The University of Georgia
®
Aesculapian
College of Veterinary Medicine
Fall 2012/Winter 2013
Vol. 13 , No. 1
Picture Your Pet
Finalists from our
2012 Photo Contest
Find out more about our
cover dog, Hurley, on
page 15.
Also Inside: Student Finds Pathway to Research
A Cat’s Eye View
Summer in Bahrain
Aesculapian
Fall 2012/Winter 2013
Vol. 13, No. 1
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Kat Yancey Gilmore
MANAGING Editor
Jessica Luton
Contributing Writers
Jessica Luton
Kat Yancey Gilmore
Sarah Freeman
James Hataway
Taylor “Eve” Winkleman
Photography
Sue Myers Smith
Christopher B. Herron
Sarah Freeman
Taylor “Eve” Winkleman
Design
Jessica Luton
ASSISTANT COPY EDITORS
Carlton Bain
Sue Myers Smith
Administration
Michael F. Adams, President
Jere W. Morehead, Provost
Sheila W. Allen, Dean
Gary Baxter, Director,Veterinary Teaching
Hospital
Kat Yancey Gilmore, Director, Public Relations
Sarah Freeman, Director, Hospital
Communications
Kathy Bangle, Director,Veterinary External
Affairs
Carlton Bain, Assistant Director, Development
Marti Brick, Director, Alumni Relations
Aesculapian is published by the University of
Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s Office
of Public Relations for alumni and friends.
Please send story ideas, class notes or letters to:
Editor, Aesculapian
The University of Georgia
College of Veterinary Medicine
Athens, GA 30602-7371
or email: kygilmor@uga.edu
Copyright © 2013, The University of Georgia
No part of this publication may be reproduced
without permission from the editor.
The University of Georgia is committed to
principles of equal opportunity and affirmative
action.
UGA College of Veterinary Medicine
Alumni Association Board
Flynn Nance, President
Michael J. Topper, Immediate Past-President
Chad Schmiedt, President-elect
Doris Miller, Secretary-Treasurer
Jon Anderson
Stephen Arbitter
Charlie Broussard
Scott Bryant
Rebecca Dixon
Jamie Fleming
Alan Herring
Thomas Hutto
Ginger Macaulay
Catherine McClelland
Jan Sosnowski Nichol
Bill Seanor
Sheila W. Allen, Dean; Ex officio
29
CVM student Erica Noland received the Morris Animal Scholarship
last summer for her research proposal on canine cancer.
A Message from the Dean
3
CollegeNews
4
4 News from the Veterinary Teaching Hospital
5 A Cat’s View: Study Reveals World of Roaming Cats
7 Deworming Drugs Led to Widespread Parasitic Resistance
9 In Case of an Emergency: UGA Creates Emergency Pet Shelter Plans
11 The Miracle of Rascal: One Owner’s Devoted Experience
13 Picture Your Pet: Finalists from our 2012 Contest
StudentNews
17
17 Student’s Externship in Bahrain Inspires Personal Essay, Scholarship
25 Student News
26 Our Student Ambassadors
27 Students Participate in Science of Veterinary Medicine Symposium
28 Recognitions from our 2012 Honors and Awards Banquet
29 Morris Scholarship Helps Spur Student’s Interest in Research
31 Welcoming the Class of 2016
32 Omega Tau Sigma Hosting Grand Council
Follow us!
facebook.com/ugacvm
twitter.com/ugavetmed
17
A student’s externship to Bahrain inspires a photo essay and a plan for a scholarship.
33
FacultyNews
33 Faculty News
35 New model explains puzzling Lyme disease patterns
35 Jackwood, Edwards appointed to endowed professorships
35 Barsanti honored by Cornell CVM
37 CVM researcher developing new mumps vaccine
AlumniNews
39
39 A Message from the President of the Alumni Association
40 Alumni Profile: Koren Moore Custer
41 Class Notes
43 Upcoming Continuing Education Schedule
45 VMLC Groundbreaking
46 Hurley Luper’s photo
was among the finalists
selected from our 2012
Picture Your Pet Photo
Contest. Read Hurley’s
story on page 15. Photo
submitted by David and
Iniray Luper.
Why I Give: Katie Beacham
flickr.com/ugavetmed
On the Cover:
youtube.com/ugavetmed
foursquare.com/ugavetmed
Dear Alumni and Friends of the College,
As we settle into a new year, there is much to celebrate on the CVM’s horizon:
• construction crews are scheduled to break ground on the site of our new Veterinary Medical Learning Center in March (we are still fundraising for this important project);
• in a few weeks, we’ll gather to celebrate our 50th Annual Veterinary Conference & Alumni
Weekend;
• our first-year students are scurrying to plan our upcoming Annual Open House;
• and, our Admissions Committee has just sent out acceptance offers to admit 102 more students into the Class of 2017!
But as so many of you know so well, we have much to celebrate here on a daily basis – and,
we strive to showcase some of our successes in each issue of our Aesculapian. This issue is no
exception. Here’s a “peek” at some of the wonderful stories that I encourage you to read:
•
•
•
•
•
“The Miracle of Rascal,” an amazing tale of a Yorkshire Terrier who was hit by a pickup
truck, yet survived.
Hard work, and not much summer play, may pay off big for canines – and hopefully
humans, too – that suffer from malignant mammary cancer, thanks to Morris Animal
Scholar Erica Noland (DVM ’14) and her mentors.
Now a second-year student, Eve Winkleman spent Summer 2012 working at an animal
shelter in Bahrain. Her experience spurred her to find a way to help these animals in
perpetuity. And her background as a photographer yielded thousands of photos for her
memory – including some for our viewing pleasure.
An MRI to service large animals is among the latest technologies offered by our UGA
Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH). Don’t miss our VTH update!
And, some of the top photos from our recent Picture Your Pet photo contest are on
display in this issue, and on the walls of our VTH.
In each Aesculapian, we feature a segment we call “Why I Give.” I am always inspired by the
reasons people choose to support our College. This feature on Katie Beacham will warm your
heart, as it reminds us that life is a gift, each moment is fleeting, and that quality time to say
goodbye to our loved ones is among the greatest gifts of all.
I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did, and thank you, as always,
for your dedication and support of our College.
Sincerely,
Sheila W. Allen
Dean
3
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
CollegeNews
UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital Update:
MRI, Endoscopy Towers and Lameness Locator
Signal are our newest technologies
By Sarah Freeman
T
he UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH)
is the proud home of several new technological
advancements, including an in-house MRI, which
will service both small animals and horses. Four new
endoscopy towers and an equine Lameness Locator were
also recently purchased.
The MRI, which was delivered with the help of a crane in
early November and assembled indoors due to its massive
12,400-pound weight, will be housed in the Large Animal
Hospital in a former exam room retrofitted specifically for
the equipment. The unit is a 1.5-tesla Siemens machine
and is frequently found in human hospitals.
“This MRI opens up a whole new service that we’ve
never had before,” commented Shannon Holmes, DVM,
a board-certified veterinary radiologist and assistant
professor of diagnostic imaging. “To have an MRI in-
Photo by Sarah Freeman
house to be able to do emergency MRIs, and the ability to
do a horse, is a great addition to the services we offer. It
opens up more properties compared with what we had
before, too, including new neurological applications.”
The VTH is also the owner of four new high-definition
endoscopy towers that provide not only a clearer viewing
area, but one that is larger, too. Using a 1080p resolution,
these units are used by Zoological Medicine, Internal
Medicine, Large Animal Surgery, and Small Animal
Surgery for procedures including rhinoscopy, upper
and lower GIs, biopsies, arthroscopy, laparoscopy, and
thoracoscopy.
The Large Animal Surgery and Equine Lameness
services are now offering the technologies of the Lameness
Locator to evaluate equine lameness. The Lameness
Locator will add an objective analysis of the horse’s body
movement to examinations for routine lameness. With
the use of small inertial sensors, the Locator detects and
quantifies asymmetry in the horse. The data is gathered in
real-time and transmitted wirelessly to a tablet computer,
which then allows for on-site analysis of the data. The
system provides an analysis report that indicates which
limb or limbs are involved, the magnitude of the lameness,
and at which phase of the stride the horse experiences the
most pain.
“What I see as the most valuable use of the Lameness
Locator is in the evaluation of low-grade, performancelimiting lameness, multi-limb lameness, and the objective
evaluation of our diagnostic anesthesia,” said Large Animal
Section Chief Randy Eggleston, DVM, a board-certified
surgeon and clinical associate professor of large animal
medicine. “The Lameness Locator is not meant to replace
our skill as lameness diagnosticians, but instead to add
an objective element to some of the more challenging
lameness cases that we see.”
All of these technologies, including the MRI, will move
to the new Veterinary Medical Learning Center when
it opens. In the meantime, these services are currently
available to our clients and referring veterinarians.
The UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) is the proud home of
several new technological advancements, including this in-house
MRI to service large and small animals.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
4
CollegeNews
A Cat’s View: Crittercams Study Reveals
World of Roaming Cats
By Jessica Luton
A collaborative study led by Sonia M. Hernandez,
DVM, PhD, DACZM, in partnership with the National
Geographic Society, received national media attention in
2012, from the likes of the New York Times, the Huffington
Post, ABC News, NBC Nightly News, and NPR, just to
name a few.
The project aimed to show the secret lives of roaming
domestic cats by training owners to use the National
Geographic Crittercam, a camera worn comfortably
around the cat’s collar. The result yielded more than 2000
hours of data that gave researchers a sort of reality-TV-like
look into the daily lives of domestic cats’ activities.
Highlights from their findings include:
•
•
•
•
5
Only 44% of the cats hunted wildlife, with
reptiles, mammals and invertebrates constituting
the majority of suburban prey; only 30 percent
made successful wildlife captures.
Cat age, sex, and time spent outdoors did not
significantly influence hunting behavior.
85% engaged in at least one risky behavior,
including crossing roads (45%), encountering
strange cats (25%), eating and drinking
substances away from home (25%), exploring
storm drain systems (20%), and entering
crawlspaces where they could become trapped
(20%).
Male cats were more likely to exhibit risky
behavior than female cats; older cats exhibited
fewer risky behaviors.
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
Among the researchers’ surprises: Cats sometimes adopt
a second set of owners, going into another household for
food and affection.
Researchers were also surprised by the hunting habits
of the cats, said Hernandez. In particular, factors such
as gender were surprisingly insignificant in predicting
whether a cat was a hunter. And only a minority of the
cats hunted, but the hunting habits of the cats are still
significant for urban wildlife populations.
“Probably the most surprising finding is that the most
frequent prey were reptiles,” she said. “Birds and small
mammals receive a lot of media attention and are more
easily ‘noticed’ by owners (e.g., coming home to a pile
of feathers) than a dead (and likely desiccated) lizard on
the porch, so it makes sense. But reptiles play extremely
important ecosystem functions (e.g., lizards consuming
insects) in our backyards and should receive more
attention.”
The recent media attention, she added, was actually
spurred by a press release from the American Bird
Conservancy that used the results of the study to
extrapolate the number of hunting cats in the country and
its potential effect on bird populations.
“We are happy that it has re-initiated a conversation
about why we need to supervise our cats when they are
outdoors for two reasons,” she said.
First, cats that hunt are adding to all the other alreadypresent pressures on our urban wildlife, she said. For some
people, urban wildlife is sometimes the only wildlife that
they will get to see or experience and urban habitats may
be the last frontier for some species, so it would be nice to
keep it free of non-native predators.
Photos courtesy of kittycams.uga.edu
“Second, no veterinarian will dispute that cats that
live indoors or are supervised when outdoors live
longer, healthier lives,” she said. “As a former clinician,
first of small animals, I hated to see cats poisoned or
hit by vehicles brought to the clinic. Later as wildlife
practitioner, I felt it was unfair that so many critters
would end up in the hospital with fatal injuries from
cats.”
The study is now looking for funding to apply this
technology to study a colony of feral cats that are
managed as a trap-neuter-release colony and whose
manager is truly interested in knowing what the cats
are doing.
“We know there are behavioral differences between
owned pet cats and feral cats and we would like to
understand how that translates to their hunting
behavior,” she said. “We are looking for other feral cat
colony managers who would be willing to collaborate
on this effort because this technology and its analysis
is a very objective methodology and we are interested
in bridging the gap between cat and wildlife activists
and solid science.”
Hernandez is an assistant professor of wildlife disease
who is jointly appointed to the CVM’s Southeastern
Wildlife Disease Study and the UGA Warnell School of
Forestry and Natural Resources. Her co-collaborators on
the project were: The National Geographic Society; John
P. Carroll, professor of wildlife ecology and management
at Warnell; and, graduate student Kerrie Anne Loyd.
Sponsorship for the project was provided by: The
National Geographic Society; Kenneth A. Scott
Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust; the Morris Animal
Foundation Veterinary Scholars Program; Oconee
Rivers Audubon Society; the Warnell School of Forestry
and Natural Resources; Pender Pet Caring Foundation.
For More
Information
For more details on the study,
including video footage and photos,
visit: www.kittycams.uga.edu
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
6
CollegeNews
Overuse of Deworming Drugs Led to
Widespread Resistance Among Parasites
By James Hataway
A
long-forgotten foe is beginning to reemerge on
“It was like a golden age where all of a sudden the
pastures and meadows around the world, and farmers
parasites that farmers have been dealing with for so long
are finding that they have no way to combat it. Parasitic
were gone,” Kaplan said. “Our animals never looked better,
worms infecting cows, sheep, goats and horses are
they never produced better, and so it made sense to keep
becoming resistant to the drugs used to kill them, and if
giving animals these drugs.”
changes are not made in how the few remaining drugs that
But as farmers reaped the benefits, parasites were
still work are used, there may be no way left to fight the
slowly evolving immunity to the drugs. Eventually, the
growing threat, according to Ray Kaplan, a University of
drugs stopped working, and farmers scrambled for new
Georgia professor in the department of infectious diseases. pharmaceuticals–or made cocktails comprised of several
Kaplan has studied drug-resistant parasites for
drugs to keep the worms at bay.
years, and his findings recently published in the journal
Kaplan worries that if the industry continues
Veterinary Parasitology warn that the continued overuse of
to overuse the few remaining drugs that still work,
deworming drugs has the potential to create parasites that
widespread resistance will decrease the profitability of
cannot be killed.
raising livestock and force
“We’re already seeing the
more farmers out of business.
worst-case scenario playing
To correct the problem,
out,” Kaplan said. “In goats
Kaplan says farmers must
particularly, which have the
adjust their attitudes about
worst problems with parasites
parasites and make some
and drug resistance, we quite
fundamental changes to how
frequently see farms that
they care for their animals.
have parasite resistance to all
“We’re trying to change
dewormers. Some of these
the paradigm of parasite
farms reached the point where
control so that farmers are
they no longer could control
willing to accept a certain level
the effects of the parasites and
of production loss in exchange
decided to go out of business.”
for sustainability,” Kaplan said.
It wasn’t always this
“We need to use less of these
The Haemonchus contortus, also known as the barber pole worm,
way. Forty years ago when
drugs and use them more
shown with its eggs. Photo provided by the Kaplan Lab.
deworming drugs were widely
intelligently and selectively.”
adopted by farmers and
The mere presence of
ranchers, the new treatments looked like a simple solution
parasites in an animal is no cause for alarm. In fact, it is
to an age-old problem. Parasites typically do not cause
something Kaplan would like farmers to view as natural
severe illness or death, but they do make animals grow
and normal. Most animals have only low-level worm
more slowly and produce less meat, milk or wool.
infections, so rather than treating every animal to prevent
With the simple application of a drug, farmers were
the development of worms, Kaplan suggests reserving drug
able to raise animals that were bigger, stronger and more
use only for those animals that develop large or dangerous
productive. Veterinarians and parasitologists advised
infections. This will limit the number of parasites exposed
widespread use of the new drugs as a prophylactic. Rather
to the drugs, and slow the development of resistance.
than treating only the animals with heavy parasitic
Kaplan also suggests changing the ways in which
infections that were ill, farmers frequently started giving
farmers allow their animals to graze. The parasitic worms
doses to all animals.
live in the gastrointestinal tract of livestock, and eggs are
7
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
passed in animal feces. The eggs hatch and develop into
worm larvae, which then crawl onto the grass. Livestock
become infected when they graze on the pasture and ingest
the larvae.
If animals are allowed to graze freely on large, open
pastures, they will naturally tend to favor some segments
of the pasture more than others. As they congregate more
in those areas, they come in contact with more fecal matter
and, consequently, more parasites, he said.
A simple solution to this problem is to divide the
pasture into segments with fencing and to periodically
rotate animals to new grass. The new areas have fewer
parasites, and many of the parasites left behind on old
pasture will die naturally before the animals return.
“This decreases exposure,” Kaplan said. “Although it’s
the same number of animals on the same amount of land,
by rotating pastures, the animals are less exposed to the
parasites and have less need for treatment.”
These methods have proven successful in farms
Kaplan has visited where parasite drug resistance was
extremely high, and he hopes that they serve as an example
Haemonchus contortus worms in the stomach of a sheep. You can see
the “barber pole” appearance of the worms. Photo courtesy of the
Kaplan Lab.
to other farmers who might be hesitant to adopt the simple,
more sustainable approach.
“If you use a drug to kill an infectious agent such as
bacteria, viruses or parasites, eventually you probably will
get drug resistance,” Kaplan said. “But how rapidly that
occurs, whether it occurs over several years or several
decades, will be determined by how the drug is used.”
Don’t miss the College of Veterinary Medicine’s next
OPEN HOUSE
Friday, April 5th, 2013
For more information or for directions to the College, please visit us at:
www.vet.uga.edu/openhouse
CollegeNews
In Case
of an
Emergency
UGA College of Veterinary
Medicine prepares
emergency shelter for pets
By Sarah Freeman
9
W
hen the word “emergency” is spoken in the halls of
the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM),
most people think of a medical emergency, which can
be treated in the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
However, thanks to a dedicated group of faculty and staff members,
there is another type of emergency with which the CVM is involved:
helping healthy animals that need somewhere to go when disaster
strikes their home. The answer is in the creation of the Pet Friendly
Shelter.
The mostly likely scenario for using this type of shelter would
be if a hurricane or some other natural disaster hit the coast of
Georgia, explains Steffen Sum, DVM, an assistant professor of small
animal internal medicine. Sum and six CVM colleagues, including
committee chair Amie Koenig, DVM, an associate professor of small
animal emergency/critical care medicine, have been instrumental in
developing the plan for the animal shelter.
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
If the shelter is ever needed, it would be housed in
during Hurricane Katrina, as well as with other CVMs,
the UGA Livestock Instructional Arena on Milledge
about programs they implement. While some states have
Avenue in Athens, south of the State Botanical Garden of
mobile units that provide assistance to animals in case of
Georgia. The shelter can accommodate up to 250 dogs,
emergency, or pet-friendly human shelters, no other state
up to 150 cats, and approximately 30 small mammals, like
is known to have an animal-specific emergency shelter.
hamsters and gerbils. No reptiles or birds are allowed, and
After the ad-hoc group met and planned over a twolarge animals, such as horses, would be referred to other
year period, there was so much work to be done that a
facilities, of which the CVM has a list. The shelter would
permanent committee was established to work closely with
be open to, and free for, pets whose owners are staying at
the CAES, the UGA Office of Security and Emergency
the human shelter at the UGA Ramsey Student Center.
Preparedness (OSEP), and several other organizations.
“This is an extension of the human shelter,” Sum says.
Although a lot of work has been done and there is a large
“Ramsey can accommodate up to 500 people, and we
to-do list, the animal emergency shelter could be activated
estimate for every 10 people there may be one pet. It’s
at any time, should the need arise.
hard to know how many pets would come, but this
“We have made some significant progress,” says Sum,
animal shelter should be sufficient. We hope we never get
“but there are still a lot of details to put together.”
activated, but we have to be prepared.”
This fall, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency
The advantages of using
(GEMA) sponsored a mock
the UGA Livestock Arena,
emergency exercise where the
“There is still a lot of work left,”
which is operated by the
shelter opened and accepted
concluded Sum, “but, a plan exists
UGA College of Agricultural
pets (which were actually
and now we have to implement the stuffed animals). Participants
and Environmental Sciences
(CAES), are that it contains
in the exercise included the
plan. People consider pets to be
some climate-controlled
CVM, the UGA Center for
members of their family, and there
areas, it is presently set up
Agribusiness & Economic
has to be a plan to help these family Development, the OESP, the
for animals, and it is in close
proximity to the human
members. It’s better to be prepared UGA Community Emergency
shelter, as well as to the CVM,
Response Team (CERT),
than surprised.”
which will provide staffing
CAES, the American Red
for the facility. Plans call for
Cross, and representatives
faculty members, technicians and students to take on
from local animal shelters. The exercise took staff
various roles if the shelter should be activated, and FEMA
members through many scenarios from setting up
would reimburse the shelter for most of the expenses.
operations, computer systems, and photographing the pets
Since 2006, when Congress passed the Pets Evacuation
for identification, to responding to different emergencies
and Transportation Standards Act (PETS Act), a
like what to do if an owner is bitten by an animal or how to
committee from the CVM has been creating plans to
prevent the pets from being lost or stolen.
establish and staff an emergency animal shelter. The PETS
The exercise was a good practice run, and helped
Act was adopted in response to Hurricane Katrina and the highlight issues that need improvement. Securing pledges
fact that many people did not follow orders to evacuate
of help from vendors in case of emergency, working with
because they were afraid to leave their pets. Many of
student groups like the UGA CVM’s student chapter of
the shelters were not equipped to provide shelter for the
the Association of Shelter Veterinarians to plan annual
animals. To avoid situations like this in the future, each
training, and improving ventilation of the building are a
state was charged with coming up with a way to address
few of the items on the to-do list.
these scenarios.
“There is still a lot of work left,” concluded Sum, “but,
Georgia’s former governor, Sonny Perdue, charged
a plan exists and now we have to implement the plan.
Dean Sheila Allen with setting up an ad-hoc committee
People consider pets to be members of their family, and
to come up with suggestions. Research was done by
there has to be a plan to help these family members. It’s
contacting several agencies that worked with animals
better to be prepared than surprised.”
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
10
CollegeNews
The Miracle
of Rascal
By Sarah Freeman
Photo courtesy of Carmen Studio Story
J
ohn Mazzola and his dog, Rascal, are inseparable.
They have been since John Mazzola’s wife, Penny,
found Rascal in a pet store when he was just a puppy.
“I am so thankful Penny found him. She knew I was
mourning the loss of my previous dog, Gizmo, who passed
away after 14-and-a-half years. She knew I needed a
Rascal in my life.”
Whether John Mazzola and Rascal are walking around
town doing errands, going to softball games at the local
park, or riding in Mazzola’s car (affectionately called the
“Rascal-mobile” because of his “1Rascal” license plate), the
two have created a very special bond. And the dedication
Mazzola showed Rascal by coming to visit him nearly
every day of Rascal’s nearly two-and-a-half week stay and
two surgeries at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital
(VTH) is even more testament to their bond.
Rascal, a Yorkshire Terrier who weighs not even 15
11
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
pounds, was hit by a pickup truck while he and Mazolla
were walking near their home in downtown Gray, Ga., in
early August. Mazolla scooped Rascal up and whisked him
to their local veterinarian in Gray who gave Rascal an IV,
took initial X-rays and sent him to the UGA VTH.
“My veterinarian said the only chance Rascal had was to
go to the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Athens,”
recalls Mazzola about the day he, his wife and Rascal made
their first trip to the UGA VTH. “We made it to Athens in
about half the time it should have taken, and they knew we
were coming. The UGA emergency veterinarians were out
in the parking lot to meet us at the car.”
Rascal immediately went into the emergency room
where several fractures were confirmed; the doctors also
found damage to his abdomen, including a ruptured
bladder. He was put on a ventilator to help his breathing.
“At the initial meeting that night, I was falling to pieces.
My wife was falling to pieces. His condition was not good
and we didn’t know what would happen to him.”
The next several days were a roller coaster of emotions,
filled with uncertainty, then optimism, then more
concerns.
“The miracle of Rascal was actually two-fold,” recalls
Mazzola. “The first miracle was surviving the first 24
hours and then a five-hour surgery. The second major
miracle came when E. coli bacteria set in a few days after
the accident. For the second time, we were told the next 24
hours would be critical. And again, he pulled through.”
Through all of Rascal’s peaks and valleys during his stay
at the hospital, John Mazzola was there almost every day.
Several nights he even stayed in a local hotel to ensure he
could visit early the next morning.
“The miracle of Rascal was actually
two-fold,” recalls Mazzola. “The
first miracle was surviving the first
24 hours and then a five-hour surgery. The second major miracle
came when E. coli bacteria set in a
few days after the accident. For the
second time, we were told the next
24 hours would be critical. And
again, he pulled through.”
“Every morning started with an update of how Rascal
had done the night before, and what time I could see him
that day,” remembers Mazzola. “In the first 72 hours, I
must have gotten six phone calls with updates, plus my
visits. I thought that was really great to reassure me at such
a critical time.”
Mazzola really got to know the receptionists, the doctors,
the veterinary technicians, and the rest of the staff during
his frequent visits.
“After all that he went through, and knowing that it
must have been painful, the hospital staff at UGA always
made sure Rascal was comfortable. I think he got better
care there than most people get in a human hospital. If
anything happens to me, take me to the veterinary
hospital!” says Mazzola.
Now, more than five months after the surgery, Rascal is
doing great.
“The fact that Rascal is alive today really is a miracle,”
asserts Mazzola. “Rascal is back to his old self. He jumps
on the sofa and wants to do everything he used to do. He
has gained some weight, too, and you can’t really tell where
his scars are.”
“You need to know that my local veterinarian did not
think that Rascal would live long enough to get from Gray
to Athens, but she did not realize that Rascal was in God’s
hands,” recalls Mazzola. “He got us there, and He knew
that your faculty and staff would do the rest.”
Rascal
Photo courtesy of Carmen Studio Story
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
12
CollegeNews
Picture
your
pet
Photogenic Felines
and Camera-happy
Canines Chosen as
2012 ‘Picture Your
Veterinarians Pet’ Finalists
serving public
By Sarah Freeman
health in the
Epidemic
Intelligence
A
>>>>
........................
fter a multi-year hiatus, the UGA
Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s (VTH)
Picture Your Pet contest returned with a flurry
in 2012. We received more than 250 wonderful
entries of personable pets displaying a range of
emotions: pensive and playful, sweet and sassy,
inquisitive and engaging.
Following a review by a panel of judges, 34
photographs were selected as the winning entries.
There was no single winner, but rather several
winners from each of four categories: dogs, cats,
horses and miscellaneous animals. What follows
is a representative sample of winning entries,
complete with the photo and story about the
animal, from each category.
........................
13
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
My Dakota
Category: Dogs
Submitted by Angie Garcia
Photo by Anne Yarbrough
Dakota was diagnosed with
hemangiosarcoma in the summer of
2011. Despite the wonderful care of the
UGA faculty and staff who operated on
him and administered his regular chemo
treatments, he succumbed to the dreaded disease
in September 2011. It was an emotional time, as
Dakota was my first canine companion when I was
on my own as an adult. We grew a lot together. I
couldn’t have asked for a more faithful friend and
a superb mentor for all the foster pups we took in
over the years. His legacy lives on in each and every
one of those pups, and his spirit will live on forever
in my heart.
Luna: It’s All Right to
be Little-Bitty
Category: Horses/Ponies
Submitted by Polly Cleveland
Luna is a 5-year-old American
Miniature mare who stands
28-inches tall at the withers. Luna
would not be alive today if it
were not for the UGA College of
Veterinary Medicine. At just four
weeks of age, weighing about 40
pounds, she underwent colic surgery
and a gastrostomy. Miraculously,
Luna survived and prospered.
Today, she is an exceptional halter
show horse, and she also gives back
by visiting schools and nursing
homes, where she is always a favorite
due to her small size and coloring.
>>>>
>>>>>>
Parker Chambers:
Bright-eyed Parker
Category: Cats
Submitted by Colleen Chambers
Parker was the beautiful orange
tabby who was the joy in our day
for almost 11 years. His social,
affectionate nature captivated the
hearts of everyone he met. Just like
most cats, Parker spent his days
watching the birds, sleeping in the
sun, playfully chasing his brother, and
purring contently during a belly rub.
During the last four years, Parker
encountered some health problems
that brought us to the UGA Veterinary
Teaching Hospital on many occasions.
Although the circumstances were
less than desirable, the experience of
meeting such dedicated professionals
working tirelessly to provide exceptional
care offered such comfort and hope. The
care that Parker received allowed us four
additional years together.
>>>>>>
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
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CollegeNews
>>>>>
Arrow: A Kiss for
My Sweet Arrow
Category: Miscellaneous Pets
Submitted by Nickie Carter
Photo by Rick Carter
Arrow Carter is a
14-month-old Standard
Bronze turkey. She has been
raised with an enormous
amount of love and
attention. As a fuzzy poult,
her head was adorned with
a marking that was perfectly
shaped like an arrow. As
she grew, that fuzz was
replaced with feathers, but
the name stuck with her.
Recently Arrow became a
patient of the VTH when
her crop suddenly enlarged
and would not properly
empty. Thankfully, the
doctors and staff were able
to successfully treat her and
send her back home with us
the next day. And, today she
is doing great!
>>>>>
15
Hurley: Puppy Portrait
Category: Dogs
Submitted by David and Iniray Luper
One day just before he turned one, Hurley’s legs went lame and
he developed a fever, which regularly peaked at over 106 degrees for
two-and-a-half weeks. Our veterinarian could not figure out what was
wrong. Hurley stopped eating and drinking, he could not walk, and he
was in immense pain. He was admitted to the UGA Veterinary Teaching
Hospital’s Emergency/Critical Care Service, where he stayed for five
days, and was diagnosed with immune mediated polyarthritis. We were
so shaken up and worried, but the veterinarians and staff at UGA saved
our buddy! They put him on prednisone, which wound up resetting his
immune system. Now he is a healthy 3 year old! Hurley is part of our
family, and we can’t thank the folks at the UGA VTH enough for saving
him!
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
.....................................................
2012 Picture Your Pet Contest Finalists
Pet: Entry NameClient’s NameHometown
Category: Felines
Bombom: All MineElsa MannLawrenceville, Ga.
Chelsey and Angel: Window Dreams
Lisa Last Moore
Athens, Ga.
Cyndy: Cyndy and the Shoe
Lisa Williamson
Bogart, Ga.
Sienna: Kitten in Cement Block
Lisa Hood
Elberton, Ga.
Lana: HeadphonesMark ReaginAthens, Ga.
Meko: Looking OutGregory MannLawrenceville, Ga.
Parker: Bright-eyed Parker
Colleen Chambers
Suwanee, Ga.
Category: Canines
Addy: On ChairCory GreshamWinterville, Ga.
Asa Katie BeachamAtlanta, Ga.
Chelsea: Got CookiesTeresa BaconWatkinsville, Ga.
Dakota: My Dakota (by Anne Yarbrough)
Angie Garcia
Athens, Ga.
Eddie and Merlin: Cuddling
Cecile Thompson
Gainesville, Ga.
Fantasy 5 Times Two
Angelia Chappelear
Winterville, Ga.
Gunner: Portrait No. 8,124
Sean Dunn & Cheryl Juska Athens, Ga.
HRCH Clubmead’s Alli Gator (by Mark Atwater) Brenda & David McLendon Loganville, Ga.
Hurley: Puppy Portrait
David & Iniray Luper
Athens, Ga.
Liberty and Legend: Friends
Leo Sage
Athens, Ga.
MamieDaniel SmithAthens, Ga.
NewmanBecky GoldmanLincolnton, Ga.
Paddy: On the Beach
Mala Charapich
Marietta, Ga.
Rascal (by Carmen Story)
John Mazzola
Gray, Ga.
Rocky: SleepyKathi LiebeMilledgeville, Ga.
Socs: Happy Socs (by Gary Butts)
Evelyn Smith
Alpharetta, Ga.
Templeton: Just Relaxin’Phyllis AveryElberton, Ga.
Zachary: He is the Window to My Soul
Sean Dunn & Cheryl Juska Athens, Ga.
Category: Horses/Ponies
Gee WhizDiane KirbyGreensboro, Ga.
GracieHannah WilliamsOverland Park, Kan.
Gunner: What the Hay?
Carrie & Mike Russell
Carlton, Ga.
Luna: It’s All Right to be Little-Bitty
Polly Cleveland
Winterville, Ga.
Olivia: A Kiss is Worth a Thousand Words
Ashley Lohmeyer
Roswell, Ga.
(by Alex Smith)
Category: Misc. Animals
Arrow: A Kiss for My Sweet Arrow
Nickie & Rick Carter
Bogart, Ga.
FredRenee & Jamie BarberBogart, Ga.
Stillcrazy Farm RosieRobbie BuchananJefferson, Ga.
TuTu Charming and Mary Mae
Lisa Williamson
Bogart, Ga.
.....................................................
For a complete list of winning entries and a link to the slide show,
please visit www.vet.uga.edu/go/photo-contest.php, or scan this QR
code with your smart phone.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
16
Inspired in
StudentNews
Bahrain
Student’s visit stirs scholarship potential
Photos and story by Taylor “Eve” Winkleman (DVM ’15)
Editor’s Note
For second-year veterinary student
Taylor “Eve” Winkleman, the path to pursue
a veterinary education has been unique.
Winkleman served in the U.S. Army from
2001 through 2007, with several tours of
duty in Iraq. During her time in the service,
she learned about the importance of animals
as companions. Her own memory of that
companionship, as she endured the hot, humid
conditions while posted on guard, never
left her. Upon returning home, Winkleman
adopted several dogs, fostered others, and
ultimately, recognizing her love of animals to
be strong, decided to become a veterinarian.
In Summer 2012, Winkleman traveled back
to the Middle East to do an externship with
17
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA). Inspired by
not only the tenacious spirit of the animals
she encountered in Bahrain, but also by the
sheer number of animals in need of care,
and by the hardworking, but limited staff and
resources, Winkleman is hoping to establish a
collaborative scholarship, between the UGA
CVM and BSPCA, that will help send other
students to assist with the care of animals
in Bahrain. Formerly a photographer with
the Augusta (Ga.) Metro Spirit newspaper,
Winkleman strapped on her camera to
document her journey. What follows is her
personal story of the experience, documented
both by personal essay and photographs.
“N
ever have so few
done so much with
so little.” I remember those
words being spoken to me,
and my two fellow linguists
in my unit in Baghdad, in
February of 2005. We were
about to leave, and the
brigade commander came to
thank us personally for our
efforts.
Moments like that stay with
you, and they snowball. In my
case, it gave me an incredible
amount of confidence in the
difference that one person
(or three) can make. I had
a notion that if I believed
enough in what I was doing
and was willing to work
hard enough, that nothing
was impossible. So last year,
when I decided that I wanted
to go to a Middle Eastern
country for an externship,
and chose Bahrain, the fact
that there was no externship
program, nor even any kind
of veterinary program in the
country, did not deter me. I
emailed, and emailed, and
emailed, and asked friends
who were in the country to
go check out the Bahrain
Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA).
And, I kept emailing until I
had secured the permission
of the BSPCA to let me travel
to Bahrain for my entire 12week summer vacation and
work with their veterinarian.
It was a brutally hot
summer, habitually reaching
above 120 degrees in the
afternoons. Air conditioning
brought the temperature in
the office or the surgery suite
down to a balmy 98 degrees
most days. While I was there,
I got to work with more than
500 animals, mostly dogs and
cats, which were brought into
the shelter by people from all
over the island. I wish I could
tell all 500 stories, because
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
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StudentNews
every single animal that I saw over the summer meant
something to me, and felt important.
I will tell you about Budge, a gorgeous white and
gray longhaired, smash-faced beauty of a cat with
huge paws. He came onto my radar because he had a
persistent cough, and being the student veterinarian,
I got the opportunity to do the treatments because
the BSPCA did not have any veterinary technicians
to assist the sole veterinarian. While Budge didn’t
particularly enjoy having oral medicines every day, he
was a very sweet cat, and I came to look forward to
giving him his treatments. But his cough didn’t get any
better.
Hansel Geo Thomas, 26, a young Indian native
to Bahrain, has a lot on his plate. He is the sole
veterinarian at the BSPCA. The country’s Trap-NeuterRelease Program is his brainchild, but it is also going
to give him more work than he has time for, and his
wife just gave birth to their first son. So when I asked
him about Budge’s persistent cough, he wasn’t terribly
optimistic. He said it was most likely hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy, a condition that would render Budge
unadoptable.
Between the two of us, we had so much work to do
that it took about two weeks for us to find the time
to ultrasound Budge’s heart. In that time, I had taken
to spending a little bit of time with Budge every day,
and was charmed by a cat who literally hugged me
when I picked him up, and seemed happiest when he
was in my arms. He purred like a broken lawnmower.
But sure enough, when we gave him an ultrasound,
Budge’s heart was too big. He was unadoptable, and
that was surely a death sentence for the poor cat.
I’m pretty sure you all know what’s coming next.
And you’re right: I couldn’t stand the thought of
this cat being put to sleep. So, I took him home. The
running joke at the BSPCA is that Budge’s heart is so
big because he loves so much more than other cats.
Whatever it is, I know that Budge loves mango yogurt
and Pringles, long naps and cuddling, and he will
travel to the U.S. in early 2013, when my friend in
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The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
Bahrain comes back to the States.
Budge is one of the more than 2,000 animals that go
through the BSPCA every year. The organization has
no government funding, is almost entirely volunteerrun, and yet, somehow, manages to make a difference.
Now they have a Trap-Neuter-Release Program,
neutering more than 50 animals a week in an effort to
bring the island’s stray population of more than 20,000
under control humanely. They are an organization that
works with the local population and culture. Through
persistence, and an incredible amount of confidence
in the impact that a small group of people can have,
they are making a difference. For the past summer, I
was a part of that effort.
I learned a lot of the things that no one tells
you about being a veterinarian. I learned about
understanding the difference between what could be
done in a perfect world and what can be done with
the available resources and supplies. I learned about
myself, all over again, from a new and different angle. I
learned about what it truly means to have people look
at you for the answer, trusting that you know it simply
because you’re “the vet.” This nebulous concept of
“veterinarianhood” that we all think about as students
is an awful lot more solid and real for me now, and
that is due to my time at the BSPCA.
I don’t want to keep that experience to myself. So
I have decided to start a scholarship to send other
students to Bahrain, students that might otherwise
not be able to have the kind of experience that I
did. I want to do this because I know the difference
that one person can have over the summer, and the
difference that the BSPCA can make in a person over
the summer. I want other people to believe in the kind
of difference that we can make as veterinarians. These
are the few people who do so much with so little, day
in and day out. And I would love, more than anything,
for my fellow students to know what it feels like to be
one of those few.
1
2
3
Clockwise from top left: 1. Budge and me at the shelter. This is the famous Budge-hug, and is one of the many
reasons I ended up adopting him. Photo courtesy of Clint Smith. 2. This handsome little guy is Chocco, a
feisty kitten who spent most of his time playing in the shelter. Had I the ability, I probably would have taken
home every animal at the shelter, but this guy was pretty special, and I considered taking him home more than
once. 3. Saying goodbye to Hope, a sweet pit mix who came in with an impacted collar and stayed because she
was pregnant. Her daughters Joy and Grace were adopted shortly after I left. Photo courtesy of Clint Smith.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
20
StudentNews
4
7
5
Clockwise from top left: 4. The Grand Mosque. To go
inside, women are required to wear the burka and hijab, and
non-Muslims are not allowed in on Fridays. On Fridays, it
is very typical to see the right lane of the highway outside
the mosque lined with parked cars. The tall towers are the
minarets, where traditionally the muezzin would sing the
call to prayer. Now, the call is recorded and sounded with
a speaker system. 5. Children playing soccer in a closedoff street near the apartment where I stayed. The street is
closed off because it doesn’t go anywhere yet. 6. Her name
is Lunar. Often when things got overwhelming, I would go
down to the cat house and hang out, and Lunar was one of
those animals that was so chill and sweet, she made you feel
better. And, of course, those eyes. 7. Hansel Geo Thomas,
the veterinarian who worked with me all summer. Despite
the difficulties inherent in being a shelter vet, he is always
cheerful. Here he was watching the puppies stumble into the
air-conditioned space–an absolute necessity for about four
hours in the middle of the 120+ degree days.
6
21
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
8
9
10
Clockwise from top left: 8. Toward the end of my stay, I got the genius idea to name the animals that came in after
people in my class. This particular guy was named Perry, after one of my classmates, and he simply loved the camera. I
fell in love with his ears, and nicknamed him Stitch after my favorite Disney character. German Shepherds and Huskies
are probably the most popular dog breeds in Bahrain–and both breeds are cold-adapted and not particularly suited for
the hot summer weather. Perry seemed to be mixed with the more ubiquitous “desert dog”–a tall, skinny, gangly sight
hound mix that made Perry’s ears sort of comical and smile-inducing. 9. One of Bahrain’s most famous buildings,
called the “Sail Building” by the local expats. There are two connected buildings with windmills in the center. The whole
country is a study of contrasts–old and new, giant, modern buildings and lean-tos, paved roads and open desert that you
can drive through. 10. One of the workers at the shelter on his way to let the puppies into the air conditioning. The daily
transfer of the dogs from the exterior viewing runs into the air conditioning was called “The Running of the Dogs,” and
usually went like clockwork–except for the puppies. They had to be shown where to go, and, occasionally, carried. But
within two weeks, they’d be running with the others, making life much easier for all.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
22
StudentNews
14
23
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
13
11
Clockwise from top: 11. The Hidd Bridge is one of the
main roads and connects the two sides of the bay–while
also providing fishing, great views, and easy access to
Prince Khalifa bin Salman Park, the newest park built
in honor of the Crown Prince. The day before this, I saw
dolphins–which, of course, never happened again while I
had a camera in my hand. 12. Miss Tootsie–obviously–is
gorgeous. One of the strange things I noticed in Bahrain is
that calico cats are not particularly popular; more popular
is the Persian (which they call Shirazi). Tootsie was so
sweet to me and was so patient–when I would go to the
cat house, she would wait her turn quietly, but the second
I got to her house, she would come straight up to me
and instantly crawl into my arms. 13. Morgan (and her
friend Annabelle, not pictured here) were brought into the
shelter together. Morgan was protective of Annabelle, who
was in worse shape than her, but both were emaciated and
had obviously been through a lot. Despite that, both were
gentle giants who loved to snuggle and play, and quickly
won over our hearts. Also, Morgan looked a lot like
Hooch, from the 1989 movie Turner and Hooch with Tom
Hanks, and just made me smile. 14. A group of Bahraini
men at the Prince Khalifa bin Salman Park. In Bahrain, it
is pretty typical to see just groups of men, or just groups
of women, out in public. Despite its population of expats,
Bahrain tends to be more traditionally Islamic.
12
For More
Information
If you would like to help Taylor “Eve”
Winkleman make this scholarship a reality,
contact her at twinklem@uga.edu
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
24
StudentNews
Alec Davern (DVM ’13) was one of eight veterinary
students nationwide awarded a $2,500 scholarship
from the American Association of Equine
Practitioners Foundation and the insurance company
Markel Corp.
Barbara Shock, a doctoral candidate based in the
SCWDS, was the 2012 winner of the Shikar Safari
Club Foundation Scholarship. Shock was also the
2012 winner of the Wildlife Disease Association
Graduate Student Scholarship.
Elizabeth Gleim, a doctoral candidate based in
the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease
Study (SCWDS), was selected as the 2012 ByrdDunn Award winner at the annual meeting of the
Southeastern Society of Parasitologists for her talk on
the impact of imported red fire ants on the survival of
two common tick species in Georgia.
Kerrie Anne Loyd, a master’s degree student
mentored by Dr. Sonia Hernandez (who is jointly
appointed to SCWDS and Warnell), was the 2012
recipient of the E.L. Cheatum Award, presented by
the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural
Resources.
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA®
College of Veterinary Medicine
25
The University of Georgia
College of Veterinary Medicine
Student Ambassadors 2012-2013
CVM student ambassadors serve as representatives of the College’s student body and assist with
recruitment, outreach and college-related activities to enhance the public image of the College, its
students and its programs. Selected annually, ambassadors must attend training sessions on public
speaking, the College’s strategic plan and etiquette to prepare for their role as representatives of
the CVM. CVM ambassadors are chosen for their strong leadership qualities, interpersonal skills,
and sense of school spirit and pride. CVM ambassadors are available to speak on topics related to
student recruitment, veterinary medicine and veterinary-related issues.
Photo by Chrstopher B. Herron
Back row, from left to right: Wade Won (DVM ’14), Mixed Animal; Scott Kelly (DVM ’15), Small Animal; Brad Angel (DVM ’15),
Zoo Med; Wade Edwards (DVM ’14), Mixed Animal; William Frederick Marscher IV (DVM ’15), Small Animal. 4th row, left to
right: Zack Moore (DVM ’15), Small Animal; Heidi Morton (DVM ’15), Zoo Med; Alyson Frederick (DVM ’15), Mixed Animal;
Brittany Paschal (DVM ’15), Small Animal; Deanna Veal (DVM ’15), Food Animal; Robert Holly (DVM ’14), Small Animal. 3rd
row, left to right: Kirstin Ruffner (DVM ’14), Food Animal; Luke Rogers (DVM ’14), Mixed Animal; John Gagnepain (DVM ’14),
Mixed Animal; Megan Harris (DVM ’15), Small Animal; Jennifer James (DVM ’15), Small Animal. 2nd row, left to right: Alan
Power (DVM ’14), Mixed Animal; Naeemah Johnson (DVM ’15), Food Animal; Ann Rychlicki (DVM ’14), Small Animal; Brittany
Murphy (DVM ’15), Equine; Marion Floyd (DVM ’15), Small Animal; Christopher Perry (DVM ’15), Mixed Animal. 1st row, left
to right: Katelyn Ellis (DVM ’15), Equine; Step Bond (DVM ’14), Mixed Animal; Jenna Shafer (DVM ’14), Small Animal; Raley
White (DVM ’15), Small Animal; Matt Sullivan (DVM ’14), Mixed Animal. Not pictured: Kristen Hamsley (DVM ’15), Small Animal; Lydia Young (DVM ’14), Population Health.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
26
StudentNews
Winners from the 2012 Science of Veterinary Medicine
Symposium
Photo by Chrstopher B. Herron
Back row, from left to right: Keynote speaker Dennis O’Brien; Vijay Durairaj, graduate student in population health; Dr. Harry
W. Dickerson, associate dean for research and graduate affairs; Dr. Scott Brown, professor of veterinary medicine and program
coordinator; Paul Oesterle, graduate student in the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. 3rd row, from left to right:
Erin Edwards (DVM ’14); Jennifer Willingham-Lane, graduate student in infectious diseases; Julie Rushmore, graduate student in
ecology; Xin Li, graduate student in infectious diseases; Jordan Scherk, DVM, resident in emergency and critical care medicine.
2nd row, from left to right: Jenny Munhofen (DVM ’16, MS ’12), graduate student in veterinary and biomedical sciences; Kristen
Hamsley (DVM ’15); Amie Goedeke (DVM ’15); Tracy Sturgil, graduate student in large animal medicine; Lisa Fultz, resident in
large animal medicine. 1st row, from left to right: Sheryl Coutermarsh-Ott, DVM, graduate student in pathology; Jennifer Mumaw, PhD (DVM’16); Saritha Krishna Lalitha Kumari, graduate student in physiology and pharmacology; Rebecca Regan, DVM,
resident in oncology; Christina Varian, graduate student in pathology; Monique Franca, graduate student in pathology. This event
is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at UGA. Only CVM winners are represented here.
The UGA CVM held its annual Science of Veterinary Medicine Symposium on Oct. 11, 2012. The
symposium featured a keynote address from Dr. Dennis O’Brien, a professor of veterinary neurology at
the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. O’Brien’s lecture was entitled “Fireflies in
the Brain: Comparative Studies of Hereditary Neurologic Diseases.” His work in neuroscience recently
garnered him the Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence from the American College of
Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Other speakers included: Sonia Altizer, an associate dean of faculty affairs for the UGA Odum School of
Ecology and an associate professor, discussed animal migrations and associated risks of infectious diseases;
Dr. Sonia Hernandez, an assistant professor of wildlife disease jointly appointed to the UGA Warnell
School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at
UGA CVM, discussed her videographic studies of feline behavior; Maria Viveiros, an assistant professor
of pharmacology at the CVM, discussed the use of stem cells in medicine and research; and Dr. Steve
Budsberg, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the CVM, discussed recent advances in our understanding
of pain management. The event was supported by donations from Boehringer-Ingelheim, Iams, Pfizer and
Novartis.
27
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
Highlights from 2012 Honors and Awards Banquet
Danielle Pollio (DVM ’12) received the
Dean Emeritus Thomas J. Jones Cup ($1,000).
The award is presented to an outstanding fourthyear student selected on the basis of personality,
professional proficiency, and scholastic
achievement.
Catherine Ray (DVM ’12) was awarded
the Faculty Scholastic Plaque and Clifford
E. Westerfield Award ($1,000). The award is
presented to a fourth-year student with the
highest scholastic average for the entire four
years spent at the CVM.
Shana Gross (DVM ’12) was awarded
the 2012 Veterinarian-of-the-Year Award.
Sponsored by the Auxilliary to the Georgia
Veterinary Medical Association, the $1000
scholarship is presented to a senior student who
has demonstrated professionalism, commitment,
and scholastic excellence.
Graduate Studies
Earn your:
MS and PhD in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
If you want a career in translational or clinical research.
DVM-MPH
If, as a veterinarian, you want to address public health issues in
environmental health, infectious diseases, global health, biosecurity,
epidemiology and/or health policy.
DVM-PhD
If you want a career that will integrate clinical knowledge in comparative
medicine to address questions in applied or basic research.
Master’s in Avian Medicine or Food Animal Health and Management
If you’re a veterinarian looking for advanced training in poultry or food
animal medicine.
vetgrad@uga.edu
706.542.5752
www.vet.uga.edu/research/students
StudentNews
A Pathway to
Research
Morris Animal Scholar’s research seeks canine diagnostic screening
By Jessica Luton
Photo by Sue Myers Smith
F
or third-year veterinary student Erica Noland (DVM
’14), the last two summers have not been spent relaxing
alongside a sandy beach or by the pool. Instead, she spent
her time in the laboratory doing her part to contribute to
and learn from two unique opportunities to dip her toes
into the field of research.
Always an animal lover, with an interest in both human
and animal medicine, she landed at UGA’s College of
Veterinary Medicine following completion of her master’s
degree, at the nearby Georgia Institute of Technology, in
molecular and cell biology.
As a 2011 Georgia Veterinary Scholar, and as a 2012
recipient of the prestigious Morris Animal Scholar award,
Noland worked alongside Rabindranath De La Fuente,
DVM, MSc, PhD, an associate professor of physiology
and pharmacology. Under his mentorship, she sought
to progress the field of veterinary oncology, with hopes
that one day her research will benefit canine patients and
potentially lend to the advancement of human health.
Prognosis of malignant mammary cancer is dependent
upon a number of factors, but in general early detection
and treatment are key to a favorable outcome.
29
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
They first looked for protein markers involved in
chromosome instability in canine mammary cancer
cells, she said, and using a DNA repair pathway protein
from this preliminary study, they are now developing a
screening test for drug therapy.
“It just kind of developed from there,” she said. “We
were excited by the results and saw the potential there for
clinical use. A diagnostic screening protocol to determine
whether canine patients would be responsive to a pathwayspecific therapeutic approach would aid clinicians in their
treatment and management of the disease. Our biomarkers
may also be able to detect early neoplastic change.”
Her initial research results in 2011 were very promising,
she said, and so she decided to submit her proposal to an
internal review committee at the UGA CVM, as only one
proposal from each CVM may be submitted to the Morris
Animal Foundation, per 2012 guidelines for submissions.
Her proposal was then selected by the Morris Animal
Foundation for funding.
Noland is not the first to venture toward research at
UGA thanks to the prestigious Morris Animal Scholarship.
In 2010, Mason Savage (DVM ’11) had an opportunity to
participate in research through the program as well. Now,
Doing research during the summer means that these
he’s a diagnostic imaging resident at North Carolina State
projects require a fast pace, which makes the work both
University, something he attributes to his researching
fun and challenging, he said. Noland hit the ground
opportunities at the UGA CVM.
running with several techniques, and ended up with a
Savage teamed up with research mentor Scott
set of data that is now being polished up and prepped for
Schatzberg, DVM, PhD, a former associate professor of
future publishable work.
neurology, for some extra research experience during his
“It’s rewarding to have a set of data at the end of the
fourth year at the
project period that’s in good
UGA CVM. Along
shape for an abstract,” he said.
the way, Schatzberg
“Eventually, what we intend
recommended that
to do is publish a full research
Savage and another
paper.”
student, Dan Regan
The work is important for
(DVM ’11), submit
many reasons, but namely
a joint proposal for
because in veterinary
some research they’d
oncology there’s a real need to
been conducting.
understand very basic biological
Their project looked
mechanisms, knowledge that will
at canine degenerate
provide value in basic research
myelopathy, a disease
in other species and potentially
similar to amyotrophic
be directly applicable to human
lateral sclerosis (ALS;
oncology.
often known in the
For Noland, the opportunity to
United States as Lou
work with a wonderful research
Gehrig’s disease)
mentor and venture into the
in humans. They
field of veterinary research for
focused on creating
the first time has been not only
a molecular test that
exciting and fun, but has also
could be applied
opened up the possibility of
toward dogs with the
research as a potential career
disease to see if any
option in the future.
underlying infectious
Currently Noland is tying
agents existed, and if
up loose ends with the project,
so, if there was any
making sure that the markers are
correlation between
reproducible in the cell lines, and
Photo
by
Sue
Myers
Smith
the infectious agents
honing in on a new technique
Erica Noland shows off her work in the lab.
in dogs with the disease
to quantify protein expression at
and in dogs without it.
the single-cell level.
“What we were really looking to do was see if there was
Eventually, a bigger goal of the project will be turning it
any infection going on in these patients that we could
into a global epigenetic analysis, she said.
treat,” he said.
The preliminary results of her work have already been
Having mentors along the way has helped Noland, too.
presented at the Georgia Veterinary Scholars Program
Noland would like to thank Claudia Baumann, PhD, a
Research Day in July 2011, the Merial/NIH National
research associate in the De La Fuente lab, for teaching
Veterinary Scholars Symposium in Orlando, Fla., in
her the necessary skills to function independently in the
August 2011, and the Science of Veterinary Medicine
lab, as well as for all her guidance and help with data
Symposium at UGA in October 2011. All were great
interpretation. Noland also would like to thank her official opportunities to network, show others what the team has
mentor, De La Fuente, for his encouragement. In fact, it
been doing in the lab, and to see what others are working
was De La Fuente who suggested Noland apply for the
on in the field, Noland said.
Morris Animal Foundation scholarship.
After her time at the UGA CVM, Noland says the
“It’s a very prestigious award and it’s also a unique
window of opportunity is wide open for what the future
opportunity for veterinary students to get supported to do
may hold. She’s interested in a career in laboratory animal
basic research,” he noted.
medicine and also has a strong interest in pathology.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
30
StudentNews
CVM Welcomes Class of 2016
Photo by Sue Myers Smith
The UGA CVM welcomed the Class of 2016 during its annual White Coat Ceremony
on Aug. 12, 2012. Sponsored by the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association, the event
officially recognized 102 members of the incoming class by donning them with lab coats
to be worn during their veterinary education.
The hour-long ceremony was held in Mahler Hall at the UGA Hotel and Conference
Center at the Georgia Center. After the ceremony, Dr. Spencer Tally Jr., who at the time
was president of the GVMA, led the two-block recessional of coated students to the
veterinary college for a class photo, followed by a reception with the students’ families and
members of the College’s faculty and staff.
The incoming class is made up of 79 women and 23 men. The class features a wide
variety of interests: 58 percent are interested in companion animal medicine; 11 percent
in mixed-animal medicine; 11 percent in zoo animal and wildlife medicine; 6 percent
in food animal medicine; 5 percent in public health; 5 percent in equine medicine and 4
percent in research.
“The white coat is the symbol of medical professionalism,” said Dr. K. Paige
Carmichael, the College’s associate dean for academic affairs. “This ceremony, where our
first-year students are coated and hear the Veterinarian’s Oath for the first time, reminds
them that they are beginning their education in one of the most respected medical
professions.”
31
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
Omega Tau Sigma’s Eta Chapter to host Grand Council 2013
Omega Tau Sigma’s Eta
chapter, which calls the
UGA CVM “home,” will
be welcoming members
from veterinary schools
throughout North America
as the chapter hosts Grand
Council 2013 this November.
Grand Council is the annual
meeting of OTS’s national
chapters and alumni
leadership.
Eta chapter’s members have
already begun conducting
fundraisers to support the southern-themed
weekend, tentatively slated for Nov. 15-18.
Thomas Griner, chapter president, Alyson
Frederick, treasurer, and Grand Council committee
co-chairs Elyse Paske and Eve Winkleman, attended
the most recent Grand Council, hosted by Gamma
chapter at The Ohio State University. They returned
with a greater sense of camaraderie and a plenitude
of ideas, which they, along with the other members
of the executive and Grand Council committees,
have been busily working on, while also juggling
rigorous class schedules.
“One of the biggest lessons we learned from Ohio
is that we won’t be able to pull this off without the
support of our alumni,” said Griner, who noted that
as many as 250 visitors may attend the event. (Eta
chapter has about 120 current members.)
Eta chapter alumni can help in a variety of ways,
including: monetary donations; lending tables, chairs
and other items that can be used for small meetings
held at the fraternity house; assistance with food,
beverages and other items for catered events held at
the OTS house. The chapter’s leadership also hopes
to see a good turnout of Eta alumni.
OTS’s Eta members have made many
improvements to the fraternity house in the past
year, including rebuilding the upper deck, staining
both decks, and replacing flooring in the upstairs
common room.
Members of the fraternity and the Grand Council
committee are looking forward to creating a
memorable and wonderful Grand Council 2013
experience for everyone who attends.
For More Information
Thomas Griner
President, OTS Eta Chapter
president@otseta.org
www.otseta.org
www.vet.uga.edu/student_clubs/ots.home
Get your own AnAtomic Dog!
If you’ve visited our student lobby recently, you’ve probably
noticed our “AnAtomic Dog” — a colorful, more-than-life-sized
bulldog that was presented to the College as a gift from the Class
of 2009. Now you can have your very own, scaled-down version.
Omega Tau Sigma is selling miniature versions of the AnAtomic
Dog to raise money for the fraternity. A portion of the proceeds
also benefits the Veterinary Medicine Hospital Building Fund.
Like the original, the miniature was designed by Athens artist
John Ahee. Each AnAtomic Dog statuette costs $30, plus shipping
and handling. Prior to mailing your in your order, please contact
Dr. Doris Miller for shipping and handling costs: miller@uga.edu or
706.542.5915.
Checks should be made payable to Omega Tau Sigma. Please include a note containing your
name, shipping address, phone number, and email address. Mail your payment and contact/shipping
information to:
OTS Alumni Treasurer
205 Burnett St.
Athens, GA 30605
FacultyNews
Mark Jackwood, PhD, who heads the CVM’s
department of population health, has been selected
as a Distinguished Alumnus Award winner by the
University of Delaware College of Agriculture and
Natural Resources.
Dr. Keith Harris, who heads the CVM’s department
of pathology, received the 2012 Presidential Award
from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists
(ACVP) for his outstanding service to ACVP. The
award was presented to him by Dr. Claire Andreasen
(MS ’87, PhD ’90), president of ACVP.
Bridget Garner, DVM, PhD, DACVP, and
Maria Viveiros, PhD, assistant professors in the
departments of pathology, and physiology and
pharmacology, respectively, have been selected as Lilly
Teaching Fellows. Each spring, UGA selects up to 10
new faculty members to participate in this two-year
program.
Maria M. Viveiros, PhD, received $445,500 from
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop
a unique mouse model to assess the underlying
mechanisms of meiotic spindle formation in oocytes,
or egg cells. Viveiros will determine whether these
mechanisms are disrupted with increasing maternal
age, leading to chromosome segregation errors and
aneuploidy, an abnormal number of chromosomes.
Aneuploidy in developing embryos is the leading
genetic cause of congenital birth defects and
pregnancy loss in women.
Dr. Andy Parks, who heads the department of
large animal medicine, has been selected as a
Senior Teaching Fellow for 2012-2013. Each year,
UGA selects up to eight senior faculty members to
participate in this program.
Dr. Claire Andreasen, left with Dr. Keith Harris. Photo courtesy of the
American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
Drs. Andrew Moorhead, Ray Kaplan and Michael
Dzimianski, from the department of infectious
diseases, received $312,260 from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide Brugia malayi
adult worms and infective larvae to researchers at the
NIH.
Dr. Gregg Rapoport, assistant professor of
cardiology, and Dr. Justin Thomason, a third-year
resident in cardiology, received $7,000 from the
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
to assess the effectiveness of a delayed-release
formulation of procainamide to improve treatment of
dogs with heart disease.
33
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Karen Cornell, a professor of small animal
surgery, was selected as a participant in the
Southeastern Conference Academic Consortium
Administrative Leadership Development Program for
the 2012-2013 academic year.
Dr. Susan Sanchez, a professor in the departments of
population health and infectious diseases, has been
appointed Director of Educational Programs at the
Georgia BioBusiness Center (GBBC) and Assistant
Director & Chair of the new division of One Health at
the Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute (BHSI).
Dr. Danny Mead, an associate professor of population
health, has been named the new science director of
the Animal Health Research Center (AHRC). He
will join the AHRC management team to oversee
BSL3, ABSL3, and BSL3Ag studies in the facility.
Mead’s previous extensive experience in the AHRC
and Plum Island provides a solid foundation for his
service to the College in this new role.
Faculty awards from the 2012 Honors and
Awards Celebration:
Note: Faculty Recognition Awards are selected by the
entire class, and given to the faculty member deemed
by the class to have made the greatest contribution to its
education during that academic year.
Dr. Cherie Roberts (DVM ’82), a senior lecturer from
the department of veterinary biosciences and diagnostic
imaging, received the Faculty Recognition Award from
the Class of 2015.
Dr. Kate Myrna, an assistant professor of ophthalmology,
received the Faculty Recognition Award from the Class of
2014.
Dr. Marc Kent, an associate professor of neurology,
received the Faculty Recognition Award from the Class of
2013.
Ira Roth (DVM ’86), a clinical assistant professor
and director of the UGA Community Practice Clinic,
received the Faculty Recognition Award from the Class
of 2012. Roth was also awarded the Pfizer Distinguished
Teacher Award, the top teaching award for all veterinary
professors at all veterinary colleges. The award is given
to a teaching member of the faculty selected on the basis
of character, leadership, and teaching ability as judged
by the responsiveness of his/her students. The award is
sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health.
Lee represents CVM at USA Science and
Engineering Festival
Dr. Margie Lee, professor of population health and
infectious diseases, joined other UGA faculty and
graduate students who volunteered to represent the
University at the 2012 USA Science and Engineering
Festival, held in Washington, D.C. Lee manned a
booth sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate
Admissions, the Graduate School, the Biomedical
and Health Sciences Institute (BHSI), and the CVM’s
department of population health. The experience gave
her an opportunity to meet high school students, many
of whom were already enrolling in college courses for
Advanced Placement credit. Lee discussed research
career opportunities, and provided information on UGA
admissions, and the new Master of Biomanufacturing
and Bioprocessing degree offered by the BHSI.
(biomanufacturing.uga.edu/). The festival also featured
technology demonstrations, contests, performances by
television personalities, athletes and comedians, and over
3,000 exhibits.
New Faculty
Holly Brown, Lecturer, Pathology
Kevin Clarke, Clinical Associate Professor, Small
Animal Medicine and Surgery
Brenton Credille, Assistant Professor, Beef
Production Medicine
Allison Haley, Assistant Professor, Small Animal
Medicine and Surgery
Roberto Palomares, Assistant Professor, Beef
Production Medicine
Wing Yee Louisa Poon, Clinical Assistant
Professor, Small Animal Medicine and Surgery
Emmanuel Rollin Clinical Assistant Professor,
Dairy Production Medicine
Scott Secrest, Assistant Professor,Veterinary
Biosciences & Diagnostic Imaging
Kurt Selberg, Assistant Professor,Veterinary
Biosciences & Diagnostic Imaging
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
34
FacultyNews
Jackwood, Edwards appointed to
endowed professorships
New model explains differences in
Lyme disease patterns
The CVM has appointed two long-term faculty
members, both of whom head departments within the
College, to endowed professorships.
Mark W. Jackwood, who heads the College’s department
of population health, was named the first John R. Glisson
Professor of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Gaylen L. Edwards,
who heads the College’s department of physiology
and pharmacology, received the first Georgia Athletic
Association Professorship in Veterinary Medicine,
endowed by the UGA Athletic Association.
Jackwood is a molecular virologist known for his work
in avian diseases. He joined the College in 1989, after
earning his MS degree at the University of Delaware, and
his PhD in the department of poultry science at The Ohio
State University.
Edwards’ research focuses on how hindbrain controls
of food and fluid intake behavior relay messages to the
forebrain, and how defects in processing this information
may contribute to the pathophysiology of various diseases.
He joined the College in 1989 after earning his MS from
the University of Idaho, and his DVM and PhD degrees
from Washington State University.
“These endowed professorships will allow the
department heads to have some funding every year
for their own research programs, and for supporting
departmental needs,” said Sheila W. Allen, dean of the
College. “We are grateful to the donors who honored Dr.
John Glisson with this endowment, and to the Athletic
Association for their support of the College.”
Andrew W. Park, an assistant professor jointly
appointed to the UGA Odum School of Ecology and
the College of Veterinary Medicine’s department of
infectious diseases, co-authored a study with two
graduate students that sheds new light on the puzzling
disparity in Lyme disease patterns.
In the United States, most human cases of the tickborne disease occur in the Northeast, with a smaller
cluster in the Midwest, despite data showing that
bacteria causing the disease are equally common in
ticks in both regions. Using information about the
behavior of Lyme disease, and ecological data about
ticks, researchers found that the timing of the tick
lifecycle plays an important role in determining which
type of Lyme disease will thrive in an area, and how
severe the disease outbreaks tend to be.
James Haven, a postdoctoral associate in the Odum
School, was the lead author on the study. Krisztian
Magori, a former postdoctoral associate in the Odum
School who is now at Auburn University’s School of
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, also participated in the
research. The study was published in the August 2012
issue of the journal Epidemics. Research funding was
provided by the James S. McDonnell Foundation.
For More Information
http://tinyurl.com/aj2hfxk
Cornell CVM honors retired professor for distinguished service
Barsanti
35
Dr. Jeanne Barsanti, a professor
emeritus who retired as head of the CVM’s
department of Small Animal Medicine
and Surgery in 2004, was recognized with
the 2012 Daniel Elmer Salmon Award for
Distinguished Alumni Service. The award is
given annually by the Alumni Association
of the College of Veterinary Medicine at
Cornell University.
The award honors Cornell University
College of Veterinary Medicine graduates
who have distinguished themselves
in service to the profession, their
communities, or to the college.
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
During her 30-year career as a professor,
clinician, and scientist, Dr. Barsanti won
numerous teaching awards, and gained a
reputation as a leader in the movement
to bring technology into the classroom.
Additionally, she is known internationally
for her expertise in urologic disorders, and
played a major role in the creation of the
generalist and specialist tracks within the
American College of Veterinary Internal
Medicine’s (ACVIM) forum when she
held various leadership positions within
ACVIM.
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA®
Veterinary Teaching Hospital
“Through my surgeries and being
hospitalized for three weeks, my
humans, doctors, nurses, and
students never gave up. I didn’t either.”
-Rascal Mazzola, patient, 2012
Photograph taken by Carmen Story
Emergency care, when you need us most.
24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week, 365 Days a Year
Serving dogs, cats, horses and all animal species.
No referral required for emergencies.
706.542.3221
www.vet.uga.edu/hospital
Aesculapian Spring/Summer 2012
38
FacultyNews
CVM professor developing new vaccine
to fight resurging mumps virus
By James Hataway
Mumps may seem like a disease of a bygone
era to many people in the United States who,
thanks to immunization programs, have been
spared the fever, aches and characteristic
swollen jawline of the once common viral
infection. Biao He, PhD, a professor of
infectious diseases and a Georgia Research
Alliance distinguished investigator in the
College of Veterinary Medicine, worries that
a new strain of the virus is spreading, and it
could lead to the widespread reintroduction
of mumps. Now, thanks in part a $1.8 million
grant from the National Institutes of Health,
He and his team are working on a new
vaccine to stop it.
Although not typically a life-threatening
disease, mumps can lead to serious health
problems such as viral meningitis, hearing
loss and pancreatitis; it can also cause
miscarriage during early pregnancy.
Vaccinations diminished the number
of cases dramatically, and at one point
it appeared that the U.S. was on pace to
eradicate the disease. But two large outbreaks
of the virus in 2006 and 2010 involving
thousands of confirmed cases in the Midwest
and Northeast put the hope of eradication
on hold. He is concerned that the current
vaccine, which has been in use since 1967,
may be showing signs of weakness.
“The virus is always evolving and mutating,
and new viruses will emerge,” He said. “It’s
only a matter of time until the old vaccine we
have doesn’t work.”
The current vaccine is commonly called
the Jeryl Lynn strain and is named after the
daughter of inventor Maurice Hilleman. It is
based on a specific genotype of the mumps
virus called genotype A. However, the 2006
and 2010 mumps outbreaks were caused by
another strain, genotype G.
37
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
He
Even more troubling is that most of the
people who contracted mumps during the
2006 and 2010 outbreaks had received the
recommended two-dose vaccination in their
early childhood, meaning that the virus
was spreading even among the vaccinated
population.
“The question is: With this new genotype
virus emerging in the vaccinated population,
what do you do about it?” He said.
Some have suggested administering a third
Jeryl Lynn vaccine to boost immunity later in
life, but it is unclear if that approach would
be successful. He suggests that modern
scientific techniques have made the creation
of some vaccines much easier, so producing
a new mumps vaccine may be the most
effective method of controlling the emerging
threat.
“In the past few years, we have taken
advantage of genetic engineering, and my lab
is particularly good at engineering viruses,” He
said. “We can take a virus, look at its genetic
sequence, take bits and pieces away and generate
a new virus with less virulence that will work as a
vaccine.”
“The No. 1 issue for us in making
a pediatric vaccine is safety,” He
said. “So far our testing suggests
we are on the right track.”
Before the advent of genetic engineering, the
process of creating a vaccine could be intensely
laborious, as researchers would have to pass the
virus through many generations of reproduction
until they found a naturally occurring weakened
virus. This process can take long periods of time,
and there is little guarantee that the weakened
virus will work as a vaccine.
Genetic engineering allows He’s lab to produce
an effective and safe vaccine much more quickly.
Vaccine safety became a topic of much
discussion after British medical researcher
Andrew Wakefield suggested that there was a link
between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine
and autism. However, his claims were found to
be fraudulent, and Wakefield was barred from
practicing medicine in the United Kingdom.
Much of the fallout from the Wakefield case
remains, and some people are still hesitant to have
their children vaccinated, but He is insistent that
administering vaccines to children is the safe and
responsible thing to do.
“The No. 1 issue for us in making a pediatric
vaccine is safety,” He said. “So far our testing
suggests we are on the right track.”
Once He and his laboratory have devised a safe,
reliable method to create vaccines for genotype G,
they can apply that knowledge to rapidly produce
vaccines for the other 12 mumps genotypes
currently circulating in populations throughout
the world.
Health professionals were able to contain the
outbreaks of 2006 and 2010, but He thinks that
the large global population and ease with which
people move from one location to another make
humankind vulnerable to rapid disease spread.
“It’s almost like a small fire; if it stays small, we
can put it out,” He said. “But if conditions are
right, and the wind begins to blow, the fire can
take over.”
Research reported in this publication was
supported by the National Institutes of Health
under award number 1R01AI097368-01A1.
Mumps cells. Photo provided by Biao He.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
38
College of Veterinary
Medicine
Alumni Association
Members of the Executive Board
Flynn Nance (DVM ’83)
dawgvet83@comcast.net
President
Michael Topper (DVM ’80)
mjtopper@comcast.net
Immediate Past President
Chad Schmiedt (DVM ’00)
cws@uga.edu
President-elect
Doris Miller (DVM ’76)
miller@uga.edu
Secretary
Sheila Allen
sallen01@uga.edu
Dean; Ex-officio
Thomas Hutto (DVM ’85)
huttothomas@gmail.com
Ginger Macaulay (DVM ’84)
ginger@cherokeetrail.net
Catherine McClelland (DVM ’83)
catherinemcclelland@mindspring.com
Bill Seanor (DVM ’83)
jwseanor@attglobal.net
Stephen Arbitter (DVM ’96)
sma5168@windstream.net
Charlie Broussard (DVM ’84)
Charles.broussard@sp.intervet.com
Scott Bryant (DVM ’94)
scottvetboy@msn.com
Alan Herring (DVM ’85)
doc@dairy.net
H
Greetings from your Alumni Association!
ello fellow Alumni!
This March will mark the 50th anniversary of the UGA CVM’s Annual Veterinary
Conference & Alumni Weekend. We hope you will join us for this opportunity to
return to Athens to visit the College, and reconnect with classmates and friends.
The event will be March 22-23, and will be held at The Classic Center.
By the time we convene for our reunion weekend, site work for the UGA
Veterinary Medical Learning Center is expected to be underway.
Although a tremendous amount of effort and hard work from the College’s
administration and staff, along with generous donations from the CVM alumni
community, have gone into the project, the work is far from complete. We must
continue to assist this project with financial support, so that upon its completion
the University and our alma mater will have the finest facility in the United States.
We are grateful to the state of Georgia, along with our generous donors, for making
this milestone possible. Although the building will be a great enhancement to
our College’s future, funding for equipment and furnishings are still needed to
make this building a true state-of-the-art facility. It will be through our sustained
financial support that many of these needs will be realized over time. To make a
gift for this project, please contact the CVM’s Veterinary External Affairs office at
706.542.1807 or give2vet@uga.edu.
It is through our persistent encouragement that our CVM will continue to thrive!
Thank you for your support.
I look forward to seeing you in March! And, as always: GO DAWGS!
Sincerely,
Flynn Nance
DVM, MS
Class of 1983
Jan Sosnowski Nichol (DVM ’80)
maplerun@aol.com
Jon Anderson (DVM ’03)
jranderson77@gmail.com
Jamie Fleming (DVM ’05)
jmfleming8@gmail.com
Rebecca Dixon (DVM ’02)
rstinson@carolinaequinehospital.com
39
Follow
the
CV M
and
A l u m n i A s s o c i at i o n ’ s
current activities!
www.vet.uga.edu
www.facebook.com/UGACVM
twitter.com/ugavetmed
UGA VCM New Graduate Forum: www.vet.uga.edu/GO/newgrads.php
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
Alumni Profile:
Koren Moore Custer (MPH ’11, DVM ’12)
Assistant State Veterinarian/Assistant Director:
West Virginia Department of Agriculture: Animal Health Division
What made you choose the UGA CVM for
your educational goals? At the time that I
applied for veterinary school (2006-2007), there was
a reciprocity agreement between the state of West
Virginia and UGA CVM that (if accepted) allowed me
to pay in-state tuition rather than out-of-state.
What aspects of the program were most
beneficial to you? The large animal, infectious
disease, and pathology courses at UGA CVM, in
addition to the veterinary public health courses. At
the UGA College of Public Health, the epidemiology
courses and policy courses were beneficial.
What kind of degree did you graduate
with? What made you want to pursue this
particular degree? I graduated with both a DVM
and an MPH (conferred by the UGA College of Public
Health). I’ve always been interested in both animal and
human medicine, as well as infectious diseases. When
I discovered through the freshman orientation course
at UGA CVM that I could work in all of those fields
with those degrees, I immediately knew that was the
educational course that I wanted to pursue.
Was there a particular professor here that
made a big impact on your time here? There
are many professors who impacted me during my time
at UGA CVM. Drs. Mary Hondalus and Margie Lee
helped guide me through the DVM/MPH program. Drs.
David Reeves and Michael Overton helped me so much
in understanding livestock production; my weeks in
their clinical rotations were my favorites throughout
all of veterinary school. Dr. Mark Ebell was a fantastic
professor at UGA CPH – he helped me to think about
public health in a whole new light. And finally, Dr. Craig
Greene was a wonderful teacher and mentor to me
throughout all five years.
What are you doing now? I am currently
employed through the West Virginia Department of
Agriculture as the assistant state veterinarian and the
assistant director of the department’s Animal Health
Division. I am involved with numerous activities,
including: disease investigation and diagnosis, producer
education and outreach, import/export, fair and festival
animal inspections, necropsy, animal disease traceability,
aquaculture, policy and law, and various administrative
duties.
How did your education here at the UGA
CVM prepare you for your current position?
Of course, the core classes that are part of the UGA
CVM curriculum were very important in my education.
The elective courses were also essential, particularly
those courses related to infectious disease and large
animal-specific diseases. In addition to the classroom
education that I received through the DVM program,
the UGA CVM’s clinical coursework was immeasurably
helpful in allowing me to understand veterinary
medicine at the livestock production level. Being
able to “talk shop” and communicate with a livestock
producer is so important – I feel that the livestock
production clinical rotations helped me to be able to
do so.
What’s your favorite part of your current
job? Although I love everything about my job, there
are two aspects that are my absolute favorites. The
first is getting a call from a private practitioner with
an oddball case, and visiting the farm to conduct an
epidemiological investigation and collect and work
up samples to try to figure out what’s going on. The
second is producer education and outreach. I love
talking with producers about their livestock and their
farms and getting to know the community. I always
learn something new and it’s wonderful to sometimes
be able to teach them something in return.
Photo provided by Koren Moore Custer.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
40
ClassNotes
Photo provided by Merck Animal Health
Jim Jarrett (DVM ’60) was
posthumously honored as
an inductee to the Cattle
Production Veterinarian
Hall of Fame at the
American Association
of Bovine Practitioners
(AABP) 45th annual
conference in Montreal in
September 2012. Jarrett
was a widely-known expert
in milk quality, dairy
nutrition, and reproductive
management. The Hall
Jarrett
of Fame is sponsored by
the AABP, the Academy
of Veterinary Consultants (AVC), Bovine Veterinarian,
Merck Animal Health and Osborn Barr. Dr. Jarrett died in
January 2005; he was 69.
James E. Strickland (DVM ’61) was awarded the GVMA’s
highest recognition, the J.T. Mercer, DVM Lifetime
Achievement Award. Strickland served as both a past
president (1991) and director of the GVMA. He has
also served on numerous AVMA committees, and has
held leadership positions in many other professional
organizations. He is owner of Glennville Veterinary Clinic,
where he still works part-time, and he is a cattle producer.
41
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
James Heavner (DVM ’68) was inducted into the Fort
Hill (Md.) High School Hall of Fame. Heavner is professor
emeritus and clinical professor at Texas Tech University
Health Science Center in Lubbock, Texas. As a branch
chief at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Heavner
is known worldwide for his work in the field of pain
control and the pharmacology of local anesthetics.
Timothy L. Montgomery
(DVM ’83) received the
2012 Veterinarian of the
Year Award from GVMA.
Montgomery served as
president of GVMA in
1999, and has held multiple
leadership roles within the
organization. He is owner
of Dacula Animal Hospital,
and currently serves as a
councilman for the City of
Montgomery
Dacula, and as a member of
the AVMA’s House of Delegates.
Nina Marano (DVM ’84) relocated to Nairobi, Kenya, in
June 2012 to become director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s Refugee Health Program
in Africa. This program provides the evidence for
development and implementation of guidelines for disease
screening and treatment, tracks and reports illness in
refugee populations, responds to disease outbreaks, and
advises partners on health care for refugees that are being
resettled to the United
States from Africa.
Denise Funk (DVM ’92)
was confirmed as president
of the GVMA during its
2012 Fall Convention.
Funk, a partner at
Animal Medical Care of
Gainesville, has practiced
veterinary medicine for
more than 20 years in
her native Hall County.
Funk
She is a member of the
AVMA, and the American
Association of Animal Hospitals. She is also an active
volunteer in her local community.
Photo provided by the GVMA
Eugene T. Maddox (DVM
’59) received the GVMA’s
Dobbins-Mahaffey Advocacy
Award. Maddox has
received numerous honors
for his service to GVMA
and the community at
large, including the 2006
Veterinarian of the Year
award, and recognition in
2010 as Legislator of the Year
by the Georgia Firefighters
Association. He is active in
Maddox
his community and multiple professional organizations,
including GVMA and AVMA. Maddox is retired from
practicing veterinary medicine, and served multiple terms
in the Georgia House of Representatives; he is the outgoing representative from Georgia’s 172nd district.
Chris Griffin (DVM ’95) was recently elected president
of the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians
(AEMV). He served as president of the Association of
Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) from
2009-2010. Dr. Griffin is the owner of and medical
director for Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital
in Kannapolis, N.C.
Adam Eichelberger (DVM ’03) has been named the
interim director of Animal Health Programs as part
of a newly-announced leadership team for Clemson
University Livestock-Poultry Health, which oversees
animal health and the quality of meat and poultry
products produced in South Carolina.
Karen Bradley (DVM ’96) is the current delegate from
Vermont for the AVMA’s House of Delegates (HOD), and
serves as chair of the House Advisory Committee. Read
a shout-out to Bradley on the blog Veterinary Legacy,
by Dr. Donald F. Smith, professor of surgery and dean
emeritus at Cornell University College of Veterinary
Medicine. View the post at: http://tinyurl.com/bxucxux
Michele Pfannenstiel (DVM ’06) has joined MaineStock
as a managing partner to oversee food safety and product
development. As part of her new duties, Pfannenstiel
is establishing a quality-assurance program that will
extend from farmers to distributors. MaineStock works
with farmers to raise livestock, and create safe meat that
can be sold at an affordable price, while maintaining the
high standards required for certification by U.S.D.A.
Organic and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners
. . .
.
.
. . .
.
Association.
Obituaries
James R. Hundley (DVM ’56) Heathsville, Va.,
May 18, 2012. V.C. Lovell (DVM ’61) Gainesville,
Ga., March 22, 2012. Harry W. Taylor (DVM
’66) Tallahassee, Fla., Nov. 9, 2012. Roderick C.
Jordan (DVM ’68) Harkers Island, N.C., Oct. 20,
2012. Charles Hodges “Chuck” Manning (DVM
’73) Washington, N.C., Sept. 22, 2012. Keith W.
Chapin (DVM ’74) West Palm Beach, Fla., March 2,
2012. Walter Glynn Griffin (DVM ’78) Waycross,
Ga., June 12, 2012. Michael M. Veitch (DVM ’78)
Lexington Park, Md., Sept. 18, 2012. Newton P.
Eunice (DVM ’80) Pelham, Ga., April 13, 2012.
Jim Stortz (DVM ’05) Avon, Colo., June 26, 2012.
Frederick N. Thompson
(DVM ’65), retired CVM
faculty, died in Athens,
Ga., on Dec. 16, 2012.
After receiving his DVM,
Thompson served in the
U.S. Army for two years
at Fort Meade, Md., rising
to the rank of Captain. He
also practiced veterinary
medicine briefly before
pursuing doctoral studies
Thompson
at Iowa State University. After receiving his PhD
in veterinary medicine from Iowa State in 1973,
Thompson returned to the University of Georgia
where he taught and conducted research in the UGA
College of Veterinary Medicine until his retirement
in 2000.
We want to know what you’re up to!
Your classmates want to know what’s happening in
your life. Drop us a line. And please include your
current contact information, including your phone
number and email, to help us keep our alumni
database up to date.
Email Marti Brick:
vetalums@uga.edu or
brickm@uga.edu
Fax:
OR
706.583.0242
Continuing Education Courses:
Below are our scheduled Continued Education Courses. CE dates and topics are
subject to change.
Questions about CE? Contact Melissa Kilpatrick at vetmedce@uga.edu or
706.542.1451, or online at www.vet.uga.edu/ce
March 22-23
The 50th Annual Veterinary Conference & Alumni Weekend
May 5
Practical Dentistry: Periodontal Therapy/Surgical Extractions
June 27-28
Arthroscopy
June 29-30
Advanced Laparoscopy
July 26-27
Flexible GI Endoscopy
July 28-29
Basic Rigid Endoscopy
October 3-4
Equine Encore
October 5-6
Small Animal Surgery
October 19-20
Internal Medicine
December 7-8
Exotic Endoscopy
Outpatient Medicine
December 14-15
Advanced Laparoscopy
Pet Memorials
Meaningful to clients, veterinarians and the College
“Pet memorials have been great for our business. They help us remember clients and their pets, as well as support the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine’s goal to build a new teaching hospital. The feedback we get is priceless.”
— Dr. Roy Brogdon, DVM ’73
Cleveland Veterinary Hospital Cleveland, Georgia
For more information, please contact us:
Phone: 706.542.1807
E-mail: THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
give2vet@uga.edu
College of Veterinary Medicine
Web: www.vet.uga.edu/GO/memorial
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
College of Veterinary Medicine
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Dr. Roy Brogdon, co-­‐owner of Cleveland Veterinary Hospital, donates regularly through our pet memorial program.
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March 22-23, 2013
The Classic Center • Athens, Georgia
For more information, visit the website: www.vet.uga.edu/reunion.php
or contact Melissa Kilpatrick: 706.542.1451 or melissak@uga.edu
For class campaign giving, contact Marti Brick: 706.542.7049 or brickm@uga.edu
Photo by Sue Myers Smith
2013 is groundbreaking year for VMLC
Our Goal:
$32.7 Million
An estimated 600 people turned out to help celebrate the ceremonial groundbreaking of the
Veterinary Medical Learning Center, held Nov. 9 in Athens.
Work on the site where the CVM’s new teaching hospital and classroom facility will be
constructed began in October, with the dismantling of the fencing and building used as the former
Snyder Barn. The fencing and barn materials will be re-purposed, as part of the UGA Material Reuse
Program. Much of the re-purposed materials are already in use at the CVM farm in Oconee County.
Construction work on the site is expected to begin in February 2013.
The $98 million facility will be paid for by $65 million in state funding, with the balance coming
from private donations. As of Dec. 31, 2012, $24.5 million had been raised in private donations, said
Kathy Bangle, director of veterinary external affairs for the CVM. The external affairs staff is working
hard to raise the additional $8.5 million that is needed for equipment and furnishings.
Caption for above photo, from left: Denise Funk (DVM ’92), president of the
Georgia Veterinary Medical Association (GVMA); G. Scott Bryant (DVM ’94),
president of the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians; Ann Rychlicki
(DVM ’14), immediate past president of the student chapter of the American
Veterinary Medical Association; C. Gary Bullard (DVM ’69), a past president
of the UGA Veterinary Alumni Association, and GVMA, and member of the
CVM Campaign Steering Committee; Larry R. Corry (DVM ’66), past president
of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and member of
the CVM Campaign Steering Committee; Dean Sheila W. Allen; Douglas Allen
Jr., former hospital director for the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and
among the first to highlight UGA’s need for a new teaching hospital; Dave
Selleck (DVM ’78), chair of the CVM Campaign Steering Committee; Jack
Sexton (DVM ’78), member of the CVM Campaign Steering Committee; Flynn
Nance (DVM ’83), current president of the UGA Veterinary Alumni Association; Tim Montgomery (DVM ’83), a past-president of the UGA Veterinary
Alumni Association and current GVMA delegate for the AVMA.
$26M
$19.5M
$13M
$6.5M
For More Information
If you would like to donate toward the
project, contact our Office of Veterinary
External Affairs at 706.542.1807 or
give2vet@uga.edu. For more information
about the VMLC, or to donate online, visit
vet.uga.edu/vmlc
Why I give:
I
Katie Beacham
n 2010, Atlanta resident Katie Beacham and her yellow
lab mix Asa were referred by her veterinarian to the
UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital for emergency surgery
to remove Asa’s ruptured spleen.
Surgical resident Kevin Coleman, DVM, performed the
surgery on Asa, who was subsequently diagnosed with
hemangiosarcoma, an especially aggressive cancer. Asa
was given only a few months to live.
With Coleman’s encouragement, Beacham met with
oncology resident Rebecca Regan, DVM, to understand
Asa’s quality-of-life options. Beacham chose to pursue
chemotherapy for Asa, and he lived a full additional two
years before his cancer returned.
He passed away in August of 2012 at the age of 14.
Donating to the UGA CVM, she said, is just one way
she can repay the CVM for the quality services and
compassionate care her pet received.
“The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine gave me
a precious gift when they saved my dog, and helped us
have two more quality years together,” she said. “Donating
is a small way that I can pay it forward in expectation
that the school will also give high-quality, life-saving,
compassionate care to other families as it fulfills its mission
of training future veterinarians and researching cures for
animal illnesses and conditions.”
Beacham has donated to the Veterinary Medicine
Hospital Building Fund, which is being used toward
building the new Veterinary Medical Learning Center,
as she personally understands the blessing of having a
renowned veterinary institution in the state.
Additionally, she has donated to the Sundown Surgery
Fund, which assists families with the cost of an unexpected
major pet emergency.
“I was blessed to have some ‘rainy day’ savings to
cover Asa’s emergency and ongoing care,” she said, “and I
would hate for money to have been the deciding factor in
whether to save his life.”
Beacham, who manages corporate philanthropy and
community involvement for a large global company, likens
her reasoning to give to the CVM in her personal life to
the same basis of reasoning she uses to make decisions at
work.
“A big part of my job is to make strategic philanthropic
decisions for my company, based on both social
impact and business value,” she said. “I apply the same
perspective to my own giving: what causes matter to me;
where can my giving make an impact on those causes; and,
who will make the best use of my donation. I also want to
see results and know the organization is a good steward.
The College of Veterinary Medicine is a slam dunk–I’ve
seen it in action and personally benefited.”
Donating to the CVM was an easy way to honor and
directly support the veterinary residents and students who
took such great care of Asa, and served as trusted advisors
in a particularly difficult time, she said.
“Their care was cutting edge; their bedside manner and
patience with me, and my endless questions, qualified
them as saints. And, they were honest, respectful and
compassionate when it came time to make hard decisions,”
she said. “Now, donating to the CVM is a habit, and I will
continue to give each year in thanks and good memories.”
For More Information
If you would like to make a gift to the UGA College of
Veterinary Medicine, contact our Office of Veterinary
External Affairs at 706.542.1807 or give2vet@uga.edu.
Check out Asa in our Picture Your Pet winners slideshow
online at www.vet.uga.edu/GO/photo-contest.php
Beacham and Asa. Photo courtesy of Alecia Lauren Photography.
Aesculapian Fall 2012/Winter 2013
46
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College of Veterinary Medicine
Athens, GA 30602-7371
Nonprofit Org.
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PAID
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Dates to remember:
March 22-23
The 50th Annual Veterinary Conference & Alumni Weekend
April 5
Annual Open House
April 11
Phi Zeta Ceremony
April 19
Honors and Awards Banquet
May 4
CVM Graduation (ticket required)
June 26-30
Emerald Coast Veterinary Conference (GVMA annual meeting)
June 28
UGA Alumni Reception (GVMA annual meeting: Sandestin, Fla.)
July 7-13VetCAMP
July 19-23
AVMA Annual Convention (Chicago)
August 11
White Coat Ceremony
September 25
Vet School for a Day
Continuing Education Courses:
CE dates and topics are subject to change.
Questions about CE? Contact Melissa Kilpatrick at vetmedce@uga.edu or 706.542.1451, or online at www.vet.uga.edu/ce
March 22-23
The 50th Annual Veterinary Conference & Alumni Weekend
May 5
Practical Dentistry: Periodontal Therapy/Surgical Extractions
June 27-28
Arthroscopy
June 29-30
Advanced Laparoscopy
July 26-27
Flexible GI Endoscopy
July 28-29
Basic Rigid Endoscopy
October 3-4
Equine Encore
October 5-6
Small Animal Surgery
October 19-20
Internal Medicine
December 7-8
Exotic Endoscopy
Outpatient Medicine
December 14-15
Advanced Laparoscopy
This publication is paid for by private donations, and is available online at www.vet.uga.edu. For future mailings, if you would prefer to receive our Aesculapian or Annual Report electronically, please email us at vetnews@uga.edu and tell us what email address you would like us
to notify when the publication goes online. Thank you for your support of the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine!