September 2024 Accolades

Our students, faculty and staff at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine are problem-solvers, innovators and life-changers providing world-class care and making ground-breaking discoveries every day that advance animal and human health.

Continue reading to see how our community is thriving as we put that mission into action.

Recognitions

• DVM student Maddie Kuwada received the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Award earlier this month at the AABP’s annual conference in Columbus, Ohio. Sponsored by Merck Animal Health, the award provides $10,000 to veterinary students interested in dairy or beef animal medicine. Students are selected based on their academic performance, career aspirations, work experience and passion for veterinary medicine.
• The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine finished second in the American Association of Bovine Practitioners annual conference quiz bowl. The team was led by DVM students Abby Dupuis, Nick Collier, Mallory Flanagan and Maddie Kuwada. Fellow NC State DVM students Daisy Cagle, Brianna Colosi, Katie Forrest and Ben Clauser also competed in the quiz bowl.
• Dr. Ally Fitzgerald, an emergency and critical care resident, won the best poster abstract award at the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium in St. Louis. Fitzgerald’s poster was for a project entitled “Flumazenil may attenuate gait and mentation in dogs with marijuana toxicosis.”
• Dr. Jalise Zumstein, a third-year anesthesiology resident, won the outstanding research abstract award at the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia Scientific Meeting in Denver. Dr. Zumstein’s abstract was entitled: “Description of an ultrasound-guided pudendal nerve injection in dogs: a cadaveric study.” Dr. Jess Briley, an assistant clinical professor, is Zumstein’s major mentor on this work.
• Dr. Tara Harrison, an associate professor of zoo and exotic animal medicine, has been elected to be on the Ethics and Professional Practice Committee for the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. The committee handles, investigates and resolves any written charges of ethics violations, any member or client grievance, or any ethics of grievance matter from any source in regard to AAZV’s code of ethics.
•  Dr. Lysa Posner, interim associate dean of academic affairs and professor of anesthesiology, received the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia’s annual President’s Award. The annual award recognizes outstanding service to the organization and dedication to promoting, growing and strengthening the ACVAA and its membership.

Grants

• Dr. Juliana Bonin Ferreira received a grant from the National Pork Board for her study “Reducing lameness in commercial group-housed sows using rubber flooring.” Along with the college’s Dr. Monique Paris-Garcia, researchers from Michigan State, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Pipestone Veterinary Services will collaborate on the research.
• College of Veterinary Medicine researchers Dr. Kelly Meiklejohn, Dr. Matthew Breen and Dr. Benjamin J. Callahan received a $250,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to continue their work with the Tim Stinson, associate professor of English in the NC State College of Humanities and Social Sciences, on analyzing DNA found in parchment manuscripts. From the data collected, they’re aiming to better understand early modern parchment-making techniques, investigate the history of cattle, goat, and sheep breed selection, and trace the origins of pathogens in early modern England.
• Drs. Margaret Gruen and Duncan Lascelles received a five-year $5.5 million NIH grant for their study entitled “Innovative modeling of the biopsychosocial model in animals: Validation of outcomes for assessing emotional and cognitive domains affected by naturally-occurring chronic pain in dogs.” They will collaborate with researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for this project.
• Dr. Casey Theriot will partner with researchers at Ancilla Biosciences and NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on a recently awarded NIH grant to investigate the effectiveness of using live biotherapeutic products to treat inflammatory bowel disease.