Lifelines — Monthly Online Newsletter

October 2026 - Vol. 21, No. 10
< September 2026

Latest Headlines

 

KVDL celebrates start of construction for a new laboratory facility

Breaking Ground

Learn what happens next

From left: Hodes Family Dean Dr. Annette O'Connor; Lea Anne Leatherwood, project manager, Perkins&Will; Jim Chen, senior lab planner, Perkins&Will; Dr. Marty Vanier, director, National Agricultural Biosecurity Center; Tracy Mann, U.S. Representative first district of Kansas; Jerry Moran, U.S. Senator for Kansas; K-State President Richard Linton; Dan Hawkins, Kansas House Speaker; Matt Teagarden, chief executive officer, Kansas Livestock Association and KVDL advisory board member; Greg Willems, president/chief executive officer, KSU Foundation; Dr. Jamie Retallick, director, KVDL; Matt Jones, project manager, Whiting-Turner; and Willie the Wildcat.

 

Professor presents plaque to graduate student
National Honors

Dr. Rakshith Kumar (right) receives Phi Zeta award for research manuscript

Story and Photos 
Second-year student holds certificate for placing second in history essay cometition
Historical Essay

Second-year student Mahayla Harris earns second-place for artful composition

Impact of Renaissance Era 
Dr. Laura Miller and Mahamudul Hasan
Great Presentation

Graduate student Mahamudul Hasan win Oaks Award at AAVLD

Read more 

 

K-State Rabies Laboratory sees increase in exposure to potential rabies cases
By Kansas State Collegian

Rabies Lab graphic: 70 percent of rabies cases due to exposure to bat variants

Sept. 15 health advisory from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kansas Department of Health and Environment cites increase in reported encounters with potentially rabid animals. Bats are a common sight around K-State’s campus, especially during the warmer months when they are typically more active. They are also one of the leading carriers of rabies, and with a growing number of sightings, some students and faculty are worried about their safety while in some campus buildings.

 

 

Kansas Beef Council Announces Free BQA Trainings for Fall 2026
By Morning Ag Clips

BQA certification will be led by Dr. A.J. Tarpoff, DVM, K-State, and will provide producers with current practices and information on BQA certification requirements.

The Kansas Beef Council (KBC) has released dates for three, free Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) trainings across Kansas this fall as part of its continued commitment to cattle well-being, beef quality and food safety. BQA certification will be led by Dr. A.J. Tarpoff and will provide producers with current practices and information on BQA certification requirements. A beef dinner will be served at 6 p.m. with training to follow.

Don’t Let Stress Trigger an Outbreak: 6 Facts About Coccidiosis

By Drovers

cattle

Standard deworming protocols won’t stop coccidia. Dr. A.J. Tarpoff breaks down how to identify, prevent and treat the disease. Coccidiosis is a costly, profit-stealing intestinal disease that affects millions of cattle each year, particularly young and stressed animals. Caused by microscopic protozoan parasites — specifically Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii in cattle — this parasite attacks the intestinal lining, leading to poor growth, bloody diarrhea and in severe cases, death.

 

 

Decorate banner for Hill's Clinical Nutrition Symposium

Small Animal Clinical Nutrition Symposium, Dec. 5, Sponsored by Hill's and Taco Lucha

 

Regular features

Alumni Events, Development and Continuing Education

VMAA Connect Purple logoThe Veterinary Medical Alumni Association organizes alumni receptions at several national annual conferences, as well as continuing education events and more.

 

 

 

News Ticker

More news from the college

 

Community Outreach visits Santee Nation

K-State faculty and staff who participated included Logan Linenberger, Jamie Maike, Catherine Lowry, Jen Teeter, Drs. Elizabeth Scarbrough, Brooke Davis and Chris Blevins. Students participating included Emily Adkinson, Phoebe McNeely, Avery Schaefer, Rebeka Widmer, Molly Millett, Kayleigh Corless, Tessa Wallis, Kennedy Kats, Tessa Van Buren and Mollie Broder. Veterinary professionals who joined the effort from partner organizations included Drs. Andrea Popken and Jake Bornschlegl, Jerri Rabadue, and Kindall Flores.

Collage of students working with horses
The Shelter Medicine/Community Outreach and Equine teams recently participated in an outreach trip to the Santee Nation, providing veterinary care to a community with limited access to services. The two-day effort included preventive medicine, spay/neuter procedures, exams, medications and treatment options.
The team treated 132 animals over 14 hours, including 77 dogs, 43 cats, 11 horses and one rabbit, and performed 26 spay/neuter procedures.

 

 

Reaching out about community outreach at Purdue University

Collage of Dr. Ron Orchard and Cassidy Moreau giving presentations
Dr. Ron Orchard and Cassidy Moreau were invited to the Purdue Veterinary Conference to talk about Community Outreach rotation. They talked about community engagement, building partnerships with community partners, creating spaces for collaboration and access to care as well as integrating resiliency training for veterinary professionals. Cassidy said they presented all day on the Shelter Medicine and One Health track of the conference.

 

Veterinary students learn emotional support skills

Eleven veterinary students recently completed "Foundations of Emotional Support Skills and Well-being for Veterinary Students." Through this 12-hour, five-week training, students earned certification in Mental Health First Aid and developed skills in active listening, empathy, setting boundaries, self-care and referrals to higher levels of care. This non-credit microcredential course was taught by Drs. McArthur Hafen and Adryanna Drake.

Group of 11 students and two faculty members
Front row, from left, Dr. Adryanna Drake, second-year students Jake Boley, Alyssa Gray, Anna Rustad, Montana Hoops, Hannah Welco and Jasmine Foth, and Dr. McArthur Hafen. Back row: Third-year student Alexandra Forshee, Katelyn Rudigier and Payton Wilber, and second-year students Reighan Sherrill and Elizabeth Ross.

 

Science Blitz on Tap - Meet these Researchers

Collage of photos from different science research events
Two recent events put the spotlight on student research at K-State. The Johnson Cancer Research Center held its annual Data Blitz at the end of September, featuring a large group of student researchers (group photo on bottom). The Cancer Center was also featured for Science on Tap with Sunset Zoo at the Manhattan Brewing Company. The latter event included Mahamadul Hasan and two third-year veterinary students, Abby Mitchell and Regan Van Den Elsen (top left and middle photos). Mahamudul and Dr. Laura Miller were both at the Data Blitz at the K-State Student Union.

 

National FFA Convention & Expo

Two women wave hello at booth at a convention
Erin Spohn and Rosa Blaske attended the National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis this month to connect with prospective students and share all that K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine has to offer.

 

 

New Arrivals/Recent Departures

 

CVM News Feed is published each month by the Marketing and Communications Office at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The editors are Rylee Moore, ryleec@vet.k-state.edu, and Joe Montgomery, jmontgom@vet.k-state.edu.

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