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September 2018 - Vol. 13, No. 9
Top Stories

 

Veterinary students see red

Alumni invite duo to Nebraska State Fair livestock program

Matthew Kelso, Dr. Randy Pedersen and Anna Hickert

Two third-year veterinary students, Anna Hickert and Matthew Kelso, recently took advantage of a special opportunity to work with a state fair livestock program – in Nebraska.

Dr. Randall Pedersen, DVM class of 1965 from Royal, Nebraska, has served as the Nebraska State Fair veterinarian for 40 years and was excited at the idea of bringing K-State students to the state fair in Grand Island, Nebraska.

 

 

Mentors inspire alumni couple to support food animal research

Drs. M.M. Chengappa, Kelly and Marcie Lechtenberg and T.G. Nagaraja

A generous new gift will support graduate student work and research in food animal medicine in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology (DMP), while honoring two long-time CVM professors who are leaders in this field.

The gift was made by Drs. Kelly and Marcie Lechtenberg, Oakland, Nebraska, and has created the T.G. Nagaraja and M. M. Chengappa Excellence Fund.

 

 

Ruminant relief: Boehringer Ingelheim recognizes Dr. Hans Coetzee for animal welfare

Drs. Hans Coetzee and Laurent Goby

Good things come in threes for the CVM’s Dr. Hans Coetzee, head of anatomy and physiology. For the third time in two years, he has been awarded for his work in livestock animal welfare and pain alleviation.

Boerhringer Ingelheim, a research-driven pharmaceutical company, presented Dr. Coetzee with one of two Ruminant Well-being Awards at the World Buiatrics Congress in Sapporo, Japan, on Aug. 30.

 

 

More Headlines

 

K-State veterinary experts confront looming threat of African swine fever in Asia

Dr. Jürgen Richt

Kansas State University veterinary experts are providing guidance to officials in East Asia on the emerging problem of African swine fever.

Dr. Jürgen Richt, Regents distinguished professor and director of the university's Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, known as CEEZAD, is an internationally recognized expert on transboundary animal diseases.

Students volunteer at Sioux reservation

By Adrian Austin

Students Sarah Wilson and Brooke Davis

It’s not every day a group of veterinary students would give up their weekend to pile in a car and travel eight hours north, but a crew of four veterinary student recently went above and beyond.

On the weekend of Aug. 25, two third-year and two second-year students traveled to Lower Brule, South Dakota. In the true spirit of generosity, these students willingly donated their time to help in a free clinic at a Native American reservation.

 

 

Infectious disease researchers confirm mosquito species as possible vectors for emerging disease

mosquito

A group including five K-State researchers has published an article demonstrating that two North American mosquito species could spread Usutu virus, an emerging pathogen in Europe and Africa. The virus has killed thousands of birds in Europe and has been associated with neurologic disorders such as brain inflammation in humans.

 

 

Beef Cattle Institute graduate student completes fellowship at MIT

By Adrian Austin

Dustin Aherin

Dustin Aherin, a Ph.D. student with Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute (BCI), spent the 2018 spring semester attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of the university’s Sloan School of Management Visiting Fellows program.

Through the program, Dustin took classes focusing on systems dynamics, business management, entrepreneurship and innovation.

 

 

Stats look good for MPH student’s field experience

Kyle Braun visits Paris with Rosenkranz family

A summer in Paris sounds like a great recipe for sightseeing, but for Master of Public Health (MPH) student Kyle Braun, this was the backdrop for a broader view of the world.

“My job was to compile a summary on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from more than 150 countries that report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE),” Kyle explained.

 

 

Regular features

Alumni Events, Development and Continuing Education

VMAA logo The Veterinary Medical Alumni Association organizes alumni receptions at several of the national annual conferences plus continuing education events and more. This month's section includes information about our Cat Town Pregame Tailgate events, a Rabies Awareness Workshop, 7th Annual KHC Horse Care 101 and more.

 

 

News Ticker

 

More activities and accomplishments in the College of Veterinary Medicine:

Dr. Mark Morton and Dr. Rachel Holicky both passed the ACVP certifying exam.

Dave Hoffman, recruitment coordinator, and Dr. Callie Rost attended K-State Celebrates in Overland Park, Kansas. This is a universitywide recruiting event for high school students in the Kansas City area.

Tuyen Nguyen, graduate student in NICKS, received a first place award in her oral presentation entitled “Cell Membrane Disguised Nanoparticle with Tumor Targeting Motifs” at the UNMC 5th Annual Biopharmaceutical Research and Development Symposium in Omaha, Nebraska.

The VHC and K-State Athletics have teamed up again this year for Willie’s Pet of the Week photo contest. Vote for your favorite! https://www.facebook.com/Kstatesports/app/1228682487209106/

Drs. Butch and Kate KuKanich were thanked from the McNair Scholars Program for supporting the Summer Research Internship. Butch mentored scholar Marissa Komp and Kate mentored Brianna Salgado. Their guidance and expertise helped to provide research finding for the students to present at undergraduate research and professional conferences.

Flood relief

Flood relief - Nelson, Banks and Boyer
Drs. Susan Nelson and Neala Boyer, Rachel Wright, Ashley Vanmeter, Kaitlyn Banks and others have been involved in caring for the animals at the disaster relief center at Pottorf Hall in Manhattan after havoc was caused by local flooding. The team has been providing immunizations, cleaning cages and assisting owners. They are either a volunteer or on the board with the Kansas State Animal Response Team (KS SART) or the Northeast Kansas Animal Response Team (NEKART). Both organizations are dedicated to providing temporary shelter and care for pets displaced by the Manhattan floods.

A Wildcat in Kathmandu

By Sara Wilkes

Sara Wilkes in Nepal

I was fortunate enough to spend two months in Nepal this summer – one month exploring and one month volunteering with the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Center (KATC). I found the organization while researching international veterinary volunteer opportunities in Asia, and hoped that I would gain valuable experience in working with street dogs and evaluating patients in a limited resource environment.

KATC was founded in 2004 to cater to the ever-growing need for animal birth control programs within the capital city. Since then, they have expanded to serve a major role in rescuing and rehabilitating injured or ill street dogs. KATC runs on donations and veterinary/other volunteer hours.

I was able to meet other animal lovers from all over the world, bonding every day over the special dogs that call KATC home for a little while. They currently have only one veterinarian to oversee 30-plus dogs and come up with management solutions for each patient.

Each day was a new challenge – many local people drive or take a motorcycle to bring us injured dogs and cats, but most of the time, we drive out to find dogs that have been reported to our clinic, transporting them back in the ambulance.

Some of the challenges ranged from helping establish a quarantine area during a canine distemper outbreak to medical management of a paralyzed new mother who still had nursing pups. I had learned about most of the parasites and skin conditions that plague the dogs, but nothing prepared me for many of the cases. On one occasion, we treated dogs with hot water/acid burns from people trying to drive them away from their house, and others that had wounds crawling with maggots due to a lack of treatment.

I cannot say enough about the boost in confidence that this volunteer experience has given me headed into clinics and my career. In fact, it has persuaded me that emergency and critical care is my primary interest and career pursuit, as well as encouraging my interest in animal welfare and forensic investigation.

The joy of painting

Dog House painting

The Nestle Purina Petcare Company generously donated 18 dog houses to be painted as a “Houses for House” event, which helped kick off a new "House" system at the CVM. The painted houses are auctioned off to benefit the Riley County Humane Society (RCHS). Above several groups of students express their creativity in coming up with designs.

Clear the Shelters

Clear the Shelters - Jason Banning
Fourth-year student Jason Banning shows a youngster how to use a stethoscope at the Helping Hands Humane Society in Topeka, Kansas. The Veterinary Health Center and Mobile Surgery Unit were in Topeka Aug. 18 for local participation in a national pet-adoption event called “Clear the Shelters.” That day 118 pets were adopted at the shelter.

 

New Arrivals/Recent Departures

 

 

Lifelines is published each month by the Marketing and Communications Office at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The editor is Joe Montgomery, jmontgom@vet.k-state.edu.

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