in animal health care and research
college station tx – zoe a colobus monkey at the houston zoo can see more clearly now thanks to a lens replacement performed at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university on march 19 2002 the surgery was performed by dr joan dziezyc a veterinary ophthalmologist at the college
the procedure involved administering anesthesia removing the damaged lens via ultrasound and replacing it with an artificial intraocular lens said dziezyc it is expected that this new lens will serve zoe for the rest of her life
zoe was born at the houston zoo in 1994 and was diagnosed with this cataract in july 1997 the cataract caused a blindness that made routine interactions very difficult by undergoing this procedure we can expect to see a marked improvement in her quality of health and life said dr shirley llizo the monkeys veterinarian at the houston zoo
alcon a company committed to the research development manufacture and marketing of ophthalmic products donated the human artificial lens used to replace zoes damaged lens dr bill marr of marr eye center in bryan texas provided some instruments and collaborated on the techniques used
established in 1916 the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m is one of the world ‘s largest veterinary colleges and is an international leader in animal health care and research
contact information: angela g clendenin director communications & public relations ofc – (979) 862-2675 cell – (979) 739-5718
college station texas – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and weatherford college of weatherford texas have signed an agreement to facilitate the admission and academic transfer of students from weatherford college into the biomedical science program at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine
as weatherford college students progress successfully toward the completion of the associate of arts degree this agreement will ensure the seamless transition of qualifying students into the biomedical science program weatherford college students must complete the course requirements as full-time students maintain a 360 grade point average in courses taken at weatherford college and be eligible for their associates degrees additionally students must not have made a grade below a b in any of their common body of knowledge science and math coursework
the agreement signed by dean h richard adams from texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and dr don huff president of weatherford college will become effective for the fall 2002 semester
partnerships in education are one key to providing opportunities for our high achieving students dean adams said the college of veterinary medicine is pleased to join weatherford college in offering this opportunity to students in the weatherford area
it is a unique opportunity for our students and i am proud that weatherford college can work with such a fine institution as texas a&m university both weatherford college and texas a&m university students will benefit said huff
college station – in what is believed to be the first success of its kind researchers at the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university have cloned a cat a kitten named cc was born to allie a surrogate mother on saturday dec 22 2001
the kitten is believed to be the first successfully cloned companion animal and texas a&m is the first academic institution in the world to have cloned four different species previously researchers at the college of veterinary medicine have cloned cattle goats and pigs
cc and rainbow her genetic donor are both female domestic shorthair cats the announcement of the successful cat cloning was delayed until dna analysis could be performed to confirm genetic identity
this breakthrough in cat cloning at the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m is reported in the current issue of nature the prestigious scientific publication headquartered in london england
cc is developing normally for a kitten its age and appears healthy said dr mark westhusin who holds a joint appointment with the colleges of veterinary medicine and agriculture and life sciences and is the lead investigator on the project a dna analysis confirmed cc is a clone ie a genetic copy of the donor adding that future scientific advances resulting from the successful cloning of the cat are expected
although the cloned kitten exhibits a color pattern similar to the cell donor the color distribution is not exactly the same the pattern of pigmentation in multi-colored animals is the result of genetic factors as well as developmental factors that are not controlled by genotype explains westhusin
the clone was produced using nuclear transfer dr taeyoung shin performed the nuclear transfer procedures with drs duane kraemer jim rugila and lisa howe assisting with transfer of the cloned embryos into the surrogate mother and delivery of the kitten cc is under the medical care of drs rugila and howe both veterinarians at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university
with each new species cloned we learn more about how this technology might be applied to improving the health of animals and humans said westhusin
in august 2001 the first of five litters of cloned piglets were born at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m other cloned animals born at the university include a boer goat a disease-resistant angus bull and the first brahma bull texas a&m researchers are also aggressively working to clone dogs and horses
the knowledge we gain from cloning these animals could greatly affect several areas of science and medicine said h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine with each successful cloned species we learn more about cloning procedures and how to make the process more efficient
the missyplicity project a $37 million effort to clone a specific mixed-breed dog named missy funded by genetic savings & clone inc is helping to fuel the progress of texas a&ms cloning research program
established in 1916 the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m is one of the worlds largest veterinary colleges and is an international leader in animal health care and research
###
contact information:angela g clendenindirector communications & public relationsofc – (979) 862-2675cell – (979) 739-5718
college station texas – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and cisco junior college of cisco texas have signed an agreement to facilitate the admission and academic transfer of students from cisco junior college into the biomedical science program at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine
as cisco junior college students progress successfully toward the completion of the associate of arts degree this agreement will ensure the seamless transition of students into the biomedical science program according to the following academic provisions and conditions cisco junior college students must complete the course requirements as full time students maintain a 360 grade point average in courses taken at cisco junior college and be eligible for their associates degrees additionally students must not have made a grade below a b in any of their common body of knowledge science and math coursework
the agreement signed by dean h richard adams from texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and president roger c schustereit of cisco junior college will become effective for the fall 2002 semester
partnerships in education are one key to providing opportunities for our high achieving students dean adams said the college of veterinary medicine is pleased to join cisco junior college in offering this opportunity to students in the cisco and abilene area
college station texas – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and austin community college of austin texas have signed an agreement to facilitate the admission and academic transfer of students from austin community college into the biomedical science program at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine
as acc students progress successfully toward the completion of the associate of science degree this agreement will ensure the seamless transition of students into the biomedical science program according to the following academic provisions and conditions austin community college students must meet all the standard admissions requirements and maintain a 360 grade point average in courses taken at acc have completed 66 hours in a designated degree plan and not earned below a b in their math and science courses
partnerships in education are one key to providing opportunities for our high achieving students said dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university the college of veterinary medicine is pleased to join austin community college in offering this opportunity to students in the austin area
biomedical science is the largest major on the texas a&m university campus with approximately two thousand students enrolled in the program most students pursuing this degree are preparing for a career in the allied health field which includes such professions as medicine optometry veterinary medicine nursing ophthalmology and dentistry
this is a wonderful opportunity for our students who wish to pursue a four-year degree in biomedical science said donetta goodall accs associate vice president of academic programs this agreement guarantees that if students meet the criteria their acc credits will transfer and they will be admitted to the program
acc is one of ten community colleges in texas to be selected to participate in this opportunity the agreement will take effect spring 2002 which means that any student who meets the requirements this spring will be guaranteed admission to the bims program in the summer or fall acc also has a similar agreement with texas a&m universitys college of engineering
college station tx – texans living near water are accustomed to annual warnings about st louis encephalitis now they are warned of a new virus sure to make its way into the state west nile encephalitis first detected in new york in the fall of 1999 has recently spread from the east coast to louisiana and arkansas putting texas veterinarians on alert for what may be the inevitable migration of the virus into the state
west nile encephalitis belongs to the same group of diseases as st louis encephalitis the flaviviridae family and is named for the area in uganda africa where it was first detected in the 1920s said dr ian tizard veterinarian and director of the schubot exotic bird health center at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university this insect-borne virus spreads through the sting of infected mosquitoes and is carried by birds who act as reservoirs while humans may become infected the condition isnt usually too serious most healthy adults contracting the disease in the united states experience flu-like symptoms with no further complications however there have been a few fatal cases involving older patients among animals the virus is most fatal to birds and horses
because of the susceptibility of wildlife veterinarians who notice an unusually high number of dead birds (particularly crows) are asked to file a report with the zoonosis control division of the texas department of health in addition surveillance programs are in place for the regular testing of dead birds horses captive waterfowl and mosquitoes the only commercial vaccine currently available for west nile encephalitis is formulated for horses
since first detected the virus has been largely seasonal in occurrence with most cases reported during warm weather months the temperate texas climate however is expected to sustain mosquitoes and therefore west nile more continually than in northern climates naturally texas coastal areas marshlands and other areas where mosquitoes breed in standing water and thrive are most likely to harbor infected mosquitoes
west nile is essentially a bird virus said tizard a disease like this could be devastating to texas birds especially the exotic bird industry and the whooping crane population although citizens should know that it is illegal to handle wild birds (dead or alive) many people elect to dispose of them using gloves and a plastic bag to keep pets from eating them if there are several dead birds in one area contact either the texas department of health or the texas animal health commission and they will send someone to investigate the cause of death
established in 1916 the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine is one of the worlds leading institutions in animal health care and research
college station tx – the pets and student residents who live at the stevenson companion animal life-care center will soon have more room for stretching their 106 legs the center at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university will break ground on a new addition in the summer of 2002 to make room for ever more furry feathered and scaled residents the project will increase the size of the center from 4800 to 8300 square feet raising the capacity from 30 to about 75 animals a permanent facility for large animals will also be included with the project
the project will take an estimated eighteen months and $572 000 to complete funds raised for the new addition totaled over $525 000 as of december 1 2001 in support of the project the dean of the college of veterinary medicine has committed up to $150 000 from unrestricted funds to be used in matching gifts any gift of $25 000 or more will be matched with $100 for every $200 gift
the center provides a great service to pet owners as well as providing educational opportunities to the veterinary students who attend to our residents needs said dr henry l sonny presnal director of the stevenson companion animal life-care center in light of the programs dramatic growth and an always-increasing enrollment which currently stands at over 250 animals we knew that expanding the current facilities would be necessary to the programs future success
the centers housemates currently include 10 cats 13 dogs one bird one pony one llama and two student residents who tend to the animals daily feeding and care as well as providing human companionship other staff includes the director an administrative assistant a veterinary technician and a part-time student worker the new addition will provide space for two more student residents who will help fill the need created by the increased animal capacity
my experience living at the center has been invaluable said kelley dees a first year veterinary student and student resident at the stevenson center as a student of veterinary medicine i have abundant ‘hands on opportunities 24 hours a day to learn about and attend to the needs of companion animals especially elderly pets and having the benefit of the rosemary shroyer memorial scholarship helps me afford my professional education
the nicest part of my time at the center however has to be the animals themselves said dees it is very gratifying to know that we are providing the love and attention they need when their owners can no longer care for them the centers upcoming expansion will create the room needed to accommodate the pets who are enrolled for our services in the future
dedicated in 1993 the stevenson companion animal life-care centers mission has been to provide life care for companion animals in a home-like environment after the owners can no longer care for them in doing so it provides educational opportunities for the colleges professional students who attend to the care and needs of the animals in the program more information about the stevenson companion animal life-care center can be found at https://vetmedtamuedu/stevenson-center/ or by calling (979) 845-1188
college station texas – in support of the brazos feral cat allies (bfca) the texas agricultural experiment station (taes) and the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university have been awarded a partners in caring grant by the american society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (aspca) the veterinary medical teaching hospital works with the bfca to provide spay/neuter services the aspcas grant monies will allow the bfca to increase the number of animals they are able to spay/neuter which is an ongoing effort to reduce the number of feral cats in the community national shelter outreach partners in caring grants are given to animal protection and humane sheltering organizations
the aspca is committed to finding innovative ways to help shelters and rescue groups across the country says aspca president dr larry hawk the partners in caring grant program is one way that we can support worthy organizations and initiatives the aspca awards its partners in caring grants to humane organizations that offer programs in animal sheltering humane education greyhound rescue and equine rescue the aspca views its grant recipients as their true partners in caring this honor is a mark of their support of the sponsored programs
the brazos feral cat allies is an organization that promotes the trap neuter and return approach to managing the feral/wild cat population in the bryan/college station community the group will assist residents in humanely trapping wild cats living in colonies spaying or neutering vaccinating the cats and returning them to their colony for the caretaker to monitor
persons interested in brazos feral cat allies may visit wwwcatfriendsorg call at 979-862-2237 write to po box 10738 college station tx 77842 or email bfca at info@catfriendsorg
for advice on caring for a companion animal or if you are interested in pet adoption please call the brazos valley animal shelter at 979-775-5755 or visit at 2207 finfeather road bryan tx you may also visit the brazos valley animal shelter web site athttp://wwwbrazosanimalshelterorg/
college station tx – dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university is pleased to announce that dr glen a laine has been appointed the first wiseman – lewie – worth chair in cardiology
laine holds professorships at both the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university and with the university of texas medical school at houston he has an invaluable combination of animal and human medical expertise coupled with academic leadership experience laine also serves as director of the michael e debakey institute for comparative cardiovascular science and biomedical devices at texas a&m university
i am honored to have been given the opportunity to utilize my research experience and extensive time working with clinicians to help further the colleges program in cardiology said laine this generous endowment will add significantly to the advancement of cardiovascular research and medical treatment benefiting both veterinary and human medicine
laine came to the college of veterinary medicine from the texas medical center in 1990 and serves as professor and head of veterinary physiology and pharmacology he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in microbiology and physics before earning a doctor of philosophy in physiology and biophysics with a minor in biomedical engineering at the college of medicine texas a&m university in 1980 laine is a fellow in the cardiovascular section of the american physiological society and an established investigator of the american heart association he is a recipient of the upjohn young cardiovascular investigator award from the international society for heart research and the distinguished achievement award in research from the texas a&m university association of former students
dr laines extensive experience in both veterinary and human medicine makes him uniquely qualified for this role said dean h richard adams the college and the veterinary profession stand to benefit profoundly from his leadership in this special chair
the permanently endowed wiseman – lewie – worth chair was established by dr charles r wiseman mr william h lewie jr and mr gw worth jr to develop the clinical and research components of the colleges program in cardiovascular sciences and to advance the teaching and research missions of the college
established in 1916 the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine is one of the worlds leading institutions in animal health care and research
college station tx – dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university is pleased to announce that dr e dean gage has been appointed to the charles h and mildred kruse bridges endowed chair in veterinary medical education the chair is believed to be the first chair in north america specifically devoted to advancing the future of veterinary medical education
over the past 30 years gages extensive leadership experience has included positions as executive vice president provost and interim president of texas a&m university as well as numerous other professional academic and civic leadership roles
i have had the fortunate opportunity to work in all aspects of the educational process including undergraduate graduate and professional programs this opportunity will allow the college of veterinary medicine to examine all we do – from student selection content of the curriculum methodologies technologies classroom laboratory and clinical experiences – and enhance them to produce the very best graduates and impact the veterinary medical profession for years to come said gage
gage earned a bachelor of science in 1965 and a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1966 both from texas a&m university he obtained a master of science and residency in neurosurgery and neurophysiology in 1968 from auburn university he is a diplomate of the american college of veterinary surgeons was named national veterinarian of the year in 1983 by the american animal hospital association and holds membership in many professional organizations and honor societies gage has held numerous leadership roles in some of americas leading universities and in the community
gage has published over 70 scientific papers contributed to five textbooks and given more than 150 papers and presentations to professional scientific and educational associations since 1994 he has delivered over 100 presentations on the character of leadership to executives corporations governmental entities religious groups and professional organizations he currently serves as associate dean for professional academic programs in the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university
the college is truly fortunate to have someone as accomplished as dr gage as the first charles h and mildred kruse bridges chair in veterinary medical education said dean h richard adams he brings tremendous experience and passion for veterinary medicine the college and our students this chair will contribute significantly to the colleges leadership role in veterinary medicine and veterinary medical education
dr bridges a retired cvm faculty and mildred his wife established the chair in 2000
we do this in appreciation of and desire to support the pursuit of knowledge by the young people that come here seeking the guidance of dedicated mentors said charles and mildred kruse bridges we also do this to honor our parents charles m bridges and mary ann carruth bridges and eddie f kruse and bertha quebe kruse all deceased but still influential in our lives
i would like to express deep appreciation to the college for the trust and confidence theyve placed in me in this appointment and much gratitude to charles h and mildred kruse bridges for funding this endowed chair and for their vision to see what a chair in veterinary medical education can do for this college and the profession said gage we owe them a great debt of thanks
the purpose of the chair is to facilitate curriculum and faculty development while taking innovative approaches to the education of veterinarians prepared for the challenges of the profession
established in 1916 the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine is one of the worlds leading institutions in animal health care and research
college station texas – the texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and tyler junior college of tyler texas have signed an agreement to facilitate the admission and academic transfer of students from tyler junior college into the biomedical science program at texas a&m universitys college of veterinary medicine
as tyler junior college students progress successfully toward the completion of the associate of arts degree this agreement will ensure the seamless transition of students into the biomedical science program according to the following academic provisions and conditions tyler junior college students must complete the course requirements as full time students maintain a 360 grade point average in courses taken at tyler junior college and be eligible for their associates degrees additionally students must not have made a grade below a b in any of their common body of knowledge science and math coursework
the agreement signed by dean h richard adams from texas a&m university college of veterinary medicine and president william r crowe from tyler junior college will become effective for the fall 2002 semester
partnerships in education are one key to providing opportunities for our high achieving students dean adams said the college of veterinary medicine is pleased to join tyler junior college in offering this opportunity to students in the tyler area
as always we are pleased to be able to offer assurances to our graduates that opportunities exist for seamless continued study at the baccalaureate level said tyler junior college president dr william r crowe our students will benefit from this partnership
college station tx – the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university celebrated the official kick-off of the aggie program of accelerated certification for teaching (pact) with a luncheon hosted by the colleges department of biomedical science the college of science the college of education and the college of agriculture and life sciences department of wildlife and fisheries on october 30 2001
over 60 school superintendents across the state of texas were invited to the luncheon to interact with 30 currently enrolled students and to learn more about the aggie pact program
dr f h skip landis director of the biomedical science program and dr norm dronen professor and composite field advisor for biology and science designed the aggie pact program to address the shortage of science teachers throughout the state of texas and train highly qualified individuals for quick classroom placement
texas is currently in need of approximately 15 000 teachers qualified to teach science our program is an accelerated certification plan that provides an alternative to the traditional model by allowing us to work with the region iv education service center and place students in paid internships immediately following graduation said landis
students majoring in biomedical science or wildlife and fisheries science are eligible to participate in the program the course content between both departments varies except for the final 15 hours in their senior year which are determined by the college of educations office of continuing education when the undergraduate work is completed students must participate in a one-year paid internship available in most texas school districts and facilitated through region iv
the internship completely replaces the need for student teaching and provides aggie pact participants with a distinct advantage and a good starting point because they already have a job lined up and a secure future said landis
during the internship the students take two tests in science and education to certify professional competency called examination for the certification of educators in texas (excet) upon completion of the excet certification exams and the internship the student teachers will be qualified to teach secondary school grades 8-12 the excet in the subject matter is administered prior to the internship the excet professional exam will be taken during the internship
with the help of the region iv education service center the aggie pact program provides the state of texas with a distinct advantage by creating another option for students to quickly increase the number of qualified science teachers this program is excellent for students who want a career in education and allows them accelerated access into the classroom only one year after graduation
contact information:angela g clendenindirector communications & public relationsofc – (979) 862-2675cell – (979) 739-5718
dr h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university is pleased to announce that dr theresa w fossum has been appointed the first tom and joan read chair in veterinary surgery
described as driven by her colleagues and compassionate by the clients who entrust their animals to her care fossums passion is rivaled only by her determination to help build a world-class cardiothoracic program at the college of veterinary medicine when anyone thinks about cardiac surgery i want them to think of texas a&m university she said we have the faculty expertise and the commitment to make it happen
fossum has been on faculty at the college of veterinary medicine since 1987 she earned a bachelor of science in agriculture at the university of idaho a doctor of veterinary medicine at washington state university a master of science in veterinary anatomy at the ohio state university and a doctor of philosophy in veterinary microbiology at texas a&m university she completed a surgery residency at the ohio state university in 1986 and is a diplomate of the american college of veterinary surgeons she held the wiley distinguished professor of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university from 1994 to 1997
fossums research areas include cardiothoracic surgery angiogenesis lymphatic system and chylothorax she was instrumental in establishing the michael e debakey institute at the college of veterinary medicine her research in biomedical devices using a calf model led to clinical trials of the micromed debakey vad (ventricular assist device) in human patients with heart failure the device weighing less than four ounces can be implanted in children or small adults and will assist the heart in pumping blood in the near future fossum hopes to apply this same technology to veterinary medicine by implanting the device in animals with heart disease to prolong their lives
fossum has authored more than 70 scientific publications in refereed journals 18 abstracts 33 book chapters served as editor for three books and made over 130 scientific presentations her honors include the carl j norden distinguished teacher award texas a&m university the american veterinary medical foundation and american kennel club excellence in canine research award and she was an intern for the center to leadership in higher education administration program at texas a&m university she is a member of the avma tvma and numerous other scientific organizations fossum has served on the editorial and review boards of veterinary surgery j american animal hospital association j am vet med assoc and others
the college is truly fortunate to have someone as accomplished as dr fossum with her dedication and expertise to serve as the first tom and joan read chair in veterinary surgery said dean h richard adams
the purpose of the chair is to provide educational leadership for the faculty and students of the college of veterinary medicine with an initial emphasis in cardiothoracic surgery
after 32 years with the college of veterinary medicine associate director of biomedical science mr lyndon kurtz was honored by friends and colleagues at a retirement reception held at the college on february 5 2002
kurtz served as an administrative assistant in the deans office from 1969 to 1979 and then as assistant to the dean until 1990 during the last eleven years as associate director of biomedical science kurtz has played a key role in recruiting students from a wide range of backgrounds into the college of veterinary medicine; promoting the college to prospective students counselors and employers; counseling students and parents in areas of vocational and career interests; providing orientation for incoming undergraduate students in the department of biomedical science; and supervising veterinary enrichment camps during this time kurtz has seen enrollment in the biomedical science program grow from 700 to 2100 students
in addition during kurtzs employment the biomedical science program (bims) was awarded the diversity award (april 2000) and a four-year health career opportunity program grant (1985-1988) designed to attract and retain veterinary students and to reinforce the sciences for students interested in entering into the professional program
perhaps the most enjoyable time that ive spent here has been at commencement in the 32 years ive worked at the college ive only missed one veterinary commencement ceremony it just happened that both commencement and the birth of my first grandchild happened on may 10 2001
reflecting on his time at the college with much affection kurtz said ive looked forward to coming to work every day the veterinary college has given me 32 years of opportunity to help young people reach the next level
mr kurtz has made an indelible mark on the lives of so many students at the college of veterinary medicine said h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine he has contributed greatly to the colleges student recruiting success
kurtz officially retired on february 28 2002 however as of april 1 2002 continues to work part time as needed in the biomedical science program
college station – in a collaborative effort veterinarians and human health professionals worked together to perform the first successful heart bypass surgery at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university on saturday october 20 dr theresa w fossum professor of surgery and endowed chair and dr david nelson clinical assistant professor from the college of veterinary medicine dr mark felger a cardiovascular surgeon with cardiothoracic and vascular associates of austin texas and their surgical team performed surgery on luke a two-and-a-half year-old golden retriever from san antonio texas
luke had a condition known as sub-aorta stenosis which is one of the most common congenital heart defects said dr sonya gordon a veterinary cardiologist at the college who has overseen lukes treatment since he was a puppy usually this condition causes sudden death before the patient turns three years of age over the past few months luke has lost weight and we knew that we were running out of time
the 92-minute heart procedure included surgical entry through the right ventricle through the septum into the left ventricle to remove the obstruction we took out a large window of tissue in the septum which relieved some of the pressure and allowed us to see better into the left ventricle the window in the thickened septum was repaired with a thin patch made from lukes own tissue
while a similar procedure has been performed on children this approach was considered aggressive treatment in animals colorado state has done a series of these cases using a different approach which hasnt been determined to change the long term survival of the patient said gordon
in measuring the speed of blood flowing through lukes heart doctors saw a vast improvement in his condition the blood flow went from eight meters per second before surgery to 33 meters per second after surgery this is a tremendous improvement the narrower the opening the faster the blood flows and the harder the heart has to work added gordon
what is not known is how much damage was done to lukes heart over the past two-and-a-half years and whether that damage is reversible we will see luke in a month and then again in three months if everything goes as hoped he will have annual checkups and as a result of the bypass surgery live to a ripe old age said gordon
due to the life-threatening nature of the condition plans were made to attempt a surgical correction of the problem however a year ago when the plans were first discussed there werent a lot of options
the michael e debakey institute for comparative cardiovascular science and biomedical devices was established at the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university in 1999 to facilitate such procedures however bringing the necessary expertise and equipment together takes time we are still in the process of building a heart surgery program so that we can perform bypass procedures on pets and other animals said fossum we are fortunate to have an outstanding team of surgeons cardiovascular perfusionists anesthetists and a cardiothoracic criticalist on staff to help us build the heart surgery program
the program is in need of funding to purchase a dedicated ultrasound machine and other equipment necessary for sophisticated heart procedures heart disease including the need for valve replacement or repair is common in dogs said fossum it is expensive to set up a program like this and to make these procedures available many people like cindy norris lukes owner love their animal and desire to seek advanced medical attention for their pet but cant afford the tremendous cost of surgery
when luke was a puppy i took him to the veterinarian and she didnt like what she heard the results of that examination were devastating over time lukes condition kept getting worse when he was four months old i prayed for a miracle and this successful procedure is my answer said norris
luke was discharged on friday october 26th after veterinarians and technicians working on his case presented him and owner norris with a cake and a texas a&m university sweatshirt signed by members of the surgical team
established in 1916 the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university is one of the worlds leading institutions in animal health care and research
###
for more information about the texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences please visit our website at vetmedtamuedu or join us on facebook instagram and twitter
contact information: jennifer gauntt director of cvmbs communications texas a&m college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences; jgauntt@cvmtamuedu; 979-862-4216
college station – researchers at the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university have cloned a litter of pigs becoming the first academic institution in the world to have cloned three different animal species
texas a&m researchers have successfully cloned cattle goats and most recently pigs and are aggressively working to clone dogs cats and horses on wednesday september 5 cloned animals including five piglets a goat and two bulls were on display at a news conference held at the college of veterinary medicine at texas a&m university where researchers and owners of the animals answered questions
the first of five litters of piglets were born on august 12 from the first litter five piglets are healthy and growing quickly said dr jorge piedrahita who holds a joint appointment with the texas agricultural experiment station and the college of veterinary medicine and is the lead investigator on the project
the swine cloning project was a collaborative effort involving scientists from the center for animal biotechnology and genomics (cabg) the cabg includes researchers from the college of veterinary medicine college of agriculture and life sciences the texas agricultural experiment station the health sciences center and the george bush school of public policy
dr fuller bazer an internationally recognized expert in swine reproductive physiology and his group provided essential expertise that facilitated successful completion of the swine cloning project added dr piedrahita dr bazer holds a joint appointment with the college of agriculture and life sciences and the college of veterinary medicine
our research in cloning swine will help increase cloning efficiency and support the development of genetically modified cloned swine for use in medicine and agriculture added dr piedrahita
a cloned boer goat named second addition (registered name downen tx 63 684) was born on march 29 the donor was an 8-year-old boer champion doe and a top producer in ewing and donna downens breeding program of early texas
second addition nicknamed megan is the result of a collaborative research project conducted by drs mark westhusin ling liu and taeyoung shin from the department of veterinary physiology and pharmacology and dr charles long of genetic savings and clone inc she has similar color markings to the donor and according to the downens is also quite similar in attitude and disposition megan will play a major role in our boer breeding program when she matures said ewing downen
in november 2000 a team of researchers lead by dr mark westhusin at the college of veterinary medicine successfully cloned what was believed to be the first animal specifically cloned for disease resistance the 10-month-old angus calf named 86 squared was cloned using cells that were frozen for 15 years representing the longest time ever that genetic material has been maintained by cryopreservation thawed and then successfully used in cloning 86 squared named for his exponential genetic potential was born three years after the death of bull 86 his genetic donor
in 1999 dr mark westhusin and a team of scientists at the college of veterinary medicine became the first to successfully clone a calf from an adult steer which was also the oldest animal ever cloned – a 21-year-old brahman university researchers accomplished the cloning of the steer named chance in a yearlong project chances offspring fittingly named second chance displays identical markings as his father and has identical dna
the knowledge we gain from cloning these animals could greatly affect several areas of science and medicine said h richard adams dean of the college of veterinary medicine that is what makes the cabgs approach of developing multi disciplinary collaborative projects so powerful
with each successful cloned species we learn more about cloning procedures and how to make cloning more effective the potential benefits to the livestock industry and medical science could be immense said dr james womack director of the cabg
the centers researchers have expertise in anatomy and cell biology developmental biology endocrinology immunology molecular and cellular biology pathology reproductive biology molecular and quantitative genetics physiology and pharmacology the cabg provides a framework within which researchers can successfully integrate their expertise in interdisciplinary and multi disciplinary research efforts to benefit animal agriculture veterinary medicine and human medicine
established in 1916 the college of veterinary medicine is one of the worlds largest veterinary colleges and is an international leader in animal health care and research
the college of veterinary medicine awarded the educational and communications resources (ecr) department a $367 000 grant for technological advancements throughout the college
the funds will help us to deal with the frequent bottleneck experienced with increased traffic said dr jim snell information systems manager
in previous years the ecr used cabling that allowed 72 computers to share a single 10mb space; however this system can no longer support the large number of system users in the past ten years the number of workstations connected to the college increased dramatically from 100 to 1500 with between 400 and 500 people logged-in at any one time audio and video streaming workgroups peer networking and vmis hospital database downloads have stressed the system creating a bottleneck which affects all system users
the technology has served the college well over the last seven years but with the steady increase in high bandwidth applications it is apparent that the existing infrastructure will not continue to meet our needs or support the colleges growth snell said
the ecr plans to combat the problem by installing fiber optic cables that will provide users with more network space and room to work freely during peak hours traffic from each workstation will be taken to its destination without interfering with other system users
the system provides an infrastructure that will last five years while accommodating the increased requirement for videoconferencing distance education higher bandwidth applications and support future expansion said rick young of ecr network support
the expansion will fully accommodate the increased demand posed by the vmis system and provide equal access for all faculty staff and students of the college the new system will allow system administrators to monitor computers and shut down those engaged in activities unrelated to work that cause the system to slow down young said
new ground is being broken in the fight against multiple sclerosis (ms) at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university dr jane welsh an associate professor in the department of veterinary anatomy and public health and her team have made extraordinary discoveries benefiting the medical and scientific field and many ms sufferers in the world demonstrating the vital role veterinary research plays in promoting public health
in order to bridge the gap between scientists and patients welsh recently hosted an english tea for members of the brazos valley multiple sclerosis support group (bvmssg) and her scientific team composed mainly of graduate students and researchers in its seventh year the english tea provided a forum for discussion concerning advances in ms and allowed graduate students to present the discoveries to the bvmssg
our work highlights the diversity of research at the college of veterinary medicine in particular we work on an animal model of a human disease which may surprise the public welsh said our work is aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of a model system of multiple sclerosis and advances may aid the understanding of the disease process in ms also therapies that function in our model system may be beneficial to ms patients
for the past three years welsh and her team have conducted tests using interferon tau a protein produced by sheep during pregnancy discovered by dr fuller bazer this new protein could possibly replace interferon beta which is given to ms patients as a shot and although highly beneficial to ms patients does have numerous side-affects
the difference with the interferon tau is that it can be taken orally and is less toxic to the body it appears to be effective in combating the relapse of ms-like symptoms in mice by increasing levels of immunosuppressive cytokines which turn off the auto- immune response once the inflammatory cells are suppressed they stop attacking the myelin and repair mechanisms are allowed to function and restore the myelin surrounding the nerves welsh said
multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that is thought to be triggered by a viral infection in ms patients the immune system attacks the virus and the myelin membranes causing many of the sensory nerves to have difficulty conducting electrical impulses
when myelin dissolves as a result of ms the body forms a scar in its place which interferes with the passage of signals said sharon boston facilitator of the bvmssg and an ms sufferer essentially that is what multiple sclerosis means – many scars
these scars prevent signals from traveling through the body and can be aggravated by stress levels at the onset of ms more than 80 percent of those diagnosed had suffered a highly stressful life event in the preceding year the theory is that if you have the genes that predispose to ms and high stress levels which interfere with the ability to amount an effective immune response to ms causing agents then the agent will persist and lead to illness welsh commented her team which also includes dr mary meagher dr tom welsh and dr ralph storts are currently analyzing stress and how it affects ms
the brazos valley multiple sclerosis support group has also dedicated its time to assisting the sufferers their family and friends in the fight against ms the group is comprised of 30 members and when a new member joins the group rallies around them and helps them get through the initial shock and then speakers proceed to show each member how to effectively live with ms until researchers are able to find a cure
veterinary students are taking their education on the road students at the college of veterinary medicine texas a&m university are going global utilizing their skills and knowledge by participating in the global veterinary leadership program
drs g gale wagner professor and isabel carbajal lecturer department of veterinary pathobiology developed the program in response to the changing career goals of veterinary students dr corrie brown professor department of pathology college of veterinary medicine university of georgia has developed a matching program in the past most graduates went straight into general veterinary practice however today there is a growing number of students who are unsure of which direction to take but they know that the dvm degree will be an asset to their career through the success and high visibility of current research and education programs most veterinary colleges are well positioned to engage industry government and university leaders in ways to use the program to increase the flow of new ideas and talent throughout the world
the program will allow us to engage a few of our students in a process that makes them aware of the vital role they can play in protecting public health and it will better equip them for a successful career in the world community wagner said
the program is geared toward incoming first-year veterinary students each student accepted into the colleges dvm program is sent a letter describing the global veterinary leadership program and given the opportunity to apply the four to six students selected participate in a preliminary leadership seminar held outside the united states before starting their fall semester
at the conclusion of the seminar wagner provides students with the opportunity to evaluate the seminar and decide if they would like to continue those continuing with program will complete 12-18 hours of directed electives in addition to those required for the dvm degree
students will also complete either a full-time 9-12 month internship or a 4-12 week externship involving some aspect of veterinary medicine related to food safety and international livestock trade the assigned internship/externship is company directed and requires the student to respond to practical yet challenging projects and expose them to international career opportunities at the conclusion of the internship the student will receive a masters of science degree in veterinary medical science; students participating in the externship will receive an international certificate added to the dvm degree expressing the graduates knowledge of international veterinary medicine wagner stated
dr wagner is developing corporate support for the global veterinary leadership program and hopes to create a pool of leading international companies which are shaping the worlds food supply and interested in fostering a relationship with us veterinary colleges the network of corporate partners will help support the program by providing up to eighteen students with internship and externship opportunities per year the participating students will come from a network of several veterinary schools in the us that have expressed interest in participating in the program
selected veterinary students will enter externships with multinational companies that operate within the sphere of food safety and the international livestock trade said lynn fondon a consultant for brakke consulting inc the global veterinary leadership program combines a global orientation leadership training language study with access to study and work opportunities that will prepare veterinary students for the expanding global demand for veterinary expertise
veterinarians today must respond to global issues which have expanded their role in society many countries currently look to the us in developing their own approaches to risk analysis food safety and trade policy decisions that directly relate to veterinary medicine the breadth and quality of the education that veterinarians now receive clearly impacts international trade wagner commented
the global veterinary leadership program will combine the diverse veterinary research and education system with our strong national and international network of collaborators to provide globally competent veterinarians who will be needed in the corporate and public sectors of the future said wagner