The ultimate program objective is to ensure that veterinary graduates all over the world are equipped with the competencies needed to support their national veterinary services. The OIE has committed a $457,213 grant for the twinning project between Kansas State University and Sokoine University.

“The OIE believes that strengthening the capacities of its Member Countries and, in particular, ensuring that veterinarians possess an adequate level of education, are fundamental,” explained Dr. Monique Eloit, director general of the OIE. “Veterinary students will become the professionals who will ensure that their countries meet the health challenges of tomorrow. The OIE Veterinary Education Twinning Programme, in addition to the OIE recommendations and guidelines on veterinary education were developed to ultimately improve the provision of high quality veterinary education worldwide.”

The partnership with Kansas State University will strengthen the curriculum and educational resources at Sokoine University of Agriculture Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and provide opportunities for faculty and students from both universities to be exposed to global health challenges and veterinary production systems in a different cultural and socioeconomic setting.

“International collaborations are critical to the future of our profession and our ability to educate the next generation veterinary workforce,” said Dr. Tammy Beckham, dean of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “We have been working with the faculty at Sokoine University since last October to develop mutually beneficial objectives for this project, an appropriate time frame, and a work plan. We’re very excited by the opportunities that will be available for our faculty and students.”

Dr. Keith Hamilton, executive director of International Programs, was instrumental in identifying and developing the partnership with Sokoine University.

“As well as supporting curriculum development at Sokoine University, the partnership will allow faculty and students from KSU and SUA to gain a global perspective with exposure to veterinary medicine and farming systems in a new country,” Dr Hamilton said. “The next generation of veterinarians will need a global perspective to address global health challenges and to ensure that the veterinary profession remains relevant.”

“While this is just one study, we believe our work could have significant impact on food safety in the future,” said Dr. Riviere, director of the ICCM. Dr. Riviere also is a university distinguished professor, Kansas Bioscience eminent scholar, the MacDonald chair in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Withdrawal times — the time from last drug administration to slaughter — are determined in healthy animals during the drug development process assuming that the ratio of the marker residue to the total residue produced is constant. This "marker residue ratio" is then used to set legal tissue tolerances in food safety inspection programs, but diseases in treated animals may alter this ratio, said Dr. Lin, an assistant professor of anatomy and physiology.

"We created a general physiologically based pharmacokinetic — or PBPK — model for representative drugs such as ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, flunixin and sulfamethazine, which are typically used in cattle and swine and have had residue violations reported," Dr. Lin said. "Our simulation results showed that the ratios of the marker residues to the total residues for studied drugs were not fixed values, but time-dependent. Disease changes the ratios substantially, and the degree of change depends on the type of drug, exposure time, tissue and species."

"The cornerstone of regulatory chemical food safety programs is the monitoring of food products for violative chemical residues," Dr. Riviere said. "For edible products from food-producing animals, such as meat, milk or eggs, residue concentrations are determined based on jurisdictional-specific regulations that result in the determination of a tolerance or maximum residue level for specific drugs in a specific tissue for specific animal species."

The researchers' model was calibrated for each drug in each species with multiple datasets from the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank, which has an office at Kansas State University.

"We based our results on regression analyses between model-simulated and measured plasma and tissue concentrations of parent drugs and/or major metabolites for each drug in each species," Lin said. "In general, disease changed the ratios of ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, flunixin and sulfamethazine by several fold, and the ratio could be different by up to several orders of magnitude at the withdrawal time compared to that at the time right after drug administration."

The results raise a question about the reasonableness of the underlying assumption of using a fixed ratio by the Food and Drug Administration to determine withdrawal times of veterinary drugs in food animals, Dr. Riviere said. But he also said the FDA's method is very conservative and safe, and that further study could help provide more accurate data in the future.

Study co-author Vahl is an assistant professor of statistics in the university's College of Arts & Sciences.

The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the Food Animal Residue Avoidance and Depletion Program, USDA 2013-41480-21001, and the Kansas Bioscience Authority. The idea and need for this analysis originated from a review by Dr. Riviere on the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service's National Residue Program conducted for The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Dean Tammy Beckham said, “Dr. Schmidt brings an outstanding skill set and a great deal of passion for promoting excellence in veterinary education. Through this position, the College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State will have the opportunity to grow and enhance our nationally recognized professional program. Dr. Ronnie Elmore, associate dean for admissions and diversity programs, will continue to lead admissions and diversity for our DVM program.”

“I have always taken great pride in being a teacher, administrator, mentor, and motivator, and I look forward to helping the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University strive for academic excellence,” Dr. Schmidt said. “There are great challenges ahead in veterinary education, but the faculty, staff and students at K-State have the creative energy to overcome those challenges. I take great satisfaction in making contributions to the success of a veterinary program and am excited to become a part of the rich history and bright future of K-State.”

Dr. Schmidt earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science with meat animal emphasis at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1993. She then earned a DVM at the University of Minnesota in 1997. After graduating, she practiced as an associate veterinarian at Tri-County Veterinary Clinics in Taunton and Dawson, Minnesota until 2002. She then returned to college and earned a master’s degree in veterinary preventive medicine at the Iowa State University in 2004, also serving as an instructor for its College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Schmidt became board-certified as a diplomate of the American College of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in 2006. She also earned multiple certifications for instruction in agroterrorism preparedness curriculum in 2005 and 2006 at the University of California, Davis. She won the Carl Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award at Western University of Health Sciences in 2008. She has been a member of American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Association of Food Hygiene Veterinarians, American Association of Swine Veterinarians, Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, American Veterinary Medical Association, California Veterinary Medical Association, Evidence Based Veterinary Medical Association, Veterinary Education Collaborative and Teaching Academy of the Consortium of West Region Colleges of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Schmidt and her husband, Gary, have one daughter, Emma.

Weber, who had been a key player in dismantling the former USSR’s bioweapons program, highlighted the potential use of animal pathogens and zoonotic agents (pathogens that can cause disease in humans as well as animals) as bioweapons should they fall into the wrong hands.

“All veterinarians are security people,” Weber said. “We depend on them to keep us safe from infectious diseases of both humans and animals. I encourage veterinarians to think globally about their responsibilities which can make the world a safer place, and encourage emerging leaders in the veterinary profession to consider careers in improving global health security.”

While addressing the potential use of animal pathogens by terrorists, Weber pointed out how cooperation and laboratory capacity building can limit access to these agents.

“In the case studies we have of terrorist groups seeking to develop biological weapons, the one technical hurdle they seem to fail at repeatedly is obtaining the pathogen – obtaining the starter culture,” Weber said. “We have an opportunity to reduce the risk of terrorism by consolidating or reducing the number of laboratories that have Bacillus anthracis (anthrax).”

Elliott explained another way in which veterinary medicine can have a positive impact on global security.

“If you’re in the veterinary sector, look at some of the good this sector can do,” Elliott said. “For example, increasing productivity, helping people to manage healthier livestock – all of that tends to raise living standards. By projecting your expertise abroad, you can make a positive impact on people’s lives, and that reduces the drivers of conflict and civil unrest.”

Elliott also talked about benefits of working with intergovernmental animal health agencies, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). He highlighted that the sustainable strengthening of health services worldwide promotes benefits for society at the same time as reducing threats from pathogens whether they have a natural or unnatural origin.

Elliott listed several ways these agencies utilize veterinary experts for capacity building, including international twinning programs for veterinary colleges and laboratories, assessments of national veterinary services, veterinary infrastructure capacity building, and training in good emergency management practice for animal health and food related emergencies through the FAO’s Crisis Management Centre. He also emphasized the importance of the One Health initiative.

The office of International Programs in the College of Veterinary Medicine sponsored the panel discussion.

“We have invited these two guests to our campus to highlight that cooperation between the security and veterinary sectors can minimize all biological threats whether they have a natural or unnatural origin,” said Dr. Hamilton, executive director for International Programs.

“In addition to highlighting the wealth of knowledge and capacity available at the College of Veterinary Medicine, which can support biological threat reduction activities, this was an excellent opportunity for our campus to engage and learn from a pair of individuals with firsthand knowledge and experience,” said Dr. Tammy Beckham, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Weber served until October 2014 as assistant secretary of defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs. In this capacity he focused on preventing, protecting against, and responding to Weapons of Mass Destruction and terrorism threats. He supported international efforts to eliminate Syrian and Libyan chemical weapons, and strengthen global health security. In October 2014 President Obama asked Weber to serve as Deputy Coordinator for the Ebola response at the US Department of State.

Elliott has spent several years with the UK’s cooperative threat reduction program, working closely with his counterparts from the USA and Canada, and other countries in the G7 Global Partnership against weapons of mass destruction. He has been a key advocate of investing in animal and human health systems to reduce biological threats from all quarters, including natural, accidental and intentional releases. On the ground he has been responsible for establishing and managing a range of capacity building initiatives across North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Dean Tammy Beckham said, “We are very pleased to have Dr. Coetzee return to Kansas State University and assume a leadership role in our college. He has a great wealth of experience as researcher, instructor and administrator in cattle health, animal welfare and pharmacology. Dr. Coetzee is committed to institutional success with a sound record of leadership in the areas of research support and sponsored funding, institutional service, outreach, teaching, and professional practice.”

“It is very exciting to have a chance to come back to Kansas State University and an honor to have been selected to serve as the Department Head for Anatomy and Physiology,” Dr. Coetzee said. “I am humbled to join a Department where there are many talented faculty members who do outstanding work teaching foundational skills to the next generation of veterinarians. Researchers here are also focused on solving some of the world’s most complex biomedical challenges at a time when competition for funding resources has never been more intense. I look forward to working with faculty to identify new opportunities to better meet the needs of our veterinary students and to expand our research portfolio.”

Dr. Coetzee earned a Bachelor of Veterinary Science Degree at the University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa in 1996. He earned a doctorate in veterinary microbiology in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventative Medicine at Iowa State University in 2005.

Dr. Coetzee became board-certified as a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology in 2006, and as a diplomate of the American College of Animal Welfare in 2014. He also earned a certificate Cattle Health and Production from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London in 2000 and is a European Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law.

Dr. Coetzee was a mixed animal practitioner from August 1996 to May 2000 at the Riada Veterinary Clinic, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. From 2000 to 2002, he was a veterinary adviser for the Research and Development Division of Norbrook Laboratories Ltd. In Northern Ireland. He served two years as an adjunct professor and university veterinarian at Iowa State University before joining the faculty at Kansas State University in 2005. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and received more than $7 million in research funding.

Dr. Coetzee is a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Society of Animal Science, American Dairy Science Association, Academy of Veterinary Consultants and American Association of Swine Practitioners. He has been presented with the 2014 American Association of Bovine Practitioners Award of Excellence, 2014 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence, 2006 Novartis Teaching Excellence Award in recognition of outstanding instruction of third year students, Fort Dodge Animal Health Fellowship in Veterinary Medicine, 2004 and Northern Ireland Veterinarian of the Year Award in 2000.

In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife, Tiffany, and his twin daughters, Scarlett and Anabelle.

Dr. Niederwerder explained the term microbiome refers to the community of microorganisms living within or on the surface of our bodies. The gastrointestinal tract houses the greatest proportion of these microorganisms.

“Previous microbiome associations have been linked in humans to obesity, autoimmune and infectious diseases, immune response and cancer,” Dr. Niederwerder said. “Detailed investigations into understanding how the gastrointestinal microbiome impacts health and disease in animals are increasing. In our work, we have looked at microbiome diversity and composition in nursery pigs in association with clinical disease and growth performance after virus infection.”

The study, entitled “Microbiome associations in pigs with the best and worst clinical outcomes following co-infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2)” was published in the May 2016 issue of Veterinary Microbiology. These viral infections have caused billions of dollars in losses to swine producers over the last 25 years.

“We looked at nursery pigs with systemic viral infections and found that increased diversity of the microbiome and the presence of specific bacteria, such as nonpathogenic E. coli, were associated with improved outcome,” Dr. Niederwerder said. “Greater diversity of the microbiome seems to lead to a better response to infection for swine. Our ultimate goal would be to develop ways in the future to modulate the microbiome and improve response to virus infection.”

The objective of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s travel awards program is to facilitate international experiences and make a positive contribution to animal and public health. Students must apply for the awards and demonstrate a need based on “novel, brilliant, interesting and worthwhile” ideas.

“We’ve focused on providing fewer but larger travel awards this year, with an emphasis on supporting projects that will not only be relevant to the student’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine studies, but also provide a benefit to the host country,” said Dr. Keith Hamilton, executive director for the college’s international programs. “We had eight excellent applications this year and it was difficult to make a decision on the winners. We’re very pleased with the amount of interest from the students and the quality of their applications.”

The essay will be published in the May 2017 issue of the semi-annual journal, Veterinary Heritage.

“I have two pet guinea pigs, Betty and Alice, and I was originally going to write about something else, but realized there was a lot of good information I could draw from,” Madden said. “I learned that over the course of history, guinea pigs have been used in experiments that led to 23 different Nobel Prizes. There are countless factoids related to these animals, like the discovery of circulation in the 16^th century.”

Madden, who also has a horse, said she would one day like to work in a mixed animal veterinary practice after she graduates with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Kansas State University.

Dr. Howard Erickson, professor emeritus in anatomy and physiology, teaches the history course and routinely encourages his students to submit their research papers for the Smithcors Essay contest.

“I suggest topics for the students, but encourage them to pick a topic they are passionate about – really interested in – and this is what Kelsey did,” Dr. Erickson said. “Kelsey also had a very unique title for her paper. It included excellent figures and was very well-referenced.”

The contest is named in honor of J. Fred Smithcors for his many contributions to veterinary history, including as founder of the American Veterinary Medical History Society, the author of several books on veterinary history, and as an educator, publisher and editor. Since 2012, grants from the Donaldson Charitable Trust have made it possible to award four prizes in honor of Dr. Elizabeth Atwood Lawrence, twice AVMHS president and former essay contest judge.

“Surveying the area by foot and on vehicles, shining a strong beam of light at the trees can help locate the sleepy chameleons.” Not an easy task as they are well camouflaged even when asleep looking like the leaves on the tree branch they are on.

Dr. Eshar’s research is being performed in collaboration with Dr. Boaz Shacham, a herpetologist from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem Israel, and researchers from the Kimron Veterinary Institute, Israel. The researchers aim to investigate the potential presence of several pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria in wild common chameleons.

“The findings of this study will not only enhance the knowledge about the medicine of this reptile species, but will also determine how common these pathogens are in the environment,” Dr. Eshar said.

“This is part of the One Health concept, where wild animals neighboring humans are tested for carrying diseases that can potentially harm people and their livestock.”

Dr. Eshar has been in Israel since June 17 and will return to Kansas State University on July 10. While on this project, Dr. Eshar is also mentoring a student from Koret Veterinary School, Hebrew University, on his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree thesis.

Dr. Steven Ellsworth, assistant director of CEEZAD, told participants they were training for careers in a field that is important to the protection of the nation's food animal industry, and thus to the food supply.

"All we work on and fund is research on diseases that are exotic to the United States and that the Department of Homeland Security and the USDA are concerned could get into the United States," Dr. Ellsworth told the participants. "What can we do to prevent these diseases from getting into the U.S., or contain an outbreak?"

Dr. Ellsworth said CEEZAD is also tasked with training a specialized workforce to help defend American agricultural systems and to help the transition of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) to the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF), a task they could find themselves pursuing in their professional careers.

Dr. Steven Higgs, director of the BRI, told participants they were studying at "one of the country's most modern laboratories to deal with animal diseases." The BRI is a level 3 facility, the second most secure designation.

The students came to Manhattan with a variety of hopes and aspirations, although most envision a future in some aspect of disease research.

Dr. Tessa LeCuyer, for example, is a veterinarian who works in a lab while combining her clinical residency with a doctoral program at Washington State. She saw particular benefit in learning the level 3 BSL procedures in place at the BRI. "We always have the potential to come across higher-consequence pathogens," she explained.

Sarah Kezar has been fascinated by biomechanics since high school which has led her to both a BS from University of Virginia and an MS from University of Alabama-Birmingham in biomedical engineering. Currently, as a first-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student at Auburn University, she enrolled in the summer program in the hope of enriching her knowledge of genetic engineering, particularly with respect to the One Health concept.

Jonathan Miller, who is about to begin veterinary school at Washington State, hopes to do research in infectious diseases. "CEEZAD's mission is directly in line with my career goals," he said, noting the training and networking possibilities he hoped to take advantage of during the summer program.

Marie Keith, a third-year veterinary student at Kansas State University, was drawn to the program due to an interest in transboundary diseases. She hopes to pursue a career in outbreaks investigation, possibly with the CDC or WHO. She is combining her veterinary studies with a focus on public health.

Students spent the first week of the program at the BRI practicing how to operate in high-consequence animal disease environments. This included sessions designed to familiarize them with how to safely wear protective clothing and how to use personal disinfection techniques in BSL-3 facilities. They also spent a session practicing the safe preparation, handling and storage of laboratory agents, as well as the safe disposal of lab materials.

All of the participants praised the concluding mini-symposium, which brought in experts on emerging and zoonotic diseases for a discussion of the latest developments in their field. Those experts included a panel of authorities such as Dr. Heinz Feldmann (NIH-NIAID, Rocky Mountain Laboratory); Dr. Don King (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Dr. Luis Rodriguez (Plum Island Animal Disease Center), Dr. Brian Bird (University of California-Davis), Dr. Paul Gibbs (Kansas State University), Dr. Michelle Colby (Department of Homeland Security), Dr. Marty Vanier (Department of Homeland Security), Dr. Ron Trewyn (Kansas State University) and Dr. Beth Lautner (USDA-APHIS), who discussed topics ranging from the West African Ebola epidemic, Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreaks, African swine fever research, Rift Valley fever vaccine and an update on progress toward the opening of the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF), which is being constructed on the Kansas State University campus. The students were also able to participate in classroom lectures given by experts such as Dr. Young Lyoo from Konkuk University and Dr. Larry Barrett from the Department of Homeland Security as well as local experts from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University which included Dr. Alfonso Clavijo, Dr. A. Sally Davis, and Dr. Lina Mur.

The idea was to grow the field of future veterinary health researchers utilizing funding provided by the Department of Homeland Security.

Participants are: Jonathan Miller, University of Wyoming; Kelly Charniga, University of Michigan; Kim Conway, University of California-Davis; Marie Keith, Kansas State University; Martha Hensel, Texas A&M University; Matthew Riley, University of Tennessee; Nicole DeAngelis, North Carolina State University; Sarah Kezar, Auburn University; Sarah Townsend, University of Florida; and Tessa LeCuyer, Washington State University. The program was overseen by Dr. Jessica Green, project coordinator for CEEZAD and Dr. Juergen Richt, Director of CEEZAD.

Eligibility
Entrants should be students pursuing a veterinary (e.g. DVM, BVSc, BVMS, or equivalent), undergraduate (e.g. bachelors), or postgraduate/graduate (e.g. masters, certificate, diploma, or PhD) degree from anywhere in the world. Entries are expected to show representations of international veterinary experiences.

Judging
Entries will be judged by a panel. Criteria will include eligibility, originality, style, context, and quality of photograph.

Prizes
First place winner will receive $1,000 USD, two runners up will receive $500 USD each. Winners will be notified by email and winning entries will be publicized on the KSU CVM website. The top 12 photographs will also be published in a calendar with an acknowledgement to each photographer.

Photograph Requirements

• Images should be uploaded via the "Enter Here" link below.
• Images should be good quality but file size cannot exceed 16 MB.
• Please submit photos in .jpg, .png, or .bmp file formats.

Entry
Click on the survey link to enter and upload your photo. The deadline for entries is 15 August, 2016.

Enter Here