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Veterinary ambassadors to China

Dean Ralph Richardson and
Dr. Frank Blecha join Dr. Jishu Shi in advancing the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health
What did they do in China?

New lecture series honors Dr. Dan Upson

World-famous animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin gives first lecture in the new series.
*NEW LIFELINES VIDEO FEATURE
See a full video report on the lecture

He's with the band

Second-year student Todd Askren assists the K-State Marching Band.
What is Todd's job with the band?

Main campus names Coffman Commons for former dean

K-State announces '150 Years of Kansas Beef'

Guest lectures on shelter medicine and diversity

Students participate in Veterinary Research Program

CVM awards its top teachers

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A recent trip to China helped a team of CVM members take the next step in a partnership to improve veterinary medicine education and create business opportunities for Kansas animal health companies. The CVM team included Dean Ralph Richardson, Dr. Frank Blecha, interim associate dean for research and head of anatomy and physiology, and Dr. Jishu Shi, associate professor in anatomy and physiology and director of the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health (USCCAH).

“This is a continuation of the previous trip,” Dr. Shi said, referencing his visit to China in March (first reported in the May 2010 issue of Lifelines). “The focus is to work on an agreement with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to bring DVM students to the U.S. Ideally, this would be about five or six pre-veterinary students per year who would attend K-State before enrolling at K-State and other veterinary schools. To help obtain funding for this project, we had several meetings with the CSC deputy general secretary and the executive director for American and Oceanian Affairs in Beijing. The CSC is committing $20,000 per student per year, which covers half of the tuition. We’re working with the China Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Chinese Veterinary Medical Association and China Agricultural University to help fund the other $20,000 per student that would be needed. Our goal is to help China train 50 DVM students in the next 10 years.”

This was also a return visit for Dr. Blecha, “We have a number of former students who have done very well in China and in the United States,” he said. “They are working for the government, in the animal health sector, or for themselves in private business. It sure felt like a homecoming for me, seeing all of the former students, colleagues and post docs.”

This was a first-time trip for Dean Richardson, “I gave a presentation on veterinary public health and an overview of Kansas State University to the Pfizer China Veterinary Consortium,” Dr. Richardson said. “I also gave some presentations on continuing education and accreditation to the China-U.S. Forum on Cooperation for Veterinary Education and the Forum for Deans of Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in China, both of which were co-sponsored by the USCCAH and CVMA . We participated in the Kansas Department of Commerce Trade Show that took place in association with the CVMA meeting. Then Dr. Blecha, Dr. Shi, and I had an opportunity to visit with some of the Chinese veterinary colleges. We talked about how we might work together to recruit some high-end students into our training programs. All four of those activities were very exciting for me.”

Dr. Blecha noted, “We’ve had positive responses from four or five different Chinese universities. These students, 10 or 15 initially, would come to K-State for nine months to finish pre-requisites they might need for Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, University of California-Davis, or Kansas State’s veterinary colleges. Later, they could enroll as freshmen in veterinary school and receive a degree from a U.S. veterinary school. The idea is so that these students would return to China and be the next generation that would help train further veterinarians in China.”

Another aspect of this partnership is to help develop economic opportunities for animal health companies in Kansas.

“We’re trying to help the small and mid-size U.S. companies who are trying to get their products in the Chinese market,” Dr. Blecha said. “Dr. Shi has a lot of expertise and knowledge of the system in China. He knows a lot of the people who are responsible for the decisions in China, such as regulators, who would need to approve products for the market.”

Dean Ralph Richardson discusses the U.S.-China Center for
Animal Health with Dr. Zhongqiu Zhang, director general of
the Veterinary Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, China, and
general secretary of the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Frank Blecha, far right, answers a question during a presentation at Zhejiang University.

The K-State group visits with their hosts at Northwest Agriculture
and Forest University (NAFU). From left, Dr. Yanming Zhang,
dean of the CVM at NAFU, Beverly and Ralph Richardson,
Dr. Frank and Roberta Blecha, K-State's Dr. Jishu Shi, and
Dr. Xiaoping Song, professor at NAFU.

Dr. Shi said things went very well in helping to make the right connections.

“This is the highest support you can get from China,” he said, “The Kansas animal health trade delegation, including the secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce and its director of trade development, and senior executives from five Kansas-based companies, met with the current director-general of Veterinary Bureau of China Ministry of Agriculture and the current CVMA president and general Secretary. We also met with the director of the National Veterinary Diagnostic Center, director-general of the China Animal Disease Control Center, and the Chinese Veterinarian General. With them, we can help U.S. animal health companies get their products in the Chinese market much faster.”

Dean Richardson said this was the perfect time to help strengthen K-State’s partnership with China.

“Companion animal care is growing at an absolutely amazing rate,” he said. “Cost is becoming less and less a stumbling block for modern care. They’re willing to pay for it and they’re willing to travel to see specialists. I’m guessing in the next five years we’ll see the most rapid growth in companion animal care that will very quickly rival anything we have in the United States.”

From Left to Right: Dr. Larry Kornegay, AVMA president; Dr. Youling Jia, CVMA president; Dr. Jishu Shi, director of
the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health at K-State; Dr. Frank Blecha, interim associate dean for research;
Dr. Jinxiang Li, vice-president, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Dean Ralph Richardson; and
Dr. Kangzhen Yu, chief veterinary officer, MOA, China .in front of the Kansas animal health pavilion at the CVMA meeting.

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New this month: Lifelines News Video. Click the play button below to see our story for this month.

Video produced by Joseph Chapes and Kent Nelson, technology coordinators from
Veterinary Medical Continuing Education.

Dr. Temple Grandin, a world-renowned animal behaviorist and a person with high functioning autism, was introduced as the first Upson Lecture speaker. The Upson Lecture Series is a new lecture series that was launched in honor of Dr. Dan Upson, professor emeritus of anatomy and physiology.

Food for Thought, a student group, has been the driving force in making this lecture series a reality.

“The goal of Food for Thought is the students that are from a rural background and have interest in agriculture are basically teaching their friends that have no understanding of agriculture about what actually goes on on the farm,” adviser Dr. Dan Thompson said.

At the premiere of the Upson Lecture Series, it featured speaker Dr. Temple Grandin. She addressed the university, as well as the veterinary students and faculty. In her speech, Dr. Grandin covered her personal and professional life. When she was originally diagnosed with autism, her parents were told that she should be institutionalized. Instead Dr. Grandin overcame the disability and developed a way to think in pictures and see through the animal’s perspective. Members of the group consider Dr. Temple Grandin the perfect way to start the lecture series.

“It was just really exciting to get Food for Thought name out there and get the Upson lecture series kind of kicked off with a bang,” said Tera Rooney, first-year student.

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Dr. Temple Grandin meets with a group of animal science and veterinary students as part of her visit to campus for the Dr. Dan Upson Lecture Series.

More than 300 students march for the Pride of Wildcat Land marching band. Approximately two dozen ladies dance for the band, better known as the Classy Cats. Little over a dozen more students wave flags for the band. Two ladies twirl for the band and three drum majors lead the band. These are the people who take the field during halftime on game days. Yet there are several students who don’t take the field or perform with the band and usually go unnoticed. These students consist of managers and staff for the band. One of these managers is also a veterinary student: Todd Askren.

Todd is a second-year student who has been in the band for seven years. This is his second year as a manager. Staff and managers usually meet on game days about an hour before the percussion and tubas arrive, which is approximately two hours before the band rehearses. His duties mainly consist of getting water for the band, loading and unloading the equipment truck, setting up the field for rehearsal and taking care of any other things that need to be done. Todd says that he is proud to be a part of this group.

“The camaraderie of being with a group of people that know what to do and how to get it done, it is something I really enjoy,” Todd said. “It’s nice to experience things that no one else get to do.”

Being a veterinary student and in the band presents a challenge.

Todd considers time his biggest challenge. His weekends are usually set aside for band, and then he uses Sundays to catch-up on his homework. Todd says he would like to have more time to study, but considers it nice to have something other than school.

“I have a lot of great memories from band,” Todd says. “One of my best memories (when I was still playing) was running out on the field and being one of the first people on the field. It’s exciting to perform in front of the crowd.”

At this point, Todd is unsure whether he will continue to be a band manager throughout his veterinary school career. That is something that he hasn’t decided yet.

“I keep thinking that this will be my last year but you never know. It’s something about the group, that you keep getting drawn back in and you enjoy every minute of it,” he said.

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Todd Askren, second-year veterinary student (left) works with
Matt Towner, a 2009 K-State biology graduate, as two of the
managers for the K-State Marching Band.

'Wabashing' on game day: Todd, second from left, joins the band
managers for a break to enjoy the football game. This is Todd’s
second year being a manager.

The "Coffman Commons," an outdoor plaza with seating and garden areas south of Hale Library, have been officially named in honor of Dr. James Coffman, K-State provost emeritus and former CVM dean. Dr. Coffman and his wife, Sharon were the guests of honor at a ceremony held in November. They were joined by their three sons and other members of their extended family.

"We're pleased to recognize the many accomplishments of Provost Emeritus Coffman by formally dedicating the Coffman Commons in his honor," said April Mason, K-State provost and senior vice president. "As provost, Dr. Coffman emphasized K-State's strength as a true student-centered research university. He advocated and furthered the importance of diversity in teaching and learning and in research and service, all so vital to K-State's goal of becoming a top 50 public research university."

"K-State is a great place with great values. It is a real privilege to be part of it," Dr. Coffman said. "Having the Coffman name in this beautiful spot in the middle of the campus is exciting and very humbling. I appreciate it more than you can imagine."

Dr. Jim Coffman and his wife Sharon unveil a marker for the Coffman Commons, an outdoor plaza with seating and garden areas south of Hale Library.

Dr. Coffman, who earned his bachelor's degree, master's degree, and a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine from K-State, has served the university in many capacities, including as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine from 1984 to 1987 and as provost from 1987-2004.

"Dr. Jim Coffman's academic leadership as a veterinarian, faculty member, department head of clinical sciences, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and provost of Kansas State University is, simply put, amazing," said Dr. Ralph Richardson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. "He led by example. He fostered a climate of inclusiveness and academic excellence.

"It is a privilege for the College of Veterinary Medicine to play a small part in the recognition of Dr. Coffman's positive impact on our university by contributing a bronze plaque for the dedication of Coffman Commons," Richardson said. "It is my hope that all those who walk by and enjoy this wonderful area of our campus will appreciate the opportunities that Dr. Coffman has made possible for all of us."

"My association with the College of Veterinary Medicine is something I really treasure, going clear back to my days as a student. And I am truly grateful for the further opportunity to have worked with so many wonderful people across all the disciplines at K-State," Dr. Coffman said.

As chief academic officer of K-State, Dr. Coffman's interests included developing flexible approaches to the application of faculty time and talent; rethinking the academic reward system so that both outstanding research and outstanding teaching were recognized and rewarded; and service and development of intellectual property.

Dr. Coffman has authored or co-authored more than 120 scientific papers and two books, and has served as an editorial board member or editor of three major veterinary journals. In 1979 he became involved in a study on laminitis in ponies at the University of Missouri. Before coming to K-State, Dr. Coffman was a faculty member at the University of Missouri-Columbia and spent five years in private equine practice in Wichita and in Oklahoma City.

He was the 2004 recipient of the Iverson Bell Recognition Award for National Leadership in Diversity in Veterinary Medical Education, has been honored as a Norden Distinguished Teacher in veterinary medicine, and has received the College of Veterinary Medicine's E.R. Frank Award. He has memberships in the Phi Zeta, Gamma Sigma Delta, Phi Kappa Phi and Gold Key honor societies. Dr. Coffman has served as president of both the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. He chaired the American Veterinary Medical Association Professional Liability Insurance Trust. He is also one of 10 founding members of the National Academies of Practice, Veterinary Division. One of K-State's major teaching awards is named in his honor, the Coffman Chair for University Distinguished Teaching Scholars.

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Book available for purchase online

The state of Kansas turns 150 years old on Jan. 29, 2011. As part of Kansas’s sesquicentennial events, Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Beef Cattle Institute, and Frontier program proudly announce the upcoming release of a coffee-table-styled book called “150 Years of Kansas Beef,” which is being dedicated to longtime Kansas rancher Jack Vanier, whose wife, Donna, made the project possible.

With chapters reaching as far back as the great cattle drives of the 19th century, this historical and photograph-rich book will take readers through the challenges and triumphs of the Kansas beef industry over the last century and a half. Dozens of families have contributed ranch histories, photographs and other paraphernalia to the project, some of which are described in an online podcast series available through the Beef Cattle Institute (http://www.beefcattleinstitute.org).

“We are grateful to these families for their contributions,” said Dr. Justin Kastner, director of the “150 Years of Kansas Beef”project and co-director of the Frontier program, an historical studies research program in the college’s Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology.  

While scores of families have contributed to the project, the book is being dedicated to Jack Vanier of the CK Ranch in Brookville, Dr. Kastner said.

Chris Stephens, former development officer for the veterinary college, worked closely on the project with Dr. Kastner and Chris Gruber, director of development.  Stephens said, “It is difficult to imagine the rich history of the state of Kansas without acknowledging the social and economic impact the beef cattle industry has played in driving the state’s progress. One might say the same for one of Kansas’s most prominent citizens, Jack Vanier, who has spent his entire life diligently working for the advancement of the state of Kansas and Kansas agriculture. Jack’s primary focus has always leaned toward beef cattle production — the one economic factor that touches the lives of every Kansan.”

Jack and Donna, both active philanthropists, have supported many community and K-State projects through the Vanier Family Foundation. The “150 Years of Kansas Beef”book dedication is a surprise Christmas gift to Jack from Donna.

“I don’t have the opportunity to surprise Jack very often,” she said. “This is why I want to honor his legacy as a prominent cattleman and astute businessman who has worked tirelessly for the state of Kansas.”

The book can be ordered online at www.vet.k-state.edu/features/beef.htm, and will be printed by Donning Company Publishers and delivered in summer 2011.

For more information, contact Dr. Justin Kastner (785-532-4820; jkastner@k-state.edu) or Blair Tenhouse (785-532-2511; blairb@k-state.edu), or write to 150 Years of Kansas Beef, c/o Blair Tenhouse, Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506.

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The Bragg Ranch, 10,000 acres south of Dodge City, purchased in
the early 1890’s. This cattle drive, circa 1895, includes Thomas
Bragg, second from left, who owned the ranch and a shoe and
leather factory in St. Joseph, Mo., with his father, James Bragg. 
Thomas Bragg is the great grandfather of Dr. James Coffman,
dean emeritus of the College of Veterinary Medicine and provost
emeritus at K-State.

Dr. Lila Miller is all business. As the vice president for veterinary outreach for the ASPCA, she gets right to the point in addressing important issues in shelter medicine. As a veterinarian who also happens to be African American, she is very blunt in sharing her experiences. In November, she gave lectures on both subjects to K-State veterinary students.

“When I came out of veterinary school there was no such thing as shelter medicine,” Dr. Miller said. “When I went to work for the ASPCA, it was essentially because we were warehousing animals and maybe 10 percent of the animals got adopted, and the vast majority were euthanized. Essentially the population management program in most shelters in the country was euthanasia. So when I came along, it was to say, ‘We can do better than that – there is another way.’”

With a career spanning 33 years, Dr. Miller recognized there was not a lot of educational material available, so she put together a textbook to address shelter medicine.

“We’re working on the second edition of this textbook,” she said, “It’s an expansion on shelter medicine for veterinarians and staff. This book came out in 2004, which means the manuscript was essentially prepared between 2002 and 2003, so there is a lot more information we can provide now. We’ve expanded it greatly.”

On the subject of diversity, Dr. Miller said she has been underwhelmed by improvements in the profession.

“I’ve been having diversity discussions since I went to veterinary school at Cornell University in 1973,” Dr. Miller said. “I hear a lot of talk, but I’m not seeing any real substantive progress. I look at leadership groups, and I don’t think that we are any more inclusive than we have been in the past.”

Dr. Miller said diversity needs a bigger push in order for things to change.

“There are a lot more opportunities for people who want to be veterinarians now than there were when I was starting out, but there are still many obstacles for minorities,” she said. “Right now the profession is very concerned about the lack of large animal veterinarians. They are looking at ways help students with scholarships and special loan repayment employment opportunities. What I’m saying is if you are equally concerned about having diversity, you have to recognize that this is something you want to achieve, and then you have to make this same type of draw. If you sincerely acknowledge there’s a need for diversity, then you have to plan how you go about achieving it.”

Dr. Miller's lectures were well-received with a large crowd in Frick Auditorium. She also autographed copies of her book on shelter medicine while she was here and answered several questions for students after her lectures.

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Dr. Lila Miller, vice president for veterinary outreach for the
ASPCA, speaks to Dr. Ronnie Elmore's "Practicing in a
Multicultural Society" class in November.

Dr. Miller answers questions from first-year students, Jamila McKenzie and Danielle Brink.

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Fourteen students from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine have completed the 2010 Veterinary Research Scholars Program.

The selective and research-intensive program runs from mid-May to mid-August. Students are paired with faculty mentors and conduct research projects. The National Institutes of Health and Merial, a worldwide animal health company, fund the program with grants. Students receive a monthly stipend for their work, which concludes with attendance and participation at the National Veterinary Scholars Symposium.

Dr. Elizabeth Davis, associate professor of clinical sciences-equine and co-director of the Veterinary Research Scholars Program at K-State, said selecting the right students for the program is important.

"We look for students who want employment for the summer, and who want to be challenged and work in a research setting," she said.

Students are eligible for the program after completing their first or second year in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The program usually selects around 13 students each year. That number is based on funding sources and the number of investigators who have appropriate research for the program. Research projects vary from clinical to biological.

During the summer there are frequent meetings with the program directors and fellow scholars. This year group activities were organized with scholars from the University of Missouri and Oklahoma State University in Kansas City. The activities included a visit to Boehringer Ingelheim, an international pharmaceutical company, and a variety of evening event to foster interaction among the scholars.

"We try to have good collaboration and have the students learn how to network a little bit," Dr. Davis said. "Then when we go to the symposium, they see familiar faces they have met throughout the summer."

The 2010 National Veterinary Scholars Symposium was at the University of Georgia, Aug. 5-8. The symposium's theme was One Health and Beyond. One Health is a movement to create collaboration among all scientific-health and environmentally oriented disciplines.

The 2010 Veterinary Research Scholars, their projects and faculty mentors include:

Jessica Oquist, second-year veterinary medicine student, Junction City, "Characterization of Fusobacterium Necrophorum Isolates from Llama and Alpaca," with Dr. Sanjeev Narayanan, assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology.

Brooks Butler, second-year veterinary medicine student, Manhattan, "A commercially available sidephore-receptor and porin-based vaccine reduced the prevalence of E. coliO157:H7 in the feces of beef cattle under field conditions in 10 commercial feedlots," with Dr. Dan Thomson, associate professor of production medicine and epidemiology.

Krystal Kidder, second-year veterinary medicine student, Manhattan, "Analysis of Serum Neutralizing Activity During Reactivation of Virus Replication Following Infection with PRRS Virus," with Dr. Bob Rowland, professor of virology.

Karen Lee, third-year veterinary medicine student, Manhattan, "Survey: Knowledge of Dog Bites in Children for Health Professionals, Support Staff, Animal Control Officers and Animal Shelter Personnel," with Dr. Jodi Freifeld, veterinarian and curriculum coordinator for One Health Kansas; Dr. Beth Montelone, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of biology; and Dr. Lisa Freeman, adjunct professor with the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Julie Bernzweig, second-year student, works on a research
project in Dr. Annelise Nguyen's lab. She is one of 14 students
from the veterinary college to participate in the Veterinary
Research Scholars Program.

Allison Jordan Bryan, second-year student, researches equine
| regulatory T-cells as part of the Veterinary Research Scholars
Program.

Caroline Gillespie, third-year veterinary student, presents
research she worked on with Drs. Jim Lillich and Kristopher
Silver. Her project was "The effect of locally administered
LPS and systemically administered meloxicam on mRNA
and protein expression of Cox-2 in peripheral blood
mononuclear cells."

Clayton Thorson, third-year student in veterinary medicine, Manhattan, "Evaluation of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Detection Strategy in Cow-Calf Operations," with Dr. Brad White, associate professor of production medicine, and Robert Larson, professor of production medicine.

Chris George, second-year student in veterinary medicine, Overland Park, "Development of an Isoform-Specific Method for PCR Detection of Canine Hepatic Glucokinase," with Dr. Tom Schermerhorn, associate professor of small animal internal medicine.

Caitlin Brown, second-year veterinary student, Prairie Village, "Resident Cats in Small Animal Veterinary Clinics are Carriers of a Multi-Drug Resistant Enterococcal Community," with Dr. Kate KuKanich, assistant professor of small animal internal medicine, and Dr. Ludek Zurek, associate professor of entomology and microbiology.

Caroline Gillespie, third-year veterinary student, Wichita, "The effect of locally administered LPS and systemically administered meloxicam on mRNA and protein expression of Cox-2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells," with Dr. James Lillich, associate professor of equine surgery.

Michelle Hubin Meyer, third-year veterinary medicine student, Wichita, "Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Modeling of Oral Meloxicam in Healthy Adult Horses," Dr. Elizabeth Davis, associate professor of equine, and Dr. Butch KuKanich, associate professor of anatomy and physiology. Meyer, who was a 2009 Veterinary Research Scholar, served as a senior scholar for 2010 and helped with the program.

Laura Koslosky, third-year veterinary medicine student, Canton, Mich., "Pharmacokinetics of Oral Meloxicam in Pre-Ruminant and Ruminant Calves," with Dr. Hans Coetzee, associate professor of clinical pharmacology, and Dr. Luciana Bergamasco, research associate professor of electrophysiology.

Allison Jordan Bryan, second-year veterinary medicine student, Greenfield, Mo., "Characterization of Equine Regulatory T-Cells by In Vitro Stimulation," with Dr. Melinda Wilkerson, associate professor of immunology and clinical pathology.

Amy Lorch, third-year veterinary medicine student, Liverpool, N.Y., "The Effect of Progesterone and Beta-Estradiol on P-Glycoprotein and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein Expression in Cultured (BME-UV) Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells," with Dr. Bruce Schultz, professor of anatomy and physiology, and Dr. Ronette Gehring, assistant professor of production medicine and clinical pharmacology.

Julie Bernzweig, second-year veterinary medicine student, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, "Anti-Cancer Effect of Gap Junction Enhancers in T47D Breast Cancer Cells: A Third Generation of Substituted Quinolines," with Dr. Annelise Nguyen, assistant professor of toxicology.

Lauren Bodenhamer, second-year veterinary medicine student, Edmond, Okla., "Risk Assessment for Vector-Borne Disease in North-Central Kansas Based on Mosquito Distribution," with Dr. Samantha Wisely, associate professor of biology.

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Congratulations to Dr. Cheryl Herman, Teva Animal Health first-year teaching excellence award; Dr. Howard Erickson, Merial first-year teaching excellence award; and Dr. Sanjeev Narayanan, Bayer Animal Health second-year teaching excellence award. Not pictured: Dr. Heather Towle, Novartis third-year teaching excellence award.

Lesa Reves, Agriculture Technician, VMTH

Hometown: Leonardville, Kan.

Family Information: My wonderful husband of 19 years, Rob; our precious teenage sons Sheridan and Morgan; and our angel daughter Mariah in heaven.

Pets: Kaden our “I am so happy to see you” rat terrier and farm cats Gigi, Purr-Purr, Figaro, Dusty and Tiger Stripes.

Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions? We get together with my mom’s side of the family at noon for a bountiful meal and family time. This year will be different as this is the first Thanksgiving without my mom who died earlier this year.

What is the most unusual thing that you have come across while working at the College of Veterinary Medicine? A male camel who lost a fight with another male camel.

What are you most thankful for? My precious family and friends!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Ireland to see the beautiful Emerald Isle.

What's a store that you could spend all day in and why? Coldwater Creek because they have great clothes that I really like.

What color do you feel best describes yourself and why? Yellow because it is bright and cheerful.

What is your favorite kind of weather? Beautiful, warm sunny fall days with the changing colored leaves still on the trees.

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Dr. Deryl Troyer presented the keynote address at the NanoMedicine Summit in Cleveland in late October.

Dr. Meena Kumari presented a seminar entitled: "Alcohol’s ‘blessing’- long live NMDA R1 mRNA," at the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Kumari and Dr. Antje Anji presented their work at the 2010 World Congress of the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism in Paris. Dr. Anji received a travel award for this meeting from the society.

Dr. Hans Coetzee spoke Nov. 18 at the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners (OABP) meeting in Guelph, Ontario, on pain assessment and management. He also spoke on “Biomarker Validation: Substance P and Pain” in the Veterinary Pharmaceuticals Workshop program at the AAPS meeting in New Orleans on Nov. 14.

Dr. David Anderson presented five scientific posters and seven research papers in Santiago, Chile, in November at the World Buiatrics Congress 2010. Topics included "Surgical Management of Ocular Disease in Cattle: Cesarean section in llamas and alpacas, Research presentations" and bovine lameness, bovine eye surgery, and surgery of camelids. This congress was attended by nearly 2,000 veterinarians from all over the world. Dr. Anderson said, "The weather was more than 80 degrees and sunny all week!"

Dr. Mike Sanderson presented at the USAHA in Minneapolis, Minn., on Nov. 14. Topic: "Cattle Biosecurity I. Cow/Calf and Feedlot."

A reminder for students: Telefund 2011, the all-volunteer telephone campaign for K-State, is coming up soon. College of Veterinary Medicine calling sessions are being held Feb. 13 and 15. See Dr. Melinda Wilkerson, the CVM Telefund administrator or sign up online at: http://www.k-statetelefund.org/contact_vm.php. Overall, Telefund raised more than $1.2 million for scholarships last year. Join the campaign!

Dr. Nagaraja wins Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Award

Dr. T.G. Nagaraja, University Distinguished Professor of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, recently joined two professors from the University of Kansas and one other professor from K-State as 2010 recipients of prestigious Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards.

Four awards, each named for former leaders of the KU Endowment, are presented annually to honor outstanding accomplishments in research by faculty members at Kansas Board of Regents institutions. The recognition program was established by Dr. Takeru Higuchi, a distinguished professor at KU from 1967 to 1983, and his late widow, Aya.

Each award includes a plaque and $10,000 grant for ongoing research efforts. The award money can be used for research materials, summer salaries, fellowship matching funds, hiring research assistants or other support related to research.

Dr. T.G. Nagaraja receives the Irvin Youngberg Award for Applied
Sciences from KU Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Dr. Jeffrey S. Vitter. This award is one of four Higuchi-KU
Endowment Research Achievement Awards.

A big thanks goes to K-State Federal Credit Union for hosting the dean's fall staff luncheon on Nov. 16.

Congratulations to the years of service award winners who were recognized at the luncheon:

10 years: Fred Carlson, Comparative Medicine Group, and Mindy Strick, VMTH

20 years: Raunnie Crawford, VMTH

30 Years: Connie Geiger, Comparative Medicine Group

Julie Brummet and Angie Reed from the K-State Federal Credit
Union greet people to the dean's fall luncheon.

A yarn good story about Mal Hoover

Mal Hoover, Veterinary Medical Library graphic designer and medical illustrator, was recently featured in the November issue of “Simply Knitting.” Mal’s knitting hobby uses alpaca yarn from the K-State alpaca herd.

Huang's essay earns trip to AHVMA conference in Kentucky

The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) announced K-State veterinary student Jennifer Huang as their essay winner. Jennifer, a second-year student, was selected to participate in the 2010 AHVMA Conference that was held in Covington, Ky., with all of her trip expenses paid for. Her winning essay was titled “Holistics: The Balance between Mind, Body and Modern Medicine.” The conference was held Oct. 22-26.

“When I heard my essay was selected, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the conference without having to worry about financial limitations,” Jennifer said.

The conference featured a variety of events for the participants sponsored by the AHVMA student chapters.  The keynote speaker this year was Dr. Susan Wagner, a neurologist from Ohio State University.

“I really enjoyed interacting with other scholarship winners and students that were present,” she said. “The attendees were truly what made the experience special. I also had the opportunity to learn about other schools across the country- their philosophies and their current clubs.”

Second-year student Jennifer Huang, center, says she enjoyed
interacting at the AHVMA Conference with scholarship winners
from other schools. Above she is pictured with Emily Yunker and
Misty Caruthers from Auburn University.

When writing her essay, Jennifer focused on how she originally became interested in holistic medicine. Then she described what contributions she made to the school, future promotion plans and what direction she sees holistic medicine heading.

“In the often misunderstood field of holistic medicine, the trip also helped to dispel stereotypes of practitioners and students in this field,” Jennifer said. “While unorthodox in some ways, practitioners are not the bohemian vegans that shun the consumption of animal products as some images portray them. Following the principle of balance, many of these people believe in low stress lifestyles.”

Jennifer says this trip had another impact.

“It was motivating to see people who were interested and enthusiastic in the concept of holistic health being incorporated into western medicine,” she said. “The learning was also very beneficial I learned a great deal from this experience.”

Alumnus receives special federal loan waiver award

Dr. Scott Morey, DVM 2010, is one of five recent veterinary medicine graduates chosen to have $100,000 in federal loans waived.

Dr. Morey was selected from more than 100 graduating veterinary medicine doctoral students across the nation who are now practicing in food animal medicine. The recipients were chosen by the AVMA and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation through a program to combat the growing shortage of food animal veterinarians.

"It's an awesome feeling to have more than half of my student loans waived," Dr. Morey said. "My repayments were going to take about 30 years, and now it'll be about half that, and it will also cut the interest. I'm very excited about this."

According to Dr. Larry Kornegay, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the average debt for new veterinary school graduates is more than $130,000.

"This school loan forgiveness program will help support veterinarians who want to pursue a career in food animal medicine," he said.

The program, called the AVMA/AVMF Food Animal Veterinarian Recruitment and Retention Program, is targeted to those new graduates who are able to commit to working in food animal medicine for four years in an area that's experiencing a shortage of veterinary care.

Dr. Scott Morey, DVM 2010, receives the Dr. Jay Richard Olson
Memorial Award at the Senior Honors Banquet in spring 2010.
Dr. Morey was recently selected as a recipient of $100,000
federal loan waiver award offered to new graduates who commit
to working in food animal medicine in areas with a shortage of
veterinary care.

After graduating Dr. Morey joined the Tallgrass Veterinary Hospital in Concordia as one of its two veterinarians. The hospital is a mixed animal practice, although its major focus is on large animals like beef cows and calves.

Dr. Morey, who also completed a master's degree in dairy nutrition from K-State over the summer, credits Dr. Barry Bradford and the rest of the faculty in K-State's department of animal sciences and industry for being essential in the nomination process. Dr. Bradford, assistant professor of dairy cattle nutrition, was Morey's major professor and wrote a letter of recommendation to the selection committee.

"I actually picked K-State over a couple of other schools because they have a better vet med program. I wanted to get a good education, especially in working with large animals," Dr. Morey said. "K-State gave me the means and opportunity to excel in many areas of food animal medicine."