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The Hill's Pet Health and Nutrition Center will be located in renovated space in the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine. Rendering by Clark Enersen Partners.

"The Veterinary Health Center is expanding in an important way," said Dr. Elizabeth Davis, head of the clinical sciences department and interim director for the Veterinary Health Center. "The College of Veterinary Medicine's partnership with Hill's Pet Nutrition has been in place since 2018, and in 2020, an important new part of the partnership will take shape. The Hill's Pet Health and Nutrition Center will open for patient care January 2021."

The new center will provide primary care and nutritional assessment to help maintain optimal pet health.

"An important long-term goal of the Veterinary Health Center Obesity Clinic, a vital service of the center, is to end pet obesity," Dr. Davis said. "We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with Hill's in this impactful way. Hill's has provided an opportunity for the center to provide state-of-the-art primary care for small animal patients while training extraordinary graduates. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Hill's Pet Nutrition in this important way."

Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn, chief professional veterinary officer, Hill's Pet Nutrition U.S., said, "We are proud to partner with K-State on this vital work to advance our understanding of and service to companion animals for today and for tomorrow. Collaborations like these incorporating academic institutions and commercial organizations are vital, and we are excited about this work that integrates research, pet care and student engagement — a powerful and rich combination. Obesity is a pervasive disease in our pets and only together can we turn the tide."

Dr. Davis said that the new Hill's Pet Health and Nutrition Center will provide service for routine primary care patients, walk-in urgent patient needs and triage to appropriate services as needed — with close proximity to a variety of veterinary medical specialists who work in the Veterinary Health Center. Additional services include animal behavior with Fear-Free® pet care, young pet care for puppies and kittens, annual visits with preventative health care, senior pet care and nutrition for all ages.

Dr. Davis said Hill's Pet Nutrition involvement in the Hill's Pet Health and Nutrition Center will provide a home for nutrition consultation, a designated Hill's primary care intern and direct consultation with board-certified veterinary nutritionists.

Dr. Taryn Pestalozzi was recently appointed as the Hill's clinical nutrition and primary care intern and consults at least weekly with two American College of Veterinary Nutrition board-certified clinical nutritionists from Hill's Pet Nutrition, who are also adjunct faculty with the clinical sciences department at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Davis said the goal is to ensure that each patient receives a customized nutrition plan to obtain optimal results.

This summer, Hill's Pet Nutrition hosted a summer internship for third-year K-State veterinary student Jana Gigliotti.

"My time as the Hill's U.S. professional veterinary affairs intern was such a valuable experience in many ways," Gigliotti said. "I was challenged, encouraged and welcomed with open arms into Hill's amazing workplace culture even though I was working remotely. My projects taught me how to better advocate and care for my future patients without me putting my hands on an animal."

Gigliotti said that not only were the projects and material clinically relevant, but organizing and giving presentations, independent thinking and getting a glimpse of the business side of veterinary medicine all contributed to her professional growth this summer.

"I can't thank my manager, Dr. Brandon Stapleton, and the entire Hill's team enough for what this internship has given me," Gigliotti said.

"We loved having Jana Gigliotti as our first summer intern within US Professional and Veterinary Affairs, and she was an outstanding addition to the Education team," said Dr. Stapleton, senior manager of education at Hill's. "She performed exceptionally and set a high standard for future interns."

Another aspect of the partnership includes the second annual Clinical Nutrition Symposium, offered for continuing education credit, to be 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, via Hill's Pet Nutrition's "Hill's at Home CE" program. For more information and to register, visit https://hillsathomece.com/. This symposium features experts from the college and professionals from the industry who will be lecturing on small animal nutrition. It will also feature a special live interview with Jordy Nelson, a former K-State and NFL football player. This symposium will include complimentary registration to professionals in the field who are looking to learn more about educating and communicating with pet owners to have healthy animals.

The K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, established in 1905, is dedicated to scholarship through innovation and excellence in teaching, research, and service to promote animal and human health for the public good. The college is committed to creating an environment that is fulfilling and rewarding, being recognized for good communication, productive collaboration, mutual respect, diversity, integrity and honesty. To carry out this mission, the college's nationally recognized instructional and research programs provide the highest standards of professional education.

Students in the College of Veterinary Medicine voted for Drs. Zsolt Szladovits, Brad Njaa and Kenneth Harkin as recipients of the college's 2020 preclinical teaching awards.

"Drs. Szladovits, Njaa, and Harkin are all excellent and engaged teachers, completely immersed in their classrooms and who also spend a great deal of their personal time to provide additional instruction for our students," said Dr. James Roush, interim associate dean for academic programs and student affairs. "It is fitting that these dedicated instructors were recognized for their efforts with awards that are chosen by the students they instructed during the previous year."

Dr. Szladovits was presented with the 2020 Boehringer Ingelheim Teaching Excellence in the First Year Award in recognition of outstanding instruction of first-year veterinary students. This is his fourth time receiving this award, having previously been honored in 2007, 2011 and 2016. He received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. He has previously received teaching awards at his alma mater at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary, where he taught anatomy before joining Kansas State University. Dr. Szladovits is a clinical assistant professor in the anatomy and physiology department.

"I truly appreciate the hard work of the class of 2023 during their anatomy course, not to mention the incredible distraction that COVID situation has caused, and I am very glad that I still had the opportunity to facilitate this key learning process," Dr. Szladovits said. "I am very thankful for receiving this prestigious award and wish continued success for the entire class for the remainder of their course."

Dr. Njaa was named recipient of the 2020 Bayer-Elanco Teaching Excellence Award, which is presented in recognition of outstanding instruction of second-year veterinary students. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1991 and master's in veterinary anatomic pathology, both from Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and currently holds the position of professor in the diagnostic medicine and pathobiology department.

"Wow! I was completely shocked by this recognition and honor — thank you!" Dr. Njaa said. "Classical instruction dramatically changed because of sudden restrictions in early 2020, and I am grateful the class of 2022 did an excellent job adapting, excelling and advancing. I look forward to consulting on cases or discussing life with these students during their senior year and following graduation."

Dr. Harkin was chosen as recipient of the 2020 Teaching Excellence in the Third Year Award sponsored by Zoetis. This is the third time he has received this teaching award, previously honored in 2012 and 2016. Dr. Harkin earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1989 from Iowa State University and completed a residency at Michigan State University. He currently instructs fourth-year veterinary students in their clinical rotations through the Internal Medicine service and presents didactic lectures to third-year veterinary students in hepatology, neurology and clinical hematology.

"I'm honored to receive the award," Dr. Harkin said. "In the never-ending quest to deliver more enlightening content to students with high expectations, it's encouraging to have one's efforts recognized."

Dr. Richt is the Regents and University Distinguished Professor at K-State. Dr. Richt investigates zoonotic, emerging and transboundary diseases of livestock, focusing mainly on viral diseases. His work has led to strategies to identify, control and/or eradicate pathogens with significant impact on veterinary medicine, human health and food security. His recent work focuses on the establishment of preclinical animal models for SARS-CoV-2 in order to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19.

Dr. Richt said he was deeply honored by this prestigious award. “This is a tremendous recognition of our research over my professional career and is due to the dedication of my staff and collaborators,” he said.

The AAVMC Excellence in Research Award is sponsored by Elanco and designates the outstanding veterinary medical researcher of the year, as selected by a committee of peers. Founded in 1966, the AAVMC represents more than 40,000 faculty, staff and students across the global academic veterinary medical community. Its member institutions include veterinary medical colleges in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

The AAVMC Board of Directors established the annual research award in 2010 to recognize outstanding research and scholarly achievements in the field of veterinary medicine. It recognizes an individual who, over the course of his or her career, has demonstrated excellence in original research, leadership in the scientific community, and mentoring of trainees and colleagues in any discipline of veterinary medicine.

So far, four out of the 10 previous awardees have been inducted in the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Guy Palmer, a distinguished alumnus of the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, was the recipient of this award in 2019. This year is the first time a scientist at Kansas State University and the College of Veterinary Medicine has received this award.

The AAVMC’s professional awards, as well as a student scholarship award, will be presented during its 2021 Annual Conference and Iverson Bell Symposium, which will be held virtually March 3-5, 2021.

“These awards recognize outstanding veterinary medical educators who excel in various areas of academic veterinary medicine,” said AAVMC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe. “Their leadership and dedication serves as a model of excellence for their colleagues and inspires upcoming generations of veterinarians. We look forward to honoring these extraordinary individuals and recognizing their achievements during our 2021 annual conference.”

Dr. Mary Post with her husband Daniel and daughter Eily.

With the help of staff and alumni, steps have been taken to establish the Veterinary Parent’s Excellence Fund.

Dr. James Roush, interim associate dean for academic programs and student affairs, was approached by class of 2020 graduate Dr. Mary Post to start an initiative for fellow student parents. Post experienced the challenges of raising a family while studying to become a veterinarian firsthand and wanted to start an initiative to help others feel more supported within the college. She said she could not have navigated the challenges of student life without the support of her teachers, fellow students and other student parents.

"Having a family in veterinary school can make it harder to build connections with your classmates and comes with unique challenges for both school and family life," Dr. Post said. "As soon as I signed my first contract for work, I reached back to the school to see how I could support forming a group to help connect student parents across all classes together so new generations of students could have the same support I did."

Dr. Roush said that when Post came to him, he thought back to his own days as a student. The Auxiliary to the AVMA was a dominant organization that helped support families within the college during the 1990s, but according to Dr. Roush, the college chapter eventually died out without his noticing until Post brought up the idea of starting a support fund.

"At the time when the profession was majority male, I remembered the women’s auxiliary being a big deal within the college," Dr. Roush said. "As times have changed, the college somewhat lapsed on support for spouses and parents, hence why Mary very generously found the need to establish this program immediately following her graduation."

The Veterinary Parent’s Excellence Fund was established in September 2020, and Drs. Roush and Post have high hopes for the fund and its future. Dr. Roush said there have already been meetings to discuss the growth of the fund and its uses within the student parent community.

"While for now it isn’t large enough to do more than allow some small events and encourage that community," Dr. Post said, "I hope that someday it will be successful enough that it can provide scholarships to help offset the extra costs that student parents incur so that their small families get the best start as they prepare to aid their communities as public health servants and trusted family vets."

For those who might be interested in contributing to the fund, visit giving.ksufoundation.org/campaigns/17477/donations/new.

A fourth-year veterinary medicine student performs surgery on a stray animal in Kansas State University's Shelter Medicine Mobile Surgery Unit. The unit, which visits shelters and animal welfare organizations in a two-hour radius of Manhattan, recently performed its 25,000th spay/neuter procedure.

Fourth-year veterinary medicine student Gemma Isermann, Rossville, performed the surgery while the unit was on location at Friends of Felines TNR, in Wichita.

Five years and five months since first hitting the road on its maiden trip May 9, 2015, the K-State Mobile Surgery Unit has been used to help dozens of animal shelters and community organizations save on veterinary care costs and has drawn attention to the plight of homeless animals.

The shelter medicine team consists of clinical sciences faculty members Drs. Brad Crauer and Cody Dressler, who are accompanied on each trip by three fourth-year veterinary students and a veterinary nurse, Kelsey Decker, who work together to spay and neuter unowned pets at an area shelter. Students spend two weeks on the mobile unit rotation, providing surgery and veterinary care at no cost to participating shelters.

The Mobile Surgery Unit has spent approximately 1,450 days and over 190,000 miles on the road over the last five years to reach the milestone of 25,000 surgeries. For each trip, students packed and loaded daily supplies in the 32-foot trailer, which sports the university's Powercat logo and wordmark, plus the slogan "Future Vets Helping Future Pets." The students use the up to two hours in travel time to reach participating shelters for classes and lectures to improve their knowledge of shelter medicine, procedures and the unique aspects of working with unowned animals.

Once the unit arrives at the shelter, the students perform surgeries under the guidance of Drs. Crauer and Dressler, and Decker, who is a licensed veterinary nurse. They also tour the facilities and have consultations with shelter managers before returning home, only to start again the next day.

The Mobile Surgery Unit has regularly visited 26 animal-welfare organizations within a two-hour radius of Manhattan over the past five years. The experience exposes students to each shelters' unique processes and challenges, Crauer said. The shelters are in Clay Center, Emporia, Junction City, Lawrence, Louisburg, Manhattan, Ottawa, Salina and Topeka. The unit also travels to a shelter in Beatrice, Nebraska.

"By the end of the rotation, we hope the students have gained a greater knowledge and appreciation for shelter medicine and use that to make a difference in the communities they become a part of after graduation," Dr. Crauer said.

Students are not the only beneficiaries. Veterinary care, especially spays and neuters, make up a large portion of a shelter's operating expense. Since the students perform surgery at no cost, shelters are saving between $50-$175 per animal, a significant savings when considering the number of animals the shelters serve, Dr. Crauer said. Shelters also have the advantage of regular professional consultations from Dr. Crauer and the team.

The K-State Shelter Medicine Mobile Surgery is supported by private gifts and a grant from PetSmart Charities.

"The field of public health focuses on the prevention of injury and disease, rather than treatment, to improve the quality of life at the population level," said Dr. Ellyn Mulcahy, associate professor and director of the program. "In the online Master of Public Health program, students will learn how to design and implement strategies and interventions to protect and improve community health and population health through evidence-based research and disease prevention."

Dr. Mulcahy said online students can choose from two areas of emphasis. The first is food safety and biosecurity, which focuses on food safety, globalization and how international trade cooperation influences public health. The second area of emphasis is public health nutrition, which examines the role of nutrition in public health and population-based nutrition programs. In addition, students will be expected to complete a public health practice project during the program.

"Our Master of Public Health program is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, so we offer a well-established educational opportunity," Dr. Mulcahy said. "The program was established in 2003 for in-person instruction, and we launched the online graduate certificate in public health in fall 2020. We've had several successful graduates, many of whom have also completed other advanced degrees, such as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine."

On-campus dual-degree options include the Bachelor of Science — including the new Bachelor of Science in public health — and Master of Public Health, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine/Master of Public Health, giving students more career options to pursue after graduating. An online Bachelor of Science/Master of Public Health — with selected undergraduate majors, such as nutrition — is possible in addition to an on-campus Bachelor of Science/Master of Public Health.

"We're excited to partner with the Master of Public Health program to offer this opportunity to any interested students, regardless of their physical location," said Katie Linder, executive director at K-State Online. "The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a renewed focus on the societal importance of public health professionals, and we're proud to help lead the effort to prepare the next generation of this industry."

Learn more about the online Master of Public Health program and its admission requirements and curricular options at online.k-state.edu/programs/public-health-masters.

“One of the reasons that I am thrilled to receive the Hoogstraal Medal is that it is awarded by one’s peers,” Dr. Higgs said. “In my previous roles with ACME, I have presented this award to many of the recipients. This is a career award that reflects the work of many students and collaborators from around the world.”

Dr. Higgs is the first representative from K-State to receive the Hoogstraal Medal. At K-State, Dr. Higgs has directed multidisciplinary research that encompasses many aspects of vector-borne viruses, with a particular focus on mosquito-virus-vertebrate interactions. He has published with more than 650 co-authors.

“Dr. Higgs is a true international collaborator and leader who has made significant contributions to K-State’s visionary goal of becoming a Top 50 public research institution,” said Dr. Peter Dorhout, vice president for research. “His impressive body of work shows why he is deserving of this award, and we are proud to have him at K-State.”

Under Dr. Higgs’ leadership, the K-State Biosecurity Research Institute in Pat Roberts Hall has grown into a world-renowned biosafety level-3 facility that houses important multidisciplinary research, training and educational programs on pathogens that affect animals, plants and insects, as well as food safety and security. Dr. Higgs is an elected fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and serves as the editor-in-chief of the journal Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.

The prestigious Hoogstraal Medal is named after American entomologist and parasitologist Harry Hoogstraal, who lived from 1917 to 1986, and is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on tick-borne diseases. The Hoogstraal Medal has included notable recipients such as Willy Burgdorfer, who discovered Lyme disease.

“One of the reasons that I am thrilled to receive the Hoogstraal Medal is that it is awarded by one’s peers,” Dr. Higgs said. “In my previous roles with ACME, I have presented this award to many of the recipients. This is a career award that reflects the work of many students and collaborators from around the world.”

Dr. Higgs is the first representative from K-State to receive the Hoogstraal Medal. At K-State, Dr. Higgs has directed multidisciplinary research that encompasses many aspects of vector-borne viruses, with a particular focus on mosquito-virus-vertebrate interactions. He has published with more than 650 co-authors.

“Dr. Higgs is a true international collaborator and leader who has made significant contributions to K-State’s visionary goal of becoming a Top 50 public research institution,” said Dr. Peter Dorhout, vice president for research. “His impressive body of work shows why he is deserving of this award, and we are proud to have him at K-State.”

Under Dr. Higgs’ leadership, the K-State Biosecurity Research Institute in Pat Roberts Hall has grown into a world-renowned biosafety level-3 facility that houses important multidisciplinary research, training and educational programs on pathogens that affect animals, plants and insects, as well as food safety and security. Dr. Higgs is an elected fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and serves as the editor-in-chief of the journal Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.

The prestigious Hoogstraal Medal is named after American entomologist and parasitologist Harry Hoogstraal, who lived from 1917 to 1986, and is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on tick-borne diseases. The Hoogstraal Medal has included notable recipients such as Willy Burgdorfer, who discovered Lyme disease.

Alumni attend AAEP virtual reception

The American Association of Equine Practitioners virtual alumni reception was held on Dec. 7. K-State's celebrity host was Dr. Larry Bramlage (Class of 1975). Dr. Bramlage's talk was entitled "Small town to the world via Kansas State University, Veterinary Medicine and the horse!" It was a great evening for all.

Submit nominations for Alumni Recognition Awards online

See our new online nomination form to nominate a fellow alumnus for one of our many annual recognition awards, presented at the national conferences: VMX, WVC, AVMA and the Annual Conference for Veterinarians. See full details at the link below.

Alumni Awards Nomination Form

In Memoriam - Recently Departed Alumni

Dr. Leonard A. Anderson, DVM 1954
July 20, 2020

Dr. Garland E. Hinkle, DVM 1964
Nov. 11, 2020

Dr. Leroy G. Meyer, DVM 1974
Nov. 13, 2020

Dr. Thomas L. Noordsy, DVM 1975
Oct. 1, 2020

Dr. Robert E. Stach, DVM 1970
Oct. 11, 2020

Dr. Linda Kassebaum Johnson, DVM 1983
Dec. 6, 2020

(click highlighted names for obituary)

Questions about Alumni or CE events?

Tony Ballard
Alumni and Events Coordinator
785-532-4833
tballard@vet.k-state.edu

Sarah Keatley
Event Coordinator
785-532-4528
keatley@vet.k-state.edu