Vet Cetera magazine 2012

Healthy Animals — Healthy People

The official magazine of the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University

2012

Jean Sander, DVM, MAM, DACPV Dean, center for veterinary health Sciences

Derinda Blakeney, APR coordinator of public relations, and Marketing [email protected]

Sharon Worrell alumni relations Specialist

Amanda Davis, MPA, CFRE Senior Director of Development

Dorothy L. Pugh editor

Paul V. Fleming art Director / Designer

Phil Shockley / Gary Lawson Staff photographers

Matt Elliott / Randi Rother contributing writers

Michael Baker associate editor

VET CETERAM A G A Z i n e F A l l 2 0 1 2 / V O l U M E 1 5

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raina Pannee (Class of 2013) examines roz, who is owned by dr. rebecca Morton (’72) in the communications lab, where students practice polishing their ability to talk with future patients’ owners. Story, Page 64

photoGraphy / phiL shockLey

coVeR: natty, a bullmastiff puppy, belongs to dr. dianne Mcfarlane, an assistant professor in physiological sciences at OSU. For more on the dog, see Page 112. Photography by Phil Shockley

4 NEW FACESeight new faculty members have joined osu’s center for Veterinary Health sciences.

2 0 INTERNATIONAL REACH

A tulsa alum is making a difference in Mongolia.

2 4 A DUCKY T IMEosu’s veterinary hospital has added a mascot of a different breed. Quack!

2 7 NEW TRICKSosu veterinarians add traditional chinese treatments to their medicine bags for tough chronic cases.

4 0 HONORSstudents and faculty members win recognition for their successes.

7 1 LEARNINGspecial lectures and conferences expand students’ education.

7 6 GRADUATES

A look at some members of the class of 2012.

9 8 CONNECTIONSReunions and remembrances

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. Title IX of the Education Amendments and Oklahoma State University policy prohibit discrimination in the provision of services or benefits offered by the University based on gender. Any person (student, faculty or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based upon gender may discuss their concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with the OSU Title IX Coordinator, Mackenzie Wilfong, J.D., Director of Affirmative Action, 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, (405) 744-5371 or (405) 744-5576 (fax). This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by The Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, was printed by Progress Printing Plus at a cost of $9,096.00. 5.3M/Sept. 2012/4357

The Center for Veterinary Health Sciences graduates competent, confident, practice-ready vet-erinarians — a tradition it has proudly carried forward since the day the veterinary college opened its doors 64 years ago. Please join us at the CVhs web-site: www.cvhs.okstate.edu. the osU homepage is located at www.okstate.edu.

Vet Cetera magazine is a pub-lication of the oklahoma state University Center for Veterinary health sciences. its purpose is to connect the college with its many alumni and friends, provid-ing information on both campus news and pertinent issues in the field of veterinary medicine

oKLahoMa state UniVersity © 2012

Our educational programs pre-pare outstanding graduates who are highly sought by employers. The stu-dents acquire enhanced surgical skills due to the collaborative efforts of the shelter medicine program, which combines public service with service learning. And they become loyal and engaged alumni.

My focus this year has been to build relationships and engage friends of the college to connect as active par-ticipants in the future vision. In addi-tion to meeting and getting to know several legislators and regents, I have worked with industry and producer groups to gain a better understand-ing of their needs and how we might collaborate for the greater good of all. It is imperative that we connect with our stakeholders to help them better understand our abilities and to enter into conversations where we can learn what they need from us.

We have engaged with many of our constituents through the Okla-homa Livestock Relief Coalition. This organization, with CVHS as a char-ter member, was founded through the efforts of the Oklahoma Veteri-nary Medical Association to support the health needs of animals confis-cated by law enforcement authorities because of abandonment or neglect. It is expected that more folks will be unable to provide care for their ani-mals due to the significant drought in Oklahoma. The organization raises funds to support these animals by providing feed and health care while they are being held prior to more per-manent placement.

I do expect that as the year pro-gresses, we will continue to connect with the various stakeholders of this college. Veterinary medicine is a great profession, one that I am proud to be a part of.

Thanks for your past, current and future support of this great college!

Jean e. Sander, dVM, MaM, daCPV

dean, Center for Veterinary

HealtH SCienCeS

One year in … As I near the end of my first year as dean of the Center for Veterinary

Health Sciences, I reflect on several things: why I chose to come

here, what has been accomplished since I arrived, and what are

the next right steps to take going forward.

First, I came to Oklahoma State University because I found it to be one of the best-kept secrets in vet-erinary medical education in the United States.

This college has dedicated experts who strive to provide a great educa-tional experience for both our gradu-ate and professional students; seek to obtain adequate funding to continue innovative and impactful discover-ies that will result in new treatment modalities, new vaccines and new diagnostic test methods; and pro-vide a wide range of medical services to the people of Oklahoma through direct pet and livestock medical care as well as diagnostic services to prac-tices and owners.

The facilities available here to train students and conduct research provide opportunities not available elsewhere include but are not lim-ited to the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, the Equine Research Park and the Boren Veteri-nary Medical Teaching Hospital.

From the Dean’s Office

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OSU names ‘shining stars’ during veterinary celebrationIn 2011, OSU joined in the worldwide celebration of the 250th anniversary of veterinary medicine. Veterinary medicine serves society by helping to protect the health of animals, humans and the ecosystem. Veterinarians are key public health stakeholders who play critical roles in reducing global hunger, controlling diseases that affect both humans and animals, ensuring the safety and quality of the food supply, advancing biomedical research and protecting the biodiversity of the environment.

In recognItIon of the 250th annIversary of veterInary medIcIne, osU hIghlIghted Its “shInIng stars” — facUlty members who have had valUable Impacts on veterInary medIcIne throUghoUt theIr IllUstrIoUs careers.

a look at the shInIng stars and hIghlIghts of theIr accomplIshments:

2 C e n t e r f o r Ve t e r i n a r y H e a l t h S c i e n c e s

s h i n i n g s t a r s

Tom R. ThedfoRd � National Educational Program regarding

the economic impact of brucellosis and the benefits of eradication system

� Pioneer in distance veterinary continuing education

� National expert in small ruminant medicine and surgery; pivotal in developing health and preventative care of Camelids

William C. edWaRds � Pioneered work in toxicology

of oil field wastes � Mentored several students in

veterinary toxicology � Established investigative techniques

in veterinary forensics

sidney a. eWing � First to report ehrlichiosis in North

America, he studied it and other tick-borne diseases extensively

� Mentored veterinary and graduate students in veterinary parasitology

� Served administrative roles in veterinary medical settings at three land-grant institutions and fostered the preservation of veterinary medical history

e. Wynn Jones � Conducted sponsored research on

anemia and immune mechanisms in bovine anaplasmosis

� Pioneered rapid intravenous anesthesia induction in horses and closed-circuit inhalant anesthesia in large and small animals

� Discovered anesthetic-induced porcine malignant hyperthermia and helped develop diagnosis and treatment for it in domestic animals and humans

helen e. JoRdan � Demonstrated value of mixed grazing

for control of parasitism in ruminants � Showed how life cycles of trematodes

can be exploited for control purposes � First female full professor at OSU’s

veterinary college, mentoring women veterinary students in era when profession was male-dominated

John g. KiRKpaTRiCK � Recipient of six teaching awards while

serving as large-animal clinician � Co-investigator of study comparing bovine

respiratory disease vaccination strategies � Developed a production medicine

elective, exposing students to experts relating to livestock production

RebeCCa J. moRTon � Taught infectious diseases for 20 years;

three-time winner of Norden Distinguished Teaching Award and two-time winner of OSU Regents Distinguished Teaching Award

� Studied Francisella tularensis, especially diagnosis and treatment of feline tularemia, and pathogenesis, vaccine development and tick-associated aspects of tularemia

� National Academies of Science team member; co-author of Biological Science and Biotechnology in Russia: Controlling Diseases and Enhancing Security

RogeR J. panCieRa � First to demonstrate Cryptosporidium

infection in cattle � Pioneer work in several toxicoses, including

oak, vetch, blister beetle poisoning; and parasitisms, including ehrlichiosis and American canine hepatozoonosis

� Mentored many veterinary students and veterinary pathologists

RiChaRd V. shaWley � Established anesthesiology as an

OSU clinical rotation, giving students more hands-on experience

� Instituted the use of gas anesthesia in large-animal surgery labs

� Co-investigator to determine the pathophysiological effects of Cantharidin and development of treatment protocols to address severe electrolyte alterations in horses

photos provided

2 0 1 2 O k l a h o m a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y 3

New faces FACUlTy MEMbERS

hayden completed a rotating large-animal medicine and sur-gery internship at the University of Tennessee and a residency in equine theriogenology at Texas a&m University. her research interests focus on equine breed-ing management.

she was a four-year starter for the fort hays state Univer-sity lady Tiger basketball team while she was completing her pre-veterinary requirements in Kansas. she enjoys working out and participating in most ath-letic activities as well as watch-ing sports.

Shelby Hayden, dVm, ms, diplomate, american College of Theriogenologists, is a clinical assistant professor in therio-genology in Veterinary Clin-ical Sciences. originally from Valley falls, Kan., she earned her dVm degree at Kansas state University and her mas-ter’s degree in biomedical sci-ences at Texas a&m University.

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Kelci McKeirnan, dVm, ms, joins the veterinary center as a clinical instructor in small-animal surgery.

originally from Woodinville, Wash., she earned her dVm from Washington state Univer-sity. in 2007, she came to okla-homa state for a small-animal medicine and surgery intern-ship followed by an american board of Veterinary practitio-ners residency. in 2009, she began a three-year residency in small-animal surgery. she then accepted a one-year position in small-animal surgery join-ing osU’s small-animal surgery team, dr. danielle dugat and dr. mark Rochat.

in her spare time, mcKeirnan enjoys downhill skiing, fly fish-ing, reading and hiking.

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Dr. Véronique Lacombe is an associate professor in the department of Physiologi-cal Sciences.

she grew up in france and earned her dVm from the national Veterinary school of maisons-alfort near paris. she completed an equine intern-ship there as well. at ohio state University, she completed a residency in large-animal internal medicine, earned her ph.d. in comparative exer-cise physiology and completed a postdoctoral fel-lowship at the College of pharmacy.

her laboratory primarily studies metabolism and its disorders during diabetes, insulin resis-tance and obesity.

in her spare time, lacombe enjoys spending time with her husband, as well as hiking, horse-back riding and skiing.




Hospital adds new MRithe Boren Veterinary Medical

teaching Hospital has added a 1.5t Ge echoSpeed Mri unit to its advanced imaging capabili-ties. the unit, housed in a trailer on the north side of the hospi-tal, can accommodate dogs, cats, small ruminants, potbelly pigs and exotic patients up to around 300 pounds.

Referring veterinarians can call with any questions about using this MRi on specific patients. the number for consultations, refer-ral appointments or other ques-tions is 866-654-7007. currently, an MRi scan costs $600, plus the anesthesia fees.

Additional imaging modalities are available, including:

� Upgraded nuclear scintigraphy equipment

� I131 treatment package for hyperthyroid cats, which includes a thyroid scan, isotope treatment and post-treatment hospitalization, is $882 inclusive. Any pre-treatment diagnostics would be an additional cost.

� Four-slice helical GE lightspeed QXi CT with 3D imaging software. The general cost is $400-$800, plus the anesthesia fees, depending on the type of scan needed.

Holly Polf, dVm, diplomate in the american Col-lege of Veterinary Radiology, is a clinical assistant professor of diagnostic imaging in Veterinary Clin-ical Sciences.

originally from Tulsa, she earned her dVm degree from osU in 2003, then did a rotating small-animal medicine and surgery internship at florida Veterinary specialists. she practiced in a small-animal general veterinary practice for three years before completing a radiology internship and residency at Texas gulf Coast Veterinary specialists in houston. polf ’s research inter-ests focus on cross-sectional imaging.

in her spare time, polf enjoys reading, cooking, horse-back riding, walking her dogs and spending time with her family.

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Dr. Ashish Ranjan is an assistant professor in Phys-iological Sciences . origi-nally from Jharkhand, india, he earned his bVsc degree (equiv-alent to a dVm) from madras Veterinary College, Tamil nadu Veterinary and animal science University in Chennai, india. he earned a ph.d. in biomedical and veterinary sciences from Vir-ginia-maryland Regional College of Veterinary medicine, Virginia polytechnic institute and state

Dr. Sabrina Reilly is a clin-ical assistant professor of anesthesiology in Veterinary Clinical Sciences. born in new york City, she grew up in the pocono mountains of pennsylva-nia. Reilly earned her bachelor’s degree in animal bioscience from penn state University and her dVm degree from the Univer-sity of prince edward island in Charlottetown, prince edward, Canada.

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following graduation, she completed a one-year internship in equine medicine at manor equine hospital in monkton, md. Reilly then came to osU in 2009 for a one-year internship in anesthesiology followed by a three-year residency in anesthe-sia at the University of Tennessee.

Reilly’s research interests include the effect of general anesthesia on large captive felids and the interaction of injectable and inhalational anesthetics.

in her spare time, Reilly enjoys art, music, museums, yoga, hiking, kickboxing and cooking.

University and was a visiting fel-low at the Center for interventional oncology in radiology and imaging sciences at the national institutes of health in bethesda, md.

Ranjan’s research interests focus on nanocarrier-mediated targeted drug delivery, image-guided ther-apy and nanotoxicology.

he is a sports enthusiast and in his spare time enjoys outdoor activities and watching sports as well as spending time with his wife, sangeeta, and son, aarvin.

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Dr. Jonathan Pucket joins Veterinary Clinical Sciences as a clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology.

originally from sand springs, okla., he studied at the University of Tulsa and northeastern state University. in 2008, pucket earned his dVm from osU.

he completed a one-year rotating internship in small-animal medicine and surgery at osU before a three-year residency in vet-erinary ophthalmology at Kansas state University. While complet-ing his residency, pucket simultaneously earned a master’s degree in biomedical science. his research interests are corneal sensitiv-ity and corneal surgery.

in his spare time, pucket enjoys spending time with his wife, Jen-nifer nickel-pucket, dVm (osU ’08), running and being an avid fan of osU sports teams.

Mike J. Schoonover, dVm, ms, daCVs-la, is an assistant professor of equine surgery in Veterinary Clinical Sciences. originally from Velma, okla., he earned his dVm from osU in 2000. he completed a yearlong internship in equine field services at ohio state University, then returned to oklahoma state to complete a three-year residency in equine surgery while earn-ing his master’s degree in veterinary biomedical sciences. in 2007, he became a diplomate of the american College of Veterinary surgeons, large animal specialty.

in 2004, schoonover began working as an equine surgeon/associate veterinarian for inter-state equine services inc. in goldsby, okla. While there, he supervised an internship/externship program directing the selection, instruction and mentoring of veterinary students and first-year veterinarians.

his research interests focus on equine sports medicine, lameness evaluation modalities and regenerative medicine. he was the 2008 okla-homa Veterinary medical association equine practitioner of the year and often provided guest lectures for osU.

in his spare time, mike enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer (moore) schoonover, dVm (osU ’00) and their two boys, Willie and garrett, as well as attending osU sporting events.

photo provided


Bruce Williamson is the hospital administrator at the Boren Veterinary Medi-cal teaching Hospital. he was an “army brat” but considers boerne, Texas, his home. Wil-liamson earned his bachelor’s degree in management and his mba from osU.

bruce graduated from high school in bangkok, Thailand, and owns an osU tailgating bus. he enjoys running, fishing, bar-becuing, remote-controlled air-craft and tailgating.

Rose “Gaylene” Har-grove is the director of fis-cal affairs for the veterinary center. originally from buf-falo, okla., she earned her bachelor’s degree in account-ing and an mba from osU.

hargrove is a massage ther-apist who has “jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.” in her spare time, she enjoys sewing, creating, traveling and solving puzzles.

New facesSTAFF MEMbERS

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dr. Christina Bourne was promoted from an assistant research scientist to an associate research scientist in veterinary pathobiology. Bourne holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of oklahoma health sciences Center. her research interests focus on the visualization of molecules by application of crystallographic techniques.

dr. lesa Staubus was promoted from lecturer to clinical assistant professor in Veterinary Clinical Sciences. along with Dr. Kimberly Carter, staubus teaches surgical and anesthetic techniques in conjunction with shelter medicine and wellness veterinary care. staubus is a 1990 DVM graduate of osU. Faculty promotions announced

P r o M o t i o n s / r e a P P o i n t M e n t s




dr. Kimberly Carter was promoted from a lecturer to a clinical assistant professor in Veterinary Clinical Sciences. a 1989 alumna of osU, she teaches surgical techniques in the junior surgery laboratory and shelter medicine. her research interests are in scrotal neuter techniques and pediatric spay and neuter.

dr. Pamela lloyd was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure in Physiological Sciences. Lloyd holds a Ph.D. in physiology, specializing in cardiovascular physiology. her research interests focus on angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, peripheral arterial disease and coronary artery disease.



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P r o M o t i o n s / r e a P P o i n t M e n t s

dr. Jared taylor was reappointed to assistant professor in veterinary pathobiology. taylor teaches veterinary epidemiology and public health. he is a diplomate of the american College of Veterinary internal Medicine in Large animal and a diplomate of the american College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. his research interests focus on the interface of veterinary medicine and public health and beef cattle production medicine.

dr. theresa rizzi was promoted from clinical assistant professor to clinical associate professor in veterinary pathobiology. rizzi is a 1998 DVM graduate from osU. she is a diplomate of the american College of Veterinary Pathologists in clinical pathology. her research interests focus on Cytauxzoon felis: treatment and disease prevalence. in addition, she collaborates as a contributing cytopathologist on other research projects.

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dr. Mason reichard was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure in veterinary pathobiology. he holds a Ph.D. in veterinary biomedical sciences with a specialization in veterinary parasitology from osU. reichard teaches Veterinary Parasitology i and ii and Diseases and Management of Free-ranging Wild animals. he also maintains a research program that focuses on zoonotic and tick-borne diseases of wild and domestic animals.

Lara Sypniewski, DVM, diplomate of the american Board of Veterinary Practitioners, has been appointed to the Patricia Henthorne Clinical Professorship in Small-animal Medicine. sypniewski, a community practice veterinarian in veterinary clinical sciences, is the first person to hold this professorship.

Dianne McFarlane, DVM, Ph.D., diplomate of the american College of Veterinary internal Medicine — Large-animal specialty, has been appointed to the ricks rapp Professorship in Musculoskeletal research. she is an associate professor in Physiological sciences.


Congrats to new endowed chairs


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Veterinary center pair recognized for inventions

Sahlu ayalew (from left) and Katherine Kocan show off their certificates of recognition by the oSU chapter of the national academy of inventors with osU’s Center for Veterinary health sciences dean Jean Sander.

The oklahoma state University chapter of the national academy of inventors recognized 23 inductees during its inaugural induction ceremony this year. among those honored were sahlu ayalew and Katherine Kocan of osU’s Center for Veteri-nary health sciences.

assistant research professor Sahlu ayalew, ph.d., is part of a veterinary pathobiology team that studies Mannheimia haemolytica, a bac-terium that is one of the agents responsible for bovine respiratory disease, in order to develop protective vaccines against it. bovine respiratory disease costs the beef industry more than $1 bil-lion per year.

The team’s research involves identifying spe-cific proteins of M. haemolytica, which stimulate the immune system and can be used to engineer vaccines that may have protective qualities. dur-ing the past few years, the team has secured two U.s. patents, and the work is ongoing.

Katherine Kocan, ph.d., osU Regents profes-sor, Walter sitlington endowed Chair in food ani-mal Research and fellow of the society for Tropical Veterinary medicine, is known internationally for her work with ticks and tick-borne diseases. she

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leads a team that partnered with researchers at the University of minnesota to develop a cell culture system (the first in-vitro system of growing the pathogen outside of a tick or cow) for Anaplasma marginale (the organism that causes bovine ana-plasmosis, a tick-borne disease of cattle). The pat-ent involves the method of growing the Anaplasma marginale in cultured tick cells and for the use of antigens generated from this system in vaccine formulations.

according to the academy, it “supports the sys-tematic application of organized knowledge and information that can generate technology and produce creative solutions to existing problems. inventors are the discoverers and creators of these solutions and, as such, are key contributors to the advancement of technology.”

“OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is proud to have such forward-thinking researchers,” says dr. Jean Sander, dean of the veterinary cen-ter. “New technologies or inventions play a key role in the economic development of the world, and the veterinary center’s researchers make an important contribution to that system.”

— DeRinDA BlAkeney


it takes a team to make osU’s veterinary center successful. and like every team, sometimes one player stands out and really makes a positive impact. such is the case of the 33-year career of dr. Charles macallister. he came to osU’s veterinary hos-pital in 1979 to fill a one-year instructor position in the equine section and he stayed until he retired. in fact, he met his wife Carolynn of 30 years here.

born in Woodbury, n. J., macallister studied at st. peters-burg Junior College and the Uni-versity of florida. he earned his dVm with high honors from auburn University in 1979. in 1987, he passed the requirements to become board certified and a diplomate in the american Col-lege of Veterinary internal med-icine, large animal.

“late in my fourth year of vet-erinary school, dr. steve swaim told me about an open position at osU,” macallister recalls. “I wanted to pursue an academic career, and the job turned out to be just what I was looking for. faculty and staff were very sup-portive. The students were eager to learn along with me. dr. Tom monin took me under his wing and taught me the practical aspects of equine medicine and surgery that he had learned and developed during his long ten-ure at osU.”

LeaVing a Lasting iMPression

macallister earned an out-standing Third-year instructor award (1992-93), the smith-Kline beecham award for Research excellence (1994) and the oklahoma Veterinary med-ical association’s equine practi-tioner of the year award (1994). The last 10 years, he has served as head of the department of Veterinary Clinical sciences.

“it has been extremely reward-ing to work with and help teach many hundreds of veterinary students,” macallister says.

“When i see former students many years after they gradu-ate and they tell me they still remember things i taught them

— that is very rewarding!”

macallister also held the Ricks Rapp professorship in Comparative musculoskele-tal Research and is director of the veterinary center’s equine Research park, located north of the campus. his research inter-ests focused on equine internal medicine, diagnostic endoscopy, gastrointestinal diseases, phar-macology and pain management.

as the man in charge, macal-lister was responsible for pro-ducing quality, effective teaching, research and service programs, as well as promoting outreach and extension activities. in other words, he ran a tight ship that covered all the waters while pro-viding the best in veterinary ser-vice for hospital clients and their animals.

macallister worked closely with the veterinary hospital director, dr. mark neer, who oversees the day-to-day opera-tion of the hospital.

“dr. macallister served as interim hospital director before i was hired,” neer says. “he laid the groundwork, and when i took over as hospital director, it was with a solid foundation on which to build. We are for-tunate to have such loyal clients, with many of them expressing their gratitude through finan-cial donations. Three years ago, the hospital celebrated a com-pletely renovated small-animal critical care unit, thanks to the private donations of more than 75 donors.”

The clinical skills training site for fourth-year veterinary stu-dents, the hospital is open to the public and handles an average of 11,250 veterinary cases a year.

“dr. macallister’s leadership style is to seek input, listen patiently and to act with con-viction,” says dr. michael lorenz, Regents service professor work-ing in the small-animal clinic.

“he has done an excellent job promoting the development of several clinical specialties in the department and hospital. he developed the equine Research park largely on gifts and grants and contracts from companies.”

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Dr. Charles MacAllister


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“sometimes by the time a patient is referred to us, the sit-uation is too far advanced for our clinicians to fix it,” macallis-ter explains. “in those cases, we do our best to make the patient comfortable and give the family and the pet as much quality time together as possible.”

“i have been coming here for 2½ years — awesome people,” lee burk of Tulsa, okla., says about his experience with his dog and the hospital’s ophthal-mology service.

“Without question, this was the very best experience i have had with a veterinary staff in the 35 years i’ve been involved with livestock. great job,” says Kenny brdecko of Wheeler, Texas, who brought his horse to the large-animal clinic.

“I’ve been to several veterinary school hospitals and OSU’s ser-vice is by far the best,” reports leslie maynard of arizona.

“i drove over 1,000 miles to bring Wiglet (potbellied pig) to your care, which was all very professional.”

“my experience at osU’s large-animal clinic was wonderful. i called the clinic and within an hour received a call back. my horse was seen and the veter-inary students and staff were so nice answering my abun-dant questions thoroughly,” says Todd palmer of sperry, okla., and midland, Texas. “i loved the experience of being involved in the evaluation and diagnosis of my horse and listening to the thought process of the students

— excellent service.”


and the hospital clients who bring their animals for treat-ment by the faculty and staff under macallister’s direction mirror that praise.

“OSU’s Small Animal Clinic sets the standard for medical care,” says avis scaramucci of oklahoma City. “staff members exceed expectations with knowl-edge and awareness of each animal in their care. The com-passionate care given to the ani-mals has been consistently so.”

“dr. macallister’s door was always open for us,” adds dr. mel-anie boileau, associate professor in food-animal medicine and surgery. “The role of the depart-ment head is critical for the suc-cess of the hospital for many reasons including supporting and mentoring faculty develop-ment, bringing in extramural dol-lars through faculty research, and thinking outside the box to move the department forward.”

in 2012, the center for Veterinary Health sciences thanked two long-time staff mem-bers for their years of loyal service. Marilyn Moffat was the coordinator of financial and customer services at the veterinary hospi-tal. During her 37 years at the hospital, Moffat oversaw accounts payable, accounts receivable and small-animal and large-animal reception areas. she was a great role model for co-work-ers because she simply lived good customer service and always greeted everyone with a friendly smile.

STAFF MEMBERS

Maxine Miller was a Physical Plant cus-todian. Assigned to the veterinary center for her 36-year career, Maxine spent a few years at the oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic laboratory before moving to Mcelroy Hall. she was responsible for keeping the dean’s office gleaming, among others, and took great pride in her job.

The impact macallister has had on the veterinary center and its hospital will live on for years after he retires. With his new-found freedom, macallister has some projects in mind.

“We have been adding onto our home for 30 years,” he says.

“an initial priority in retirement will be to finally complete unfin-ished home projects. other plans include dealing with the many trees that were downed on our property during a 2011 tornado, spending more time with my fam-ily, traveling, and volunteering in the stillwater community. This has been a great place to live and raise a family, and i look forward to having the time and opportuni-ties to give back.”




“ it has Been extreMeLy reWarDing to WorK With anD heLP teaCh Many hUnDreDs oF Veterinary stUDents.”



dr. Bill Johnson accepted his first position with osU in 1977.


dr. bill Johnson is closing the door on a career that has spanned four decades — and his ties to osU go back even further.

Johnson started his student career at oklahoma state Uni-versity in 1967. While juggling his studies, he maintained a job at frisco Railroad during school breaks and, with the help of his parents, he graduated from vet-erinary school in 1973 debt-free.

“i think i had $15 in my check-ing account when i graduated, but i had no debt. something rare nowadays,” he recalls.

Johnson was also one of the last groups of students accepted into veterinary school after two years of pre-veterinary medicine.

“I remember one of my clients ask-ing me my first year out of veteri-nary school, ‘Are you a real vet?’”

his first job after gradua-tion was with a veterinarian in grove, okla., where he gained a lot of experience with a variety of animals.

Dr. Bill JohnsonWhile at osU, Johnson met

his wife, eileen, who graduated from osU’s veterinary school in 1974. The couple practiced in grove for a year before leas-ing a mixed-animal practice in Chelsea, okla.

in January 1977, dr. e.l. stair, the chief pathologist for the newly opened okla-homa animal disease diag-nostic laboratory at osU, approached bill Johnson to take a position in the pathology residency program at oaddl.

“i was recognizing that i enjoyed cutting up the ani-mals that died, trying to find what went wrong more than i enjoyed treating the animals.”

Johnson was a pathology resident at osU’s oaddl from 1977 until 1980. he then became an instructor in the for-mer department of pathology before returning to oaddl as an assistant professor in pathology in 1981. in 1988, he left for davis, Calif., to work for the California animal health and food safety laboratory at the University of California. Johnson returned to his cow-boy roots in 2001 as the chief pathologist and assistant direc-tor for the oaddl.

“I love pathology. It never ceases to amaze me what the dif-ferent diseases can do. Every case is a new puzzle to solve. There are so many new diseases that we have to deal with today that either did not exist or we did not have the means to diagnose them when i started my residency.”

osU’s oaddl provides diag-nostic services to animal owners and aids in training students in pathology and diagnostic test-ing. oaddl also works with researchers on their diagnostic testing needs.

Johnson has a long list of achievements as director of oaddl, including working with oklahoma’s agriculture secretary to secure funding for oaddl upgrades and imple-menting those upgrades. he was also very involved in help-ing oaddl become a member of the national animal health laboratory network.

even though Johnson is retir-ing, he plans to remain active.

“i would like to grow and sell good quality hay, get back to building furniture and maybe learn leather working. While my body still functions, i would like to return to rock climbing and most importantly, travel with my wife and see every state.”

— RAnDi RotHeR

editor’s note: Randi Rother is an intern from osu’s school of Media and strategic communications.

“ i LoVe PathoLogy. … eVery Case is a neW

PUzzLe to soLVe.”



i n t h e n e W s

“ i Was First introDUCeD to

the Christian Veterinary

Mission When i Was in Veterinary

CoLLege.”— Dr. MarY Ballenger



TUlSA AlUm IS mAkINg A dIffErENCE IN ASIAN NATION

home is where the heart is, they say — and for dr. Mary Ballenger , that heart (and home) has been in Mongolia for several years.

ballenger, originally of Tulsa, earned her dVm in 1981 from osU. a small-animal practi-tioner, she spent the next 23 years working with Veterinary associates in Tulsa. but slowly, she began to follow a different calling.

“i was first introduced to the Christian Veterinary mission when i was in veterinary col-lege,” says ballenger. “i contrib-uted monthly to the CVm to help support large-animal veterinari-ans who were working overseas doing wonderful things.”

ballenger’s support continued after graduation. she met several Christian veterinarians at vari-ous veterinary conferences.

“i was asked to volunteer at the CVm exhibit booth during the oklahoma Veterinary medical association’s annual convention, which i did. Then i was asked to serve on their board in 1993. While serving as chairperson in 2000, i was asked to present at a women’s veterinary seminar in mongolia,” she recounts.

That presentation took bal-lenger, her husband, Richard, and two of their three children to mongolia in 2001 for two weeks. she shared what it was like to be

dr. Mary Ballenger and her husband richard have lived in Mongolia since 2004, working with veterinarians there to improve their care and business capabilities.

The Mongolian Connection

a veterinarian, a mother and a wife. her husband taught busi-ness skills, and their children helped through drama skits.

“our oldest son was attending oral Roberts University in Tulsa at the time and then joined the U.s. marines, so he’s never been to mongolia. something about mongolia called to each one of us during that two-week visit. i saw that i could make a differ-ence by educating the mongolian veterinarians on not only small-animal medicine but large ani-mal as well. i know that while in veterinary college, i grum-bled about studying equine and food-animal medicine. i was going to work in small-animal medicine. but i must say that i appreciate that i was exposed to that; i have pulled on that knowledge numerous times,” ballenger says. “Richard realized he could help teach mongolians how to run a productive busi-ness. our teenage son, george, stopped thinking about buying really cool electronics in Korea for less than he could in the United states and started won-dering what it would be like to be home-schooled in mongolia and to reach out to needy mon-golians. our then-fifth-grade daughter, sally, just fell in love with the people. but making a big move like that needed a lot of thought and prayer, so we returned home.”

after talking and praying about the decision, the ballengers realized they needed to be in mongolia.

“on feb. 14, 2004, we moved to mongolia,” says ballenger.

“We intended to move back home by Christmas 2006 to give george time to graduate with his high school class. as the time for our departure moved closer, george made the comment that we didn’t need to return on his account; he was fine graduating in mongolia. so we stayed and have been working there for the past eight years.”

Working through mongolia V.e.T. net, a nonprofit nongov-ernment organization, and with Christian Veterinary mission, ballenger is the adviser for veter-inary continuing education. she develops continuing education courses and curriculum for mon-golian veterinarians, who share that knowledge with others prac-ticing in more rural areas. These country veterinarians work with herdsmen who tend horses, cat-tle, yaks, sheep, goats and camels.

“it takes about a year to develop a 32- to 35-hour week-long training program,” says ballenger. “We write it in eng-lish and then translate it into mongolian. Then you have to ‘mongolize’ it; just because it works in oklahoma or new york doesn’t mean it will work in

c o n t i n u e s

By DeRinDA BlAkeney


i n t h e n e W s

mongolia. a typical training pro-gram involves classroom work on monday, Tuesday, Thursday and friday. on Wednesday, par-ticipants spend time at the large-animal herd clinic, practicing what they have learned.”

her husband contributes to the program with information on running a business, she says.

ballenger also works to pro-vide distance-learning oppor-tunities and technical expertise. oklahoma state is one of five U.s. schools that is part of an agree-ment with mongolia V.e.T. net and the mongolian state Univer-sity of agriculture with its mon-golian Veterinary school.

Representing osU in the agreement is alumnus dr. Tim snider, Class of 1996. he and ballenger, as well as other partic-ipants, teach mongolian veteri-nary students to better prepare them for fieldwork.

“The veterinary students in mongolia have rudimentary infec-tious disease and parasitology training and no surgery experi-ence,” explains snider. “We’re trying to change that.”

snider is also on a separate multidisciplinary team on osU’s stillwater campus that is inter-ested in international devel-opment. an agreement with mongolian international Uni-versity allows snider and his partners to promote faculty and student exchanges within agri-culture programs of mutual interest.

“The faculty exchange thus far has been one direction, here to there,” says snider. “The stu-dent exchange has been the other direction — there to here. pro-grams are in place to do study abroad as well, but funding opportunities for this activity are sparse.”

“dr. snider has presented case studies with our large-animal veterinarians that have been very informative and helpful,” says ballenger.

“because i am involved in both [agreements], i’m a common denominator to these activi-ties, and we are starting to see some potential in integrating our activities where areas of mutual interest or complementary exist. i present lectures within the dis-tance learning program,” adds snider. “We focus more on the clinical training than on the research aspect of veterinary medicine to meet their imme-diate needs. These mongolian students are working toward earning a master’s degree in vet-erinary medicine from msUa.”

ballenger says she can see the difference they have made already.

“When communism controlled mongolia, the government pro-vided vaccines for the veterinar-ians to administer at no cost. We had to teach the veterinarians to charge for their services,” she says. “at first, payment was a cer-tain amount of sheep to provide veterinary medicine for a horse. now, the mongolian veterinari-ans are mostly paid in cash.”

and it’s not all about the cash.

“Veterinary medicine in mon-golia is changing and for the bet-ter,” ballenger says. “mongolian veterinarians have better train-ing in the diagnosis and treat-ment of diseases, and drugs are newer and safer. healthier ani-mals provide more milk, more wool, more cashmere and more meat, which means herdsmen have more purchasing power. They can buy tools, food, clothes and more. We’re making a dif-ference in not only the lives of animals but in human lives by restoring their hope for a brighter future and making a difference in the country’s environment. It’s a wonderful, rewarding experience.”

The ballengers’ children are grown now, and it doesn’t look like the empty nesters will be leaving mongolia anytime soon. snider anticipates his work will continue as well.

“The memorandum of under-standing between the mongolian university and college allow us to continue to provide training, education and support to tomor-row’s mongolian veterinarians,” says snider. “it’s a win-win sit-uation because we can benefit from what we learn and experi-ence from each other.”



after a successful trial of access to VetMed resource for recent graduates, the veterinary center is announcing a five-year pilot partnership with Cabi publishing to offer this resource to all veterinary alumni.

the center for Veterinary Health sciences has introduced an office of student services to better serve students’ needs.

the office is in charge of handling certain essential functions pertain-ing to student services.

student services is staffed by Joyce axton, Sherl Holesko, Michelle Kuehn, anna teague and robin Wilson, with assistance from lucy Ker-shaw on fourth-year students and Mary Kay Jennings on college cere-monies and special events.

“We have streamlined the process for students, which allowed for some cross-training so that we always have someone available to assist stu-dents,” says Dr. chris Ross, associate dean for academic affairs. “We want to work smarter, not harder, and this team approach provides the best ser-vice for our students.”

Veterinary center first to offer VetMed Resource access for all alumni

STUdENT SErVICES offICE OpENS

VmR is a comprehensive online information product designed for veterinary practitioners, technicians and others working in the veterinary field. it contains all of Cabi publishing’s veteri-nary information and is intended to support con-tinuing education.

The abstracts database contains more than 1.4 million citations and 40,000 full-text docu-ments covering journals, book chapters, reports and proceedings from 1972 to the present. you can request items not included in VmR through interlibrary loan from your local library. VmR also includes full-text Cab Review articles and almost 700 datasheets related to veterinary medicine.

additional information about VmR is available at www.cabi.org/vetmedresource/.

The veterinary center provided 2012 alumni with log-in information in a graduation packet. all other veterinary alumni may request log-in and password through a registration form at info.library.okstate.edu/vetalumni.

Training will be available at the center’s annual fall Veterinary Conference and at the oVma annual Conference. To schedule other in-person or virtual trainings, email [email protected] or call 405-744-6655.

C o L L e g e r e s o U r C e s


There is a new mascot at osU’s veterinary hos-pital — Sherbert, an indian runner duck. a stillwater resident brought the orphaned duck to the hospital after sherbert just wandered into the house with the family dog.

“it’s obvious that sherbert was once someone’s pet as she is very friendly,” says Jill Murray, (reg-istered veterinary technician, veterinary techni-cian specialty in avian and exotic animals) in the hospital’s avian, exotic and Zoo medicine service.

“she loves people and will just follow you around, quacking her opinion as she goes.”

indian Runner ducks are a domesticated water-fowl known for their upright stance, high egg pro-duction and varied colors. sherbert is a pied color

— fawn and white.

“sherbert will join the other resident animals we have in the avian, exotic and Zoo medicine service,” says Cornelia Ketz-Riley, dVm, diplo-mate, american College of Zoological medicine, assistant professor and head of the service. “We will use her to teach veterinary students the proper way to handle a duck and the wellness veterinary care ducks require.”

“We can also use her as a blood donor duck should another duck be admitted to the veterinary hospital that requires a blood transfusion,” adds murray. “ducks can also be used as blood donors for other birds if necessary. birds can handle blood pretty much from any other bird. of course it would be best to use a blood donor of the same avian species, but in an emergency, sherbert can help out.”

according to murray, ducks are a pretty com-mon species for pets.

“There is even a duck rescue here in oklahoma. indian Runner ducks can’t fly. We take her for daily walks for exercise, let her swim and make sure she is around people,” says murray. “she has a mind of her own. if she is off by herself, she doesn’t like it and starts quacking — very loudly.”

in addition to sherbert, the avian, exotic and Zoo medicine service is home to Harley the red-tail boa; Guiness, tequila, Morgan and Corey, all guinea pigs; ophelia the rat; Sophie the fer-ret; Brumby the sugar glider; and Speckles the cockatiel.

There’s a new mascot in town

dr. Cornelia Ketz-riley, head of the avian, exotic and Zoo Medicine Services, holds the latest addition to her service’s menagerie, Sherbert, an indian runner duck.


M a s C o t


ANImAl rESOUrCES WOrkS TO mAINTAIN ITS bAdgE Of HONOr


Accredited care

The department of ani-mal resources is located on the west side of mcelroy hall. Under the direction of todd Jackson, dVm and diplomate of the american College of lab-oratory animal medicine, five staff members and four student workers keep the department running smoothly.

“The Center for Veterinary health sciences is proud to be the first osU-stillwater college to obtain accreditation for its animal-care program,” Jackson says. “Under the leadership of my prede-cessor, dr. denver marlow, the center applied for and received aaalaC international accredita-tion in 2010. This covers the veterinary center’s entire research animal care program — animal Resources, the Veterinary medicine Ranch, the equine Research park and all individual research labs. This is huge in the research world and a real feather in our cap, as it lets others know what a high-quality program we run here.”

The association for assessment and accredita-tion of laboratory animal Care is an international nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science. in the scientific community, aaalaC international accreditation demonstrates that an institution is serious about upholding high standards for animal care.

“Accreditation is also a recruiting tool,” says Jackson. “We can offer the best and brightest researchers and professors a high-quality animal-care program to support their research. potential employees will know they are coming to work at an institution that has the utmost regard for research animals. Quality research animal care is critical to gathering quality scientific data from the animals.”

in addition, the accreditation process helps promote continuous improvement. once earned,

accreditation can be maintained only by uphold-ing the high standards set by the aaalaC. peer reviewers visit the institution every three years to evaluate the quality of animal care.

as part of the continuous improvement process, an internal osU grant has been awarded to ani-mal Resources to upgrade the heating, ventila-tion and air conditioning systems. once installed, a computerized monitoring system will check air quality continuously.

“if a room becomes too warm or too cold for any reason, the system will sound alarms and notify staff to respond,” explains Jackson. “This is criti-cal for temperature-sensitive research animals that could become distressed within hours if heating or cooling systems fail.

“Accreditation is a true commitment to humane animal care and use,” adds Jackson. “It shows the university, the state and the world that OSU’s veter-inary center is serious about ensuring animal well-being and conducting good science.”

animal Resources staff include Bruce nance, facility manager; Janelle Ballard, supervisor; animal technicians Charles Jacques and Mar-tha Bastion; Mendi Cronister, administrative assistant; and several student workers. Jackson’s team provides veterinary and husbandry care for dogs, cats, cattle, horses, white-tailed deer, rab-bits, rats, mice, voles, birds and more.


o F M i C e a n D M e n

P i n s & n e e D L e s


Phil Shockley / UniverSity Marketing

OSU VETErINArIANS OffEr CHINESE TrEATmENTS IN TOUgH CHrONIC CASES

Adding to the medicine bag

By DeRinDA BlAkeney

dr. reed Holyoak uses acupuncture to treat a horse at osU’s veterinary hospital. horses have hundreds of “spots” to use as acupuncture points.

Veterinarian dr. reed Holyoak , a recognized board-certified specialist in theriogenology (animal reproduction medicine) at osU’s veterinary hospi-tal, was looking for ways to treat infertility cases that were unresponsive to main-stream veterinary therapies.

Reports of success in using acupuncture, first out of the far east and europe, then from Ken-tucky and florida, led holyoak to studying Tradi-tional Chinese Veterinary medicine, which includes acupuncture.

c o n t i n u e s


completed the medical acupunc-ture for Veterinarians course in Colorado, a collaborative effort involving Colorado state Uni-versity, the Colorado Veterinary medical association and the international academy of Vet-erinary medical acupuncture.

“This course provided criti-cally evaluated, evidence-based instruction in acupuncture and related techniques, such as laser therapy, massage and rehabilita-tion,” says sypniewski, patricia henthorne Clinical professor-ship in small-animal medicine.

“The curriculum concentrated on the action of acupuncture on the nervous system and how it can be utilized to provide effec-tive pain relief.”

Hours of studyingsypniewski spent 140 hours

completing class work and another 200 hours studying outside the classroom.

“Acupuncture is an emerging modality in veterinary medicine that allows for a complement to Western therapies for the treatment of numerous condi-tions including acute and chronic pain,” says sypniewski. “There are many local and systemic effects that occur after a sterile needle is placed in an acupunc-ture point. increased circula-tion locally around the needle is noted almost immediately. stress is reduced by a secondary release of ‘feel good’ hormones (endorphins from the body’s own pharmacy, if you will) and the parasympathetic nervous sys-tem is activated, allowing the normalization of organ function.”

sypniewski explains that mus-cular trigger points relax and muscular restriction is reduced. The brain and spinal cord are also affected by the endorphins released during needling, modu-lating the body’s response to pain.

“Acupuncture is not painful, and most patients actually enjoy it, It is very safe, and side effects are rare,” she adds. “i do warn, how-ever, that patients may experi-ence muscular discomfort after acupuncture due to the physi-ologic changes that occur after needle placement. This dis-comfort is short-lived and can be managed with appropriate anti-inflammatory and/or pain medications.”

sypniewski usually spends about one hour with patients; her treatments combine acu-puncture, massage and laser therapy.

both holyoak and sypniewski agree that acupuncture is a com-plement to Western medical therapies; it is an option and not the only treatment to con-sider when dealing with disease and chronic pain cases. There are many patients that will ben-efit from this modality, they say.

only in the United states has modern medicine completely replaced older forms of medi-cine. The World health orga-nization recently indicated that 80 percent of the world’s popu-lation relies on herbal medica-tions as part of their primary health care. The american Vet-erinary medical association recognizes acupuncture as an alternative form of veterinary medicine, and it falls under the oklahoma Veterinary prac-tice act as well. in 1997, the national institutes of health found sufficient evidence of acupuncture’s value to expand its use into conventional med-icine and to encourage further studies of its physiology and clinical value.

While neither approach has all of the answers, it was these frustrating cases that spurred holyoak into five months of intensive study and training in order to offer an integrated east-meets-West medical approach in treating patients at the osU Center for Veterinary health sci-ences’ boren Veterinary medical Teaching hospital.

“it has been a mind-opening experience and a very demand-ing course of study,” says holy-oak, who already held ms, dVm and ph.d. degrees. “in addition to teaching future veterinari-ans as students here at osU, I look forward to offering this new approach in working with veter-inary practitioners, pet owners and livestock producers in the state of Oklahoma and surround-ing areas. These are part of the wonders of my life.

“We had two infertile client mares at the Veterinary med-icine Ranch, where we handle our theriogenology cases,” recalls holyoak. “We added acupunc-ture, and we were able to clear the infection in the reproduc-tive track and extract embryos for impregnation, and now we have two expectant mares.”

another veter inarian at osU has also added acupunc-ture to her repertoire. in may 2012, lara Sypniewski, dVm, community practice veterinar-ian at the small-animal clinic,

now certified in the field, holyoak can use his expertise to treat these tough infertility cases in horses, dogs, cows, and even sore backs and hind legs in bulls.

“Acupuncture and associated therapies are part of a new move-ment in human and veterinary medicine integrating the best of nontraditional healing therapies into modern, Western medicine to form a broader-based medical system,” says holyoak.

Western medicine of ten focuses on clinical symptoms with diagnosis based on the results of multiple tests, which is good for diagnosing and treat-ing acute disease. however, chronic diseases, such as infer-tility, arthritis and others, can be nonresponsive to Western veter-inary medical therapies.

Chinese approachacupuncture and Chinese

herbal medicine take a whole-animal approach, utilizing a comprehensive hands-on phys-ical exam, considering over-all balances and imbalances, excesses and deficiencies in diag-nosing and treating disease.

“The focus is on correcting what is out of balance in affect-ing a cure. it is the nonrespon-sive cases that are the most frustrating for all of us,” adds holyoak.




dr. lara Sypniewski treats 13-year-old Cashew’s elbow arthritis with acupuncture. the arthritis causes the terrier mix to favor his leg when he walks, which results in muscle tension and knots along his shoulders and back.



in May 2012, dr. reed Holyoak accompa-nied dr. taylor tillery (class of 2012) and three veterinary students to china to participate in a veterinary acupuncture introduction course organized by china southwest university and chi institute of chinese Medicine.

Holyoak was one of three certified acupunc-turists who lectured and instructed at the two-day hands-on laboratories. Dr. Husisheng Xie from the university of Florida and two instruc-tors from the southwest university college of Veterinary Medicine also provided lectures and demonstrations.

A total of 12 participated in the four-day course with students representing oklahoma state university, louisiana state university, Washington state university and the country of Australia.

“the trip was amazing,” says Hannah Wads- worth, class of 2013. “i enjoyed learning about acupuncture and seeing how the chinese peo-ple live. it’s humbling to visit a third-world country and realize how blessed i really am.”

dr. reed Holyoak (from left), Juli Constantine, Brittany Koether, dr. Huisheng Xie, Hannah Wadsworth and dr. taylor tillery visit China for the acupuncture course.

ph

oto

pr

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ided

Learning in the homelandlectures focused on traditional chinese

medicine and traditional chinese veterinary medicine. traditional chinese Medicine was established approximately 3,000 years ago. its fundamentals are still in use today, including the five elements and eight principles used to diagnose and treat patients with acupuncture.

Attendees learned the commonly used acu-points on dogs and horses, including the loca-tion of approximately 100 acupuncture points along the 12 meridians.

“i really enjoyed the trip to china,” says Brit-tany koether, class of 2015. “We learned an immense amount about acupuncture, herbs and the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. We were welcomed with open arms and toured the veteri-nary facilities and the medical hospital, where we saw acupuncture.”



Lab gives diagnoses a step upThe Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic laboratory provides services across the country. The Molecular Diagnostic laboratory has offered bacteriology and virology testing since the OADDl expanded its facility in 2008.

Molecular diagnostics uti-lizes a testing method known as polymerase chain reaction to quickly and efficiently analyze a variety of veterinary samples.

in the 1980s, a traditional or gel-based pCR became one of the most powerful tools in vet-erinary diagnostics. This pro-cess involved extracting dna or Rna from various sample types

— blood, tissue, swabs, feces, etc. To identify a specific disease agent, lab technicians would then run gels using ethidium bromine, which is toxic.

Today, a process known as real-time pCR improves the process. a fluorescent probe is placed into the sample during the test, making the reaction visible as it occurs. lab techni-cians can see if and when a cer-tain product is being made.

The virology section offers the following molecular tests: � Avian influenza � bluetongue virus � bovine coronavirus � Canine adenovirus I & II � Canine distemper virus � Canine parvovirus � Epizootic hemorrhagic

disease and bluetongue � Equine herpesvirus 1 & 4 � Equine herpesvirus 2 � Equine influenza � General herpesvirus � Infectious bovine

rhinotracheitis � Influenza A � Malignant cattarrhal fever � Porcine reproductive and

respiratory syndrome � Sequencing and

sequence analysis

established in 1976, the oaddl is a full-service veter-inary diagnostic laboratory. it is fully accredited by the amer-ican association of Veterinary laboratory diagnosticians and a member of the national ani-mal health laboratory network. oaddl conducts surveillance testing on avian influenza, swine influenza, exotic newcastle dis-ease virus and classical swine fever.


the oklahoma animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory conducts a variety of tests.

“The real-time pCr reduces the time it takes to run the test,” explains emily Cooper, quality manager and molecular assay developer at oaddl. “It reduces the chances of cross-contam-ination, and it lessens the risk of chemical exposure to the operator.”

molecular biology runs the following bacteriology tests: � Tritrichomonas foetus � Johnes disease � Anaplasma marginale � Clostridium perfringens

toxin typing � Mycoplasma bovis � 16S rDNA sequencing

(helps identify difficult-to-differentiate bacteria)

The lab is in the process of val-idating a pCR for Leptospira spp on urine and kidney, which will then also be available.


r e a L - t i M e t e s t i n g

Jill Murray, RVT, VTs, grew up in guelph, ontario, Canada. she spent her summers vol-unteering at the local human society. her career in veteri-nary medicine began at age 16 with her first job at the guelph humane society. That led her to a veterinary assistant posi-tion in a local veterinary hospi-tal, where she decided to further pursue her career in veterinary medicine.

“i have always loved animals,” says murray. “I find the human animal bond interesting and decided the best way to help ani-mal owners and their pets was through education, listening and health care.”

murray graduated from the Veterinary Technician program at seneca College in ontario, Canada, in april 2005. by June 2005, she had passed the exam to become a registered veter-inary technician through the ontario association of Veteri-nary Technicians.

“i was the unique student in my veterinary technician pro-gram,” says murray. “While most students wanted to work with dogs, cats and horses, i dreamed of working with exotic animals. due to the limited special spe-cies training veterinary tech-nicians receive as part of the curriculum, i knew that i had much work ahead of me to make that dream a reality.”


While Jill Murray enjoys the variety of species treated in the avian, exotics and zoo Medicine service, her favorite is pet birds. she shares her home with two birds — angel, a Moluccan cockatoo, and raine, a solomon island eclectus parrot.

An exotic realityOSU VET TECH blAzES TrAIl WITH pASSION fOr UNUSUAl ANImAlS

she joined osU’s boren Vet-erinary medical Teaching hos-pital in 2008 and works in the hospital’s avian, exotic and Zoo medicine service. in 2012, mur-ray added one more accolade to her career: she is the first RVT to successfully complete the extensive application and exam process to become a veterinary technician specialist in exotic companion animals.

“achieving my VTs is very exciting and humbling with a huge sense of relief from pre-paring and studying,” she says.

“having my VTs will open up more teaching and learning opportunities.”

murray spent the last four years working with exotic pets in osU’s veterinary hospital fol-lowed by a yearlong application process.

“i had to perform and assist with a variety of advanced skills and procedures in exotic species, documenting my experiences and involvement in the nursing care of animals seen at the vet-erinary hospital. i also had to prepare multiple case reports showing my understanding, crit-ical thinking and knowledge of the various species and disease processes.”

once murray’s application was accepted, she had only four months to study for the exam.

“i dove into studying. The species list was extensive and included amphibians, birds, exotic pet mammals, reptiles and wildlife.”

even though murray has achieved this certified status, she knows there is more to learn.

“my learning has only begun. The information we have on exotic pets is ever growing and changing.”

murray serves on the acad-emy of Veterinary Technicians in Clinical practice committee focused on advancing the veter-inary technician profession and

specialty designation. and she will have plenty of opportuni-ties to learn at osU’s veterinary hospital.

“Every day is different. Some-times your patient will walk in, other times it will fly or slither in,” she says. “on some occasions, we see species from local zoos or private collections. i never would have thought as a veter-inary technician that seeing a lion, cougar or monkey would be part of everyday life — and it is. i hope to be able to share my love of exotic species with other veterinary technicians.”



F o r t h e B i r D s

lASEr THErApy HElpS NEWbOrN COlT OVErCOmE lEg INjUry

osU veterinarians don’t know exactly what happened to a young Kansas foal who couldn’t stand up after his birth, but they found a way to help him.

The foal, the first from a 4-year-old mare, was unable to nurse, so he was missing the important antibodies in his mother’s colostrum. his owner, a small-animal veterinarian from Wichita, Kan., knew the foal needed help when he found it. having referred many clients to osU’s veterinary center, he didn’t hesitate to drive almost 1½ hours to osU’s large-ani-mal clinic.


Nursing a foal back to health

“in an unattended delivery, it’s hard to say what happened,” says todd Holbrook, dVm, diplo-mate of the american College of Veterinary internal medicine, large animal and the ameri-can College of Veterinary sports medicine and Rehabilitation as well as the equine section chief at osU’s Center for Veterinary health sciences. “The foal was less than 6 hours old, and he had dramatic swelling in his upper left hind leg. he probably injured the leg during delivery.”

holbrook determined that the colt ruptured his gastrocnemius muscle in his upper left back leg, equivalent to the calf muscle in a person. after applying a sup-portive splint on the limb, hol-brook and his team decided to incorporate laser therapy for the first time to help heal the colt’s muscular injury.

“The foal was treated using a low-level laser therapy (lllT) device, which theoretical ly enhances healing, including with tendons and skin wounds,” explains Kenneth Bartels , dVm, mcCasland foundation

By DeRinDA BlAkeney

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the foal’s mother tries to nose in to see what’s happening to her baby as registered veterinary technician Judy Branson (from left) treats it while fourth-year veterinary student Matt Kren, dr. todd Holbrook and Sabari ford (hidden) hold it.


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laser surgery professor and Kerr Chair for biophotonics.

“lllT is also used to alleviate pain due to musculoskeletal problems caused by degenerative osteoar-thritis. lllT is used in both human and veterinary medicine, but its objective efficacy or benefit is still being investigated. our laser lab has been working with a num-ber of manufacturers to provide objective results for research as well as clinical applications for both large and small animals. This therapy is used frequently in rehabilitative medicine within the center’s small-animal veteri-nary hospital.”

holbrook and ass i s t ing fourth-year veterinary stu-dents, Matt Kren and Sabari ford, held the foal while treat-ment was administered by Judy Branson. Branson, a registered veterinary technician, received additional training to become licensed to properly operate laser equipment for veterinary applications. she treated the foal for 10 minutes each day.

“After several days of laser treatment, the swelling had gone down considerably,” reports hol-brook. “This is an uncommon injury in foals. We put a splint on the foal’s leg to provide sup-port so he could stand and nurse. by day 12, we were able to send him home with a splint and wrap on his leg.”

The foal’s owner reported that the foal was able to walk with-out the splint approximately 2½ weeks after discharge. The fol-lowing week, the foal returned for an ultrasound examination to determine how the healing had progressed.

“I am very pleased with the foal’s progress,” says holbrook.

“he still has a mildly abnormal gait, and fragments of bone that were distracted from the aspect of the leg where the gastrocne-mius originates are still present.”

The colt’s owner also believes the healing process has gone very well. he uses laser therapy often in his small-animal prac-tice and looks forward to watch-ing his foal continue to grow with no lasting effects from the early injury.

Two months passed, and the foal returned to osU for one final checkup.

“ The injury continues to improve radiographically,” says holbrook. “his exercise has been gradually increased so that he is now ready to turn out to pasture. While splint immobilization was the primary treatment modality, the laser therapy appeared to rapidly reduce the fluid accumu-lation (edema and hemorrhage) early in the treatment of this case, and we are very satisfied with the results.”

the laser treatment is applied for 10 minutes.



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Rescuing a rescuerA mONTH bEfOrE jOplIN’S dEVASTATION, OSU VETS brINg A SEArCH dOg bACk frOm THE brINk Of dEATH

osu had the opportunity to treat a dog with a huge heart and an amazing drive to work. Meet lily, a 4-year-old Weimaraner owned by tara Prosser of Joplin, Mo.

Lily has been with the Prosser family since she was 10 weeks old. Prosser trained her as a search-and-rescue dog, and the duo are mem-bers of PAWs search Dog Alliance and newton county Rescue and Recovery in Jop-lin. lily was nominated for the 2012 Hero dog Awards by the American Humane Associa-tion and placed third in the search and rescue category, competing against 12 other dogs.

“What i like most about training these dogs is the sense of being one with your dog,” explains Prosser.

“you move, your dog moves. Being able to save a life with the help of your dog is just an amazing feeling.”

PhotoS coUrteSy / tara ProSSer

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2 0 1 2 o k l a h o m a s t a t e u n i v e r s i t y 35

lily searches destroyed homes and businesses after the 2011 tornado that hit her hometown of Joplin, Mo. a month earlier, she had been near death at osU’s veterinary hospital.

“there is not a Day that goes

By that i aM not thanKFUL For

Dr. CUnninghaM anD the staFF at osU’s Veterinary

hosPitaL.”


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in march 2011, lily developed profound swelling of the lymph nodes under her chin and the tis-sues around her face.

“our veterinarian in neosho, mo., treated lily, but the lymph nodes in her neck remained swollen even after her facial swelling was resolved. after three weeks, our veterinarian did a biopsy, which came back unremarkable.”

a week later, the two were at a search team training, when prosser noticed lily’s left eye was irritated.

“i checked it, but didn’t really see anything,” prosser remem-bers. “later that evening, she stopped eating and seemed lethargic, acting as if she were in pain. i checked her every hour during the night, and that’s when i noticed her eye had hemorrhaged, was swollen and bulging. she had a fever and couldn’t walk without bumping into walls.”

as soon as her veterinar-ian opened the next morning, prosser had lily in his office.

“He took one look at her and said, ‘We need to get her on the road to Stillwater.’ We got in the car and left. i didn’t bring any-thing with me — just lily and a couple of teammates who came to support me.

“it was our first visit to osU’s veterinary hospital . i was impressed; the doctors were listening to me, and everyone understood how important it was to help this sick dog. i knew lily was in good hands.”

dr. lauren Cunningham, a small-animal internal medi-cine resident, was assigned to lily’s case.

“Upon arrival, we treated lily for pain and fever,” recalls Cun-ningham. “Then we ran several tests on her to rule out possi-ble causes. she had a severe decrease in her platelet count, with evidence of active bleed-ing. Coagulation profiles were normal, infectious disease test-ing came back negative, fungal disease tests were unremarkable, and cytology of multiple organs showed no evidence of organ-isms or cancer. Cultures were performed and came back neg-ative. We knew she had a huge exposure risk with her job. We felt it had to be set off by some-thing she was exposed to; we simply could not find the culprit.”

“When the test results started coming in, dr. Cunningham said the possibility of her regain-ing sight in the affected eye was very grave and if it was painful, it might need to be removed,” says prosser. “every test for tick dis-eases came back negative. lily’s platelet count dropped very low, and she showed signs of internal bleeding. bruises were starting to show on her abdomen. That was my lowest point — i thought i was losing my partner.”

prosser remembers lying in bed at her hotel, wondering when the phone would ring to tell her lily had bled out and was gone.

“The phone didn’t ring,” prosser says. “in the morning, we talked about removing lily’s eye to help determine the diagnosis. With lily’s platelet count so low, dr. Cunningham did not want to do any invasive procedures that might cause lily to bleed.”

Cunningham started lily on prednisone, and within days her platelet count was climb-ing. by the end of the week, lily was well enough to go home. although the inciting cause of her immune mediated dis-ease remains unknown, lily responded well to treatment and has never looked back.

a little over a year ago, prosser acquired another Weimaraner — daisey, who is now 2 years old.

“a month after lily’s release, i planned on taking daisey to a training seminar in arkansas. i didn’t want to leave lily with someone knowing she might crash again, so i brought her along,” says prosser. “i did not intend on working with her, but she had other ideas.”

according to prosser, lily barked and carried on while daisey was working. The train-ers there knew about lily’s situ-ation and convinced Tara to let lily try.

“so with fear in my heart, i took lily out, and she blew me away with her energy and her drive to work! lily is a human remains detection dog. one of the exercises was a sectioned-off field where a single baby tooth was planted. The trainers told us to find it, and lily did.”

on the way back to Joplin that evening, prosser learned that their city had just been hit by an ef5 tornado.

“We were exhausted, and we weren’t sure what we would be driving into,” remembers prosser.

“it was about 10 p.m. when we arrived. my husband, Jeff, who is a paramedic for newton County ambulance, left immediately to join his crew. i started making plans for the K9 team.”

early the next morning, prosser and lily searched a lev-eled department store, grocery store and a furniture store. it was on to residences the next day.

“We cleared so many that we lost count. devastation was everywhere, but lily just kept working,” prosser recalls. “she stepped on several nails from all the roof shingles; she never whimpered and just kept work-ing. every night, lily would come home and play in our back-yard like nothing extraordinary had happened. but as soon as i put my boots on the next morn-ing, she was ready to go again. you would never have known that a month before she was close to dying.”

happily, prosser reports that at a regular checkup in novem-ber 2011, lily’s veterinarian said that she is probably regaining vision in the eye that was almost removed.

“There is not a day that goes by that i am not thankful for dr. Cunningham and the staff at osU’s veterinary hospital,” she says. “lily is more than my partner — she is a family mem-ber, and i would have been lost without her. one day i will lose her, and it won’t be easy. but because of dr. Cunningham and everyone else who had a hand in her care, i still have lily with me today, and she has many more years of bringing closure to fam-ilies and saving lives.”



INNOVATIVE THINkINg gIVES dOg A NEW WAy TO rOAm

Missy is a 14-year-old shel-tie dog owned by Marie Basler of stillwater. missy suffers from severe arthritis in all of her limbs.

“When missy was about 5 years old, she hurt her right front leg,” explains basler. “she spent three weeks with her leg in a cast until the tendon healed. after that, she would sometimes limp a lit-tle on that leg. about six years ago, she started to go lame in her back legs. gradually, she went down on her hocks in the back.”

missy’s veterinarian referred basler to osU’s veterinary hos-pital. an osU student Union employee, basler knew that the veterinary hospital was open to the public and had brought dogs in for treatment before.

Wheeling around


“We tried physical therapy and leg braces. The therapy helped loosen her joints a bit, but she never could get used to the braces,” says basler. “missy is a spunky little dog and managed to adapt to walking on her hocks.”

sadly, basler says that about three years ago, missy’s right front leg started to turn inward and within a year, missy grad-ually began to go down on her front legs as well.

“of course, we were giving her medicine to help with the joint pain. Then in april 2011, missy developed an abrasion on her right front leg that bled and oozed liquid similar to a burst blister,” adds basler.

a trip to the veterinary hospital resulted in dr. lara Sypniewski, community practice veterinar-ian, treating missy for infection for the next three weeks before the spot healed.

in fall 2011, missy developed another sore on the same spot — so back to the veterinary hospi-tal went basler and missy.

“i was told that missy could have surgery on both front legs to straighten them and possibly help her get back up on her feet,” says basler.

Unfortunately, the timing for missy’s treatment could not have been worse. basler’s other dog, al, was hospitalized for a stroke-like condition and kidney failure. as al’s condition deteriorated

Missy the sheltie gets around her home nicely with her cart.

quickly, basler made the tough decision to euthanize him. hav-ing a sick pet in the hospital is a significant emotional, financial and time investment for even the most dedicated owner.

“Taking that into consider-ation along with missy’s age and the cost of the surgery, i decided against surgery for missy,” says basler. “i asked dr. sypniewski if there were other treatment options to help heal the sore.”

“We wanted to help missy. it was time to think outside the box,” says sypniewski. “laura moorer, certified canine rehabil-itation practitioner on staff, sug-gested that a cart might help. missy actually walked in it the first time we sat her in it.”


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Veterinarian dr. lara Sypniewski (from left), certified canine rehabilitation practitioner laura Moorer and owner Marie Basler pose with Missy and her custom cart. Moorer came up with the idea of a cart for the arthritis-stricken dog.

moorer photographed mis-sy’s little legs and took lots of measurements before ordering the cart. When the custom cart arrived from doggon’ Wheels, moorer put it together and fit it to missy.

“missy still has a little trouble going in a straight line because she favors her right front leg,” says basler. “it has helped her foot to heal, and most of the time missy is able to go around the house all by herself — even with her crippled legs.

“I encourage people to never give up on a dog and look for as many options as you can find to help them. i think we have some pretty amazing veterinarians, students and staff at the veteri-nary college who are very creative thinkers and patient with owners. missy and i are very fortunate they are on our side.”




“it giVes PeoPLe hoPe that they Can MaKe a DeCision anD Change the CoUrse oF their LiFe iF they Want to, they Don’t haVe to get stUCK. they’re not as oLD as they thinK.”


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The winner of 2011’s Regents dis-tinguished Teaching award got a late start on her teaching career, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

dr. robin allison, a veterinary pathologist, spent 15 years as a certi-fied veterinary technician working for practices in ohio, illinois, Colorado and missouri. although she found that career rewarding, she was always drawn to the lab. Realizing her innate talent and passion, her supervisors let her go beyond her position’s require-ments and analyze samples.

“That’s what I loved doing as a tech-nician,” Allison says. “I could take a sample into my little closet of a lab and come out and say, ‘I know the answer. I have the information that’s going to make a difference in the way we treat this patient.’ That’s just really super rewarding.”

allison knew that was the career for her after attending a conference at Colorado state University. she attended a talk by the woman who would later become her mentor, noted Ross University clinical pathologist dr. mary anna Thrall, and decided to go back to school, get her dVm and become a clinical pathologist. but there was one problem.

“my major problem at the time was that I was 36, and I thought I was too old,” allison says. “While on the phone with my mom, complaining about my life, i said, ‘even if i could get into vet school, i’d be over 40 by the time i finished.’ she started laugh-ing. i got bent out of shape. she said, ‘i’ve got news for you, Robin. you’re going to be over 40 anyway.’ i said, ‘huh. good point.’”

in 1991, allison left a 480-acre ranch, moved into a house trailer and started school at Colorado state. she had to take undergraduate classes to get some of the necessary prerequi-site courses out of the way, and those made her feel awkward about her age.

she calls it the hardest thing she’s ever done. still, she focused and made it to veterinary school, where she excelled, working in Thrall’s lab at CsU. following veterinary school, she did a residency in clinical pathology there and earned a doctoral degree in veterinary pathology.

allison finished veterinary school in 1996 and received her doctoral degree in 2002, both from Colorado state University in fort Collins. she was studying feline aids until she came to osU in 2004. Known pri-marily as a researcher at the time, she flourished in her new career at osU, excelling as a teacher as well as a scientist.

her enthusiasm for her work grew the more she did. That sense of won-der drives her today. it’s a big part of why she won the veterinary col-lege’s top teaching award, ranking her among the best instructors to ever teach there, a noteworthy accom-plishment considering the college’s history of strong instructors. she especially enjoys working with non-traditional students.

“Nothing makes me happier than inspiring a student whom might have otherwise never thought about clini-cal pathology as a career,” allison says.

“There are more and more older stu-dents or nontraditional students com-ing to veterinary school, and i feel a certain affinity with them because i know how hard it is to make that change in your life.”

dr. robin allison always loved working in a lab, but she had to overcome her age concerns to follow her passion.

rEgENTS dISTINgUISHEd TEACHEr SpENT 15 yEArS AS A VET TECH bEfOrE gOINg bACk TO SCHOOl TO pUrSUE HEr drEAm

The circuitous route

dr. Catherine fischer, a third-year clinical pathology student at the Uni-versity of guelph in Canada, met allison when she took a class alli-son was teaching at Ross University a few years ago in st. Kitts. she had an obvious love for her work that was infectious, fischer says, as well as the ability to make difficult subjects such as clinical biochemistry seem simple. later, the two became friends, and allison inspired fischer to study clin-ical pathology, a career change that she, like allison before her, made in her 30s.

“she has definitely been an inspira-tion all along as one of my mentors and one of my idols,” fischer says.

“She is a brilliant teacher. She impresses people with a love of her subject as well as explaining things so simply and so clearly that even very complicated subjects seem very easy to grasp.”

allison is board certified through the american College of Veterinary pathologists. at osU, she focuses on diagnostic pathology including infec-tious and neoplastic diseases of the blood. in addition to her noted career as an instructor, allison’s work has appeared in such publications as Vet-erinary Clinical pathology, the merck Veterinary manual, schalm’s Veter-inary hematology and the Journal of the american Veterinary medical association.

she loves telling her story to other nontraditional veterinary students like she once was.

“it gives people hope that they can make a decision and change the course of their life if they want to,” allison says.

“They don’t have to get stuck. They’re not as old as they think.”

By MAtt elliott


Gen

esee ph

oto

systeMs

THrEE-TImE pfIzEr dISTINgUISHEd TEACHEr brINgS pASSION fOr VETErINAry WOrk TO ClASS (ANd A lESSON Or TWO frOm THE bOSS, TOO)

Loving what you do By DeRinDA BlAkeney

he has received the Pfizer dist inguished teacher award three times (1997, 2008, and 2012) and the regents distinguished teaching award twice (1998 and 2005). listening to him talk about why he chose veterinary medicine and ultimately teaching, it’s easy to understand why veterinary pathobiology professor dr. Jim Meinkoth earned these awards.

“i worked for a veterinarian all through high school and what he was doing just didn’t seem like work. it was fun, interest-ing and rewarding. i couldn’t believe you get paid for doing that. The old saying — ‘find something you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’ — comes to mind.”

after veter inar y school , dr. meinkoth worked for a year in private practice and discov-ered that he preferred pathology.

“i love clinical pathology, espe-cially cytology (the study of cells). dr. robin Allison and I remark to each other often that it is amazing we get paid for read-ing slides. It is so cool. i love interacting with the clinicians and outside veterinarians about the cases.”


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and he does so much more than just read slides.

“you read slides on clinical cases, then you focus on teaching classes, then you might spend time writing an article or pre-paring for a continuing educa-tion presentation. by the time you rotate back to clinical duty, it seems fresh again. Teaching stu-dents is much the same. you may teach the same thing year after year but it is new to them, and their excitement makes it new for you as well. you watch some-one else get excited about some-thing you have seen 100 times or more, and it makes you realize how special and fun it is, just like it was for you the first time. it is much like having children and watching them discover things in the world for the first time.

“also, with academia (rather than a private diagnostic lab) you have the freedom to explore things, research interesting cases and go a bit further to find the answers. What is really fun is when you find something new that has not been noticed before.”

meinkoth has lots of memo-ries from his 20 years of teaching at osU’s College of Veterinary medicine.

“What stands out is when i see someone who was a student a long time ago and has gone on to become a good practitioner

Loving what you do

or a specialist and they say they remember me from veterinary school or mention something specific they learned that came in useful. That is great.”

meinkoth joins two former faculty members as three-time recipients of the pfizer distin-guished Teacher award — dr. Rebecca morton (osU ’72) and dr. Roger panciera (osU ’53).

“Talk about good company! i am honored. it really feels good to think that the students appre-ciate what you do. i, like a lot of faculty members at the veter-inary center, really put a lot of time and effort into teaching. it is nice to know that it is some-what effective and that the stu-dents are getting something out of it. it is great to work at a vet-erinary college that values and rewards teaching by their fac-ulty. i think the veterinary cen-ter administration should get kudos for that.”

While teaching and clinical pathology occupy most of his time, meinkoth is also a huge bruce springsteen fan.

“The springsteen fanaticism is something that is fun but is also beneficial in many ways. one, my sister is a big fan, and we go to shows together. she lives in Cape Cod, mass., and it has really helped us keep in touch over the years.

“Two, it gives me something personal to relate to my stu-dents. i like to talk about and share funny stories about per-sonal interests in class.”

in fact, every class starts with a “thought of the day” when meinkoth shares something from a springsteen concert, funny things with his family or just silly things he has done.

“i think that the students like to get to know a little about the person standing up in front of them droning on and making them study all night. i know i like it when they tell me things about them.”

meinkoth’s third reason for liking bruce springsteen is that he feels springsteen is a role model for teaching or anything one does.

“he puts absolutely everything he has into each show — that is why people go back over and over and over. i have heard him say in interviews something to the effect that while he may per-form 100 shows a year, for the person in the audience, it might be the only show they will ever see, so he performs like it is the last show he will ever do. That kind of intensity would be a good attitude for whatever you do for a living.”

meinkoth has seen 61 spring-steen concerts so far and has tickets for three more in august 2012, including one in massa-chusetts with his sister.

“my goal is to die having seen more bruce shows than the num-ber of years i have lived. since i intend to live for a while longer, i plan to see as many concerts as i can. my wife (Katrina meinkoth, dVm, osU ’88) is very toler-ant of my fanaticism, and i am extremely grateful for that. she comes with me to several of the shows, but she has more normal limits. my son went to his first couple shows and became a bit infected, so i’m a proud papa!”

meinkoth earned his dVm degree in 1985 and a master’s degree in 1988 from oklahoma state University. in 1993, he earned a ph.d. in veterinary sci-ences from Washington state University College of Veteri-nary medicine, and in 1994, he became a diplomate of the american College of Veterinary pathologists — Clinical pathol-ogy. he continues to publish chapters in cytology textbooks, collaborates with residents on clinical case reports and works on Cytauxzoon felis infection with drs. mason Reichard and Theresa Rizzi.


dr. Jim Meinkoth (left) receives the Pfizer distinguished teacher award from dr. rocky Bigbie.

Ga

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prOfESSOr AlSO pUSHES pArASITOlOgy TO ‘dIplOmATE STATUS’

Research award goes to Little By MAtt elliott

dr. Jerry Quinlan (left), veterinary academic liaison for Pfizer animal health, and osU Center for Veterinary health sciences dean Jean Sander (right) award dr. Susan little the 2012 Pfizer animal Health award for research excellence.


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Research award goes to Little

a lauded Center for Veterinary health sciences researcher won 2012’s Pfizer animal Health award for research excel-lence last may.

dr. Susan little, a Regents professor and past winner of the college’s distinguished Teaching award, was honored for her work studying parasites such as ticks and the diseases they carry.

“I just feel so lucky to be at Oklahoma State,” says little, describing her reaction to win-ning the award. “It’s so rare when you find the right place to be at the right time with the right people. i wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

since coming to osU in 2005, little has made her name study-ing the organisms that cause ehrlichiosis, lyme disease and Rocky mountain spotted fever. she has become one of the nation’s leading such scien-tists, especially in her under-standing of what diseases affect what regions most in the United states and how our changing cli-mate affects parasites.

lately, she’s added a new direction with her participation in research into heartworms, common tests to detect them and the drugs that fight them.

“There is growing interest in making sure the preventives remain as effective as we need them to be, and in understand-ing how the tests actually per-form in our patients,” little

says. “We rely on these treat-ments and tests to allow veter-inarians to keep pets healthy. it is really important for parasi-tology researchers to be part of that effort.”

That work takes place inside the nation’s only facility of its kind, the national Center for Veterinary parasitology, which she established in 2008.

but her accomplishments aren’t limited to research alone.

in 2012, she helped push her discipline, veterinary par-asitology, to “diplomate status.” That’s similar to board certifica-tion in human medical special-ties, she says.

“board certification is mak-ing sure that when that service is provided, it’s done very well,” she says. “That’s why, when you have heart problems, for exam-ple, you want to go to a boarded cardiologist. you don’t go to a generalist, you want a specialist. The same is true for clinical par-asitology challenges.”

The process began about four years ago. at that time, any-one within veterinary medicine could refer to themselves as a parasitologist. her group filed a boatload of paperwork with the american board of Veterinary specialties and the american Veterinary medical associa-tion, after which came a series of public comment periods and petitions regarding the estab-lishment of the specialty.

it was a tough sell for some, she says.

establishing the diplomate program, which includes a rigorous candidate exam and approval process, could have meant that people who lack dVms would be excluded from practicing the discipline in the future. That was a major concern of everyone involved, because many very gifted scientists who aren’t vets have made incredibly important contributions to the field, she says.

“There was a really valid con-cern about excluding people that are not veterinarians from the practice of veterinary par-asitology,” little says. “but the opposite response, doing noth-ing, means that anyone can call themselves a parasitologist because we had not defined the profession within veterinary medicine. anyone working with patients or in research could say ‘i’m a parasitologist.’”

over time, she says, the vet-erinary parasitology commu-nity recognized the importance of setting up the subspecialty.

“We identified a route of honor-ary diplomate status to include leading scientists who do not hold the dVm degree, and today, the momentum is very support-ive and the community has come together over it,” she says.

The first candidates will test for the diploma in december 2012. little also serves on the committee making the exam they’ll take.

achieving the diplomate sta-tus for her discipline is one of the high points in her career.

“Veterinary parasitology is really critical to practicing vet-erinary medicine. Veterinarians spend a large amount of their professional time combating parasitic diseases, whether it’s fleas, ticks, heartworms, intes-tinal parasites, zoonotic infec-tions, protozoal infections — it is a true clinical specialty. it just had never been formally recog-nized that way.”

little is the Krull-ewing endowed Chair in Veterinary parasitology and director of the national Center for Veterinary parasitology. author of more than 100 publications, her work has been funded by the national institutes of health, bayer ani-mal health, swiss pharmaceuti-cal company novartis and pfizer. she has served as president of the american association of Vet-erinary parasitologists, on the editorial boards of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Thera-peutics, and the Journal of Wild-life Diseases, and the executive board of the Companion ani-mal parasite Council for Veter-inary and medical professionals.

little won the college’s pfizer distinguished Teaching award in 2010. before starting in still-water in 2005, she spent nearly 10 years teaching at the Uni-versity of georgia in athens, where she obtained her doctoral degree in parasitology. her vet-erinary medicine degree is from Virginia Tech.


TOp VET STUdENT lOOkINg

fOrWArd TO CArINg fOr

SmAll ANImAlS AfTEr HEr STINT

AT AqUArIUm

dogs and cats can stink. but even at their worst they smell way better than sharks. Penny regier knows.

“it’s just a rotten smell,” she says. “i can’t even think of a word for it other than sour. They’re just sour.”

Regier learned that as the biol-ogist in charge of the sharks at the oklahoma aquarium in Jenks. often, she’d spend her days in the tank with the sharks, examining them. she liked her job, and even though you can’t really smell them underwater, the 2005 graduate of osU had had her fill of sharks, their teeth and their sandpaper skin after three years at the aquarium.

she decided to go back to school and do what she had wanted to do since she was a kid: become a vet-erinarian. now, she’s a fourth-year student about to finish her degree and winner of the dean Harry orr award, the college’s third-year aca-demic award. The award was extra special for Regier.

“it just really meant a lot that i made it this far while being able to do what i want to do,” she says. “it was great.”

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Penny regier (left) receives the dean Harry orr award, the veterinary college’s third-year academic award, from dean Jean Sander.

Out of the shark tank

it was also extra special because she had to leave her home in Tulsa and her husband during the week while she attended class. she also had to leave behind the luxury of a full-time job and teach herself how to be a student again.

“i hadn’t had to study for almost four years, so it was a big change,” Regier says. “and i missed mak-ing money.”

Regier, 28, came back to school in 2009, and after some early bumps in the road, she found her groove, excelling in both the class-room and the lab.

The first three years she says were all about reading and study-ing. This past year has been her favorite, she says. she’s been apply-ing what she’s learned in her earlier courses while she does her rota-tions inside osU’s boren Veteri-nary medical Teaching hospital.

“Now it’s just hands-on experience and clinical experience,” she says.

“We’re actually getting to work with and interact with animals and apply everything we’ve learned.”

in the future, she hopes to land a small-animal surgery internship and residency. she has been inter-ested in the specialty ever since she took in two dogs that have had more than their share.

“These were my ‘free’ puppies that i rescued,” she says. “one of them had hip dysplasia in both hips, and the other tore both of his aCls — part of the joys of owning dogs. i think that’s probably what started this whole thing.”

eventually, she’d like to join a practice somewhere in the United states as a small-animal surgeon. she’s not ruling out starting her own practice in the future, but she wants to avoid the added stress of starting her own business for now.

The dean harry orr award fea-tures a $2,500 scholarship and is named for the second dean of the College of Veterinary medicine. orr led the college from 1953 until his death in 1956.

— MAtt elliott


h o n o r s

each year, the american indian science and engineering society rec-ognizes native americans who have excelled in their respective fields and who have been involved with the native community. in 2011, aises presented dr. Jerry roberson with the Professional of the year award.

Roberson, a Cherokee, is an asso-ciate professor at the University of Tennessee. growing up in oklahoma, Roberson’s father was an agricul-ture teacher, so animals have always been part of his life. he graduated from adair high school and earned his bachelor’s degree and his dVm degree (’86) from osU. after com-pleting a yearlong internship in food-animal medicine and surgery at iowa state University, he went on to earn a ph.d. in veterinary science from Washington state University.

Today, Roberson spends his time delivering classroom lectures, con-ducting research, writing, investigat-ing disease outbreaks and performing clinical duties. a specialist in masti-tis, especially in dairy cows, the most rewarding aspect of his work is pro-viding hands-on instruction to stu-dents in labs and surgeries. but there is one more thing that lifts Roberson a cut above his colleagues.

phiL snow / University of tennessee

Roberson receives professional award

Roberson is committed to helping native students succeed. before com-ing to Tennessee, Roberson and his wife, laurie (also a graduate), were co-advisers for the native american student association at Kansas state University. When he arrived at Ten-nessee, Roberson was surprised to learn that a similar organization was not available. so he organized one and is helping launch an aises chapter at Tennessee.

“mentoring and guiding Native stu-dents is extremely satisfying,” says roberson. “Helping students succeed is really great, and I’ll do anything I can to help.”

Throughout his career, Roberson has spearheaded more than 20 funded research projects in veterinary medi-cine and bovine health. he has dem-onstrated important findings in the overuse of antibiotics in dairy farms and bacteria resistance, among other topics. Roberson has also been hon-ored for his teaching style, including winning the 2011 Carl J. norden pfizer distinguished Veterinary Teacher award and the 2011 student Chapter of the american Veterinary medical association lecturer and outstand-ing educator award.

dr. Jerry roberson gets a milk sample from a dairy cow.


university service Awards recognize a faculty member, a staff member and an administrator for meritorious service to oklahoma state university.

The 2011 University Ser-vice award administrator recipient was marilyn Wilson, a 34-year veteran of the veter-inary center. she is known for her strong work ethic, grace in handling difficult situations and doing the right thing every time. she often put in extra hours on nights and weekends to handle an emergency or meet a deadline.

staff Advisory Distinguished service Awards recognize individuals, judged by their peers, who bring value to their workplace, exhibit a positive attitude toward those they serve, and in general are outstanding representatives of oklahoma state university.

brent Johnson, an analytical toxicol-ogist at the oklahoma animal disease diagnostic laboratory, was a finalist for the 2011 Staff advisory distin-guished Service award. he is known as a great team player.

Johnson is the sole worker and lab manager in the toxicology laboratory. This year, he stepped up to work in three sections of the oaddl at the same time. in addition to running myriad tests every day in the toxicology lab, Johnson was asked to run piroplasmosis tests in the serology lab, which required him to become certified. The extra effort he put forth was vital, enabling the lab to pro-vide timely information to horse owners so that they could race their horses or compete at shows and fairs.

“brent is a perfect example of a loyal, hard worker,” says sandra morgan, dVm, m.s., diplomate of the american board of Veterinary Toxicology. “He is able to do all of this multitasking because he is intel-ligent, capable and willing. He always goes the extra mile and will help whoever needs it in the lab. Steady and professional, brent has a positive attitude and keeps the goals of the entire OAddl in mind.”

Marilyn Wilson receives the 2011 University Service award from oklahoma state Vice President Gary Clark.

Marilyn Wilson wins University Service Award

Brent Johnson named finalist for campus honor

as director of fiscal affairs, Wil-son oversaw every aspect of a $35 million budget as well as served as point person for all human resource issues and respon-sibilities. Throughout her career, she has been a tremendous ambas-sador for the veterinary center and an outstanding employee. Wilson has earned the respect of her vet-erinary colleagues, central and col-lege administration and individual faculty and staff.

“marilyn retired in early 2012. as we began looking for some-one to fill her shoes, the scope of what she brought to osU became increasingly clear,” says dr. Jean sander, dean of the veterinary cen-ter. “I can think of no more deserv-ing recipient for the 2011 University Service Award.”


h o n o r s

Jason duell of hennessey, okla., is the 2012 dean Clarence H. Mcelroy award recipient. having always enjoyed working with animals and the sciences, veterinary medicine gave him a way to combine both for a reward-ing career.

Throughout veterinary college, duell served as an ambassador for the col-lege, an osU academic integrity panel member and Christian Veterinary fel-lowship president.

The dean mcelroy award is the highest honor a veterinary student can earn. duell also received an amer-ican College of Veterinary surgeons award and the dean michael d. lorenz endowed scholarship for his academic achievements.

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Patricia Mcelroy, granddaughter of dr. Clarence Mcelroy, presents the prestigious dean Clarence H. Mcelroy award for 2012 to Jason duell of hennessey, okla.

McElroy Award goes to Hennessey student“i was very surprised when i was

named as the dean mcelroy award recipient,” says duell. “it’s such an amazing honor. i know that there are so many who are deserving, and it is very humbling to have been chosen.”

established in honor of the first dean of the veterinary college, dr. mcel-roy, the award is based on ballots from faculty and fourth-year students for his or her high academic achievement, leadership and outstanding clinical proficiency.

“i will be forever grateful for the friends i have made at osU and the people i met along the way,” says duell.

“it is a privilege to practice veterinary medicine, and i am thankful each day for the opportunity.”

duell is headed to a small-animal rotating internship at Texas a&m Uni-versity to further hone his specialty of small-animal veterinary medicine. he is the son of fred and sheila duell of hennessey.



at the 2012 academy of Vet-erinary Consultants meeting, dr. Harold rinker, Class of 1958, was honored posthu-mously with aVC’s outstand-ing Service award. sponsored by merck animal health, the award was presented to Rink-er’s family by osU alumnus dr. Tom latta (’68).

“i went to work for dr. Rinker right out of veterinary college in 1968,” says latta, a past-presi-dent of the aVC. “he was my mentor in production medicine. i have worked at a general vet-erinary practice; however, the last 30 years, i have spent as a consultant. it was an honor for me to present this achievement award to dr. Rinker’s wife, Jan, and their daughters, Kim White and Kelly Cantrell.”

aBoVe: accepting the aVC outstanding Service award on behalf of dr. Hal rinker were his wife and daughters, (front row, from left) Kim White, Jan rinker and Kelly Cantrell. Congratulating the rinker family were (back row, from left) dr. tom latta, aVC immediate past president and longtime colleague of rinker’s; linda latta; Mary Bechtol; dr. david Bechtol, founding aVC member and first president; and dr. eric Moore of Merck animal health.

AVC honors founding member and OSU alumnus

Rinker, who died Jan. 2, 2012, was a founding member and the second president of the aVC.

“Hal rinker was a leader in feedlot health and medicine. He embraced the philosophies that are necessary to be an effective feedlot practitioner,” says dr. Roger panciera, one of Rinker’s former professors and an osU professor emeritus who nomi-nated Rinker for the award. “he rewrote the books on veterinary practice when it comes to feedlot medicine. The old thought pro-cess was to put a lot of impor-tance on the individual animal. The feedlot practice recognizes that it is about what is best for all of the animals.”

The aVC outstanding ser-vice award recognizes a mem-ber who has made outstanding contributions to aVC and the beef cattle and veterinary med-ical profession. according to information published by merck animal health, dr. Rinker was a pioneer in the industry and a great teacher and positive influ-ence to many.

Dr . haL r inKer

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h o n o r s

Jim Hargrave came to osU for a challenge. The veterinary cen-ter’s facilities manager found that in spades, but he also found a reward-ing career as well as a loving and sup-portive community that became like a second family.

“We have a lot of good people here,” says hargrave, who won the center’s Stratton Staff award for 2012. The author of his department nom-ination form lauds hargrave for his demeanor, courteousness and dedi-cation to his job, something he says has grown into a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week post he wouldn’t trade for the world.

hargrave came to osU in 1991 after a decade running the Cushing Regional hospital’s facilities. a native of san antonio, hargrave grew up in an engineering family. his father was a mechanical and electrical engineer who owned a heating and air condi-tioning company. he spent four years in the U.s. air force as an air traffic controller and mechanic, stationed for a time at King salmon, alaska, and bergstrom air force base in aus-tin. he later attended the University of Texas at austin on the g.i. bill.

he moved to oklahoma in 1981 to work at the hospital in Cushing. he met his wife there and bought some land northeast of town before mak-ing the career change from humans to animals with his move to osU.

“i was looking into getting into a bigger pond, i guess,” hargrave says.

“something with a better retirement system and benefits.”

2012’s stratton staff award couldn’t have gone to someone with more on his plate.

hargrave oversees mcelroy hall, a labyrinthine facility built and added on to at various times since 1940 that contains classrooms, offices and labs. he also runs the boren Veterinary medical Teaching hospital, which is almost a full-time job by itself.

Jim Hargrave and dean Jean Sander show off hargrave’s plaque for winning the 2012 Stratton Staff award.

Facilities manager

wins Stratton

Staff Award

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government regulations are very different for animal and human hos-pitals, as are the kinds of failsafe infra-structure required to ensure patients get the care they should receive, har-grave says. in addition to those rules, he must know how everything inside the hospital works, from the smallest network of pipes to the most complex radiation equipment. he also over-sees the oklahoma animal disease diagnostic laboratory, an equine ranch, several research centers, a hay barn and an animal shelter.

That’s more than 454,000 square feet of buildings. hargrave maintains them with just three mechanics, a plumber, several hVaC engineers and an electrician.

Getting complexas the veterinary center’s focus has

evolved into comparative medicine (the areas where human and animal health intersect), his job has become more complex. The addition of a bio-safety level-3 lab in 2001 and other features means he has to monitor critical systems constantly. Technol-ogy, such as a system that calls or texts him when things go wrong, makes that easier, but it also has made his job more time-consuming.

one night, that system sent him an email that the temperature in a crit-ical research lab was rising, causing sensitive equipment to shut down. a scientist there was distraught that she was going to lose her data and expen-sive technology.

“Using my ipad, i went online to the building automation system we installed in 2008 and saw the tem-perature inside the lab,” hargrave says. “it was in the 80s. i went to the air handling unit graphics, diagnosed that a heating valve had failed and everything was on full heat. i turned it off, and temperatures went back

to normal. Typically, we get calls or emails several times a month after hours and on weekends when there is a critical need. but we’ve got great ability to take care of these remotely with technology.”

hargrave is also the point man for every construction project the cen-ter undertakes. he’s the go-between for the center’s leadership, engineers, architects and construction compa-nies working on expansion projects, such as a recently completed $13 mil-lion addition to the diagnostic dis-ease lab.

he is most proud of an energy sav-ings program begun in 2003 that culminated in the automated cli-mate control system installed in 2008. he can monitor conditions in every building. it lets him adjust the system for peak usage times, cut-ting energy costs. and he started it five years before osU established its own campuswide energy conserva-tion movement.

“I’m proud of that,” Hargrave says. “We’re close to $2 million in savings — money we wouldn’t have if we hadn’t taken those measures. And we’ve also been able to deliver a more comfort-able environment.”

further evidence of hargrave’s ded-ication to his work shows in his battle with cancer. shortly after he started at osU in 1991, doctors found a grape-fruit-size tumor in his abdomen, and he was diagnosed with non-hodgkin lymphoma. he was given a 60 percent chance he wouldn’t make it five years.

but his cancer entered remission after several rounds of chemother-apy and grueling radiation treat-ments. during that time, hargrave, who drove himself to and from his treatments, kept up his normal sched-ule at work.

“Vet med took good care of me. They really did. There are some people here that really helped me a lot. i wasn’t at 100 percent by any means, but they let me hang around.”

No ‘pity parties’his cancer returned a few years

later. more radiation treatments fol-lowed, and he went 16 years without relapsing until just over a year ago before Christmas. Today, he has seven tumors spread around his chest, shoul-der and abdomen. enduring more treatments, he still comes to work and does his job as well as he always has.

he doesn’t dwell on it or have “pity parties,” he says. he has a wonderful sup-port network anchored by his wife, June hargrave, who is a registered nurse, and his best friend, dr. ike hubbard. he also volunteers with Relay for life and is frequently found fishing on oklahoma lakes. an award-winning bass fisherman, hargrave goes saltwater fishing near Corpus Christi with the saltwater Cowboys

— some vet school faculty and staff members who stay in a condo in port aransas, Texas, and spend a few days out in the gulf of mexico fishing.

his fish fries are nothing short of legendary. one year, he got together with some fishing buddies from the physical plant, set up some awnings outside the vet school, wrangled some tables and chairs and hauled over a grill and fryers. They ended up feed-ing about 300 people, he says.

meanwhile, he takes solace in the fact that, by running the veterinary center’s facilities, he’s helping in the fight against cancer.

“research is so important. I’m on a drug that wasn’t around two years ago. So sometimes I feel like with the job I’m doing here with the facilities and other things I’m contributing a little bit to my part of the fight.”

— MAtt elliott

his F ish Fries are nothing

short oF LegenDary.


h o n o r s

Ada veterinarian wins state’s top honora frequent osU donor won

the oklahoma Veterinary Medical association’s Vet-erinarian of the year award for 2012.

dr. Calvin White, owner of the ada Veterinary Clinic, received the award at a ceremony last January during the associa-tion’s annual convention in okla-homa City. White, who has been practicing medicine for 35 years, says he supports osU because he believes strongly in its mission.

“i’m a cow college fan,” White says. “i went to mississippi state. our rival was ole miss. i went to auburn, and our rival was alabama.”

he is practicing in oklahoma today because several of his pro-fessors were from there, and one, dr. bob hudson, was an okla-homa state alumnus.

White’s first experience with oklahoma came during his pre-ceptorship in 1977, when he worked for a practice in Coalgate.

“I just like the people in Okla-homa,” White says. “plus, there are more cattle and horses here than where i grew up in poplar-ville, mississippi.”

he worked at the Coalgate clinic after finishing his precep-torship. Then, he bought into his ada practice, which he co-owned for 26 years until 2007, when he bought out his partner, dr. don Connally.

White feels a duty to donate to Oklahoma State because of the quality of its services such as referrals, disease diagnoses, research and scientific expertise. he knows the college will remain strong under its new dean, dr. Jean sander, hired in 2011 to replace the college’s dean since 2004, dr. michael lorenz.

“i’ve been impressed with what she has done so far, continu-ing in the college’s tradition of reaching out to the veterinary medical community in okla-homa,” he says.

Recently, he has taken a lead-ing role in fundraising for the college.

With others at the osU foun-dation and the school, he set up a contest to see if veterinarians who didn’t go to osU could raise more money than those who did.

“of course, the osU people won, but we probably got some money out of some people that we might not have otherwise. if you’re going to be in the state, you need to support them.”

White compares osU favor-ably with his alma mater, auburn University (’77), for its emphasis on producing veterinarians with strong backgrounds as mixed practitioners. ideally, he says, specializing should come later in a vet’s career.

in addition to working as a practitioner, White has been a member of the advisory board to murray state College’s Vet-erinary Technology program. he also has been a strong sup-porter of 4-h and future farm-ers of america programs. other volunteer leadership includes his chairing of the oklahoma Quarter horse association youth scholarship fund. White has also volunteered with the american Quarter horse asso-ciation, the pontotoc County Cattlemen’s association, the ada Chamber of Commerce and the pontotoc County ani-mal shelters.

— MAtt elliott

The Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association honored a number of Oklahoma State alumni at its 2012 awards banquet. Those awarded include:

SmAll-ANImAl prACTITIONEr Of THE yEAr —

dr. sybIl heIse Of gUymON, ClASS Of 1971

yOUNg prACTITIONEr Of THE yEAr — dr. dUstIn brown Of mClOUd, ClASS Of 2005

dISTINgUISHEd SErVICE AWArd —

dr. scot t mason Of OklAHOmA CITy, ClASS Of 1991

dr. Calvin White of ada is the oklahoma Veterinary Medical association’s Veterinarian of the year for 2012.

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dr. theresa casey

Casey has demonstrated the value of veter-inary education with a stellar military career that has included many firsts.

she earned her dVm degree in 1982. in 1989, she earned a master’s degree in pub-lic health (environmental toxicology) from the University of oklahoma health sciences Center, and in 1990 she became a diplomate of the american College of Veterinary pre-ventive medicine.

following Congress’ abolishment of the air force Veterinary Corps in 1982, Casey began her veterinary military career in the air force biomedical sciences Corps, serv-ing as the chief of environmental health ser-vices at Vance air force base in oklahoma. she was one of the first veterinarians to enter this field.

Casey accomplished many firsts in her career as a veterinarian and bsC officer.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is selected and presented by the College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Association Committee. It recognizes outstanding professional and personal achievements and contributions to the enhancement of the veterinary profession.

the 2011 honorees are dr. theresa casey, dr. keIth flanagan, dr. dee grIffIn and dr. kermIt mInton.

Four named Distinguished Alumni

Theresa Casey’s firsts include:

� chief, military public health and commander, Aerospace Medicine squadron, 86th Medical Group, Ramstein Air Base in Germany. she was the first veterinarian to command an Air Force medical squadron. casey directed comprehensive clinical, preventive medicine, health promotion, public health and industrial hygiene services for the largest overseas u.s. military community.

� european command Humanitarian Assistance team senior medical officer, Goma, Zaire. A veterinarian and Bsc officer had never held a similar position of leadership and responsibility. she coordinated Department of Defense support for humanitarian relief for 1.5 million Rwandan refugees.

� Deputy commander, 86th Medical Group, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Again, a veterinarian had never been selected as the deputy commander of an Air Force hospital. casey was second-in-charge of the largest Air Force outpatient care facility in europe.

� Joint task force surgeon for kosovo Albanian Humanitarian operations. As senior medical officer, she coordinated preventive medicine, acute care and emergency evacuation requirements for more than 1,000 military personnel.

� commander, 86th Air expeditionary Group. casey led a 200-member multidisciplinary team of medical, communications, security, engineering and food service personnel providing acute care, surgery and immunizations to more than 19,000 patients in six days during a Department of Defense humanitarian exercise in cameroon.

� commander, 1st Medical Group, langley Air Force Base, Va. she was the first veterinarian and Bsc officer to serve as chief executive officer of the fifth-largest hospital in the Air Force.

� Director, Medical Modernization Directorate and Biomedical sciences corps chief. casey was the chief executive officer for one of four directorates at the office of the u.s. Air Force surgeon General. As chief of the Biomedical sciences corps, she was responsible for recruitment, retention and career advancement for more than 2,200 officers serving in 17 distinct allied health disciplines.

� Brigadier General. selected in August 2006, casey was the first active duty Bsc officer and veterinarian to serve as a general officer.


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Casey has received numerous awards, including the association of military surgeons of the United states’ 2009 James a. mcCal-lum award for her outstanding accomplishments in military veter-inary medicine, the 2003 military Volunteer award for extended sign language/deaf ministry service, 2000 order of Valour from the Republic of Cameroon for leadership in a combined U.s.-Camer-oon humanitarian exercise and delivery of health care services and training, and the list goes on.

a lifetime member of the osU alumni association, she is also a member of the american Veterinary medical association, the amer-ican association of food hygiene Veterinarians and a lifetime mem-ber of the air force association.

perhaps Casey’s greatest contribution has been to the veterinary profession. her personal veterinary knowledge, capability and lead-ership clearly demonstrated to the air force medical community the attributes and capabilities within the veterinary profession. she serves as a role model, and her example will open doors and create new opportunities for current and future veterinarians, both mil-itary and civilian.

Casey is currently a consultant for decon iii llC in belton, Texas, working with air force and navy medical facilities worldwide on the decontamination of patients exposed to chemical, biological or radiological weapons and toxic industrial materials. she also is a member of the national animal health emergency Response Corps, serving as an on-call veterinarian to help protect animal popula-tions and communities during emergencies. married to John l. lehew iV, she resides in belton and has three children, Courtney, Katie and John.

dr. keIth flanagan

dr. Keith flanagan has been working to improve lives and health care in haiti since 1986.

flanagan earned his dVm degree from oklahoma state University in 1978. he spent the next two years serving as a captain in the U.s. army Veterinary Corps as group vet-erinarian for the 5th special forces group (airborne), fort bragg, n.C. following his military service, he worked at the marlow Veterinary Clinic for seven years with a class-mate, dr. lyndon graf.

during 1986, flanagan took a 14-day visit to haiti. The next thing he knew, he was ask-ing his wife, Jan, what she thought about liv-ing in haiti. flanagan began working with the Christian Veterinary mission as the staff veterinarian and farm manager at hospital albert schweitzer in deschapelles, haiti. he planned to work for a couple of years in haiti

— set up some programs, train people in ani-mal health care and return to the states. Twenty-four years later, he is still there.

Through his years in haiti, flanagan has held many positions and been involved in several projects and programs includ-ing instituting preventive health measures, potable water development, training animal health agents, liaison to the haitian ministry of agriculture, co-director of Classical swine fever program and co-director of the avian influenza program.

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in addition, flanagan has been director of two pan-american development founda-tion road and canal rehabilitation projects in the artibonite Valley of haiti, evaluated veterinary medicine animal training pro-grams in Kenya and Tanzania, consultant to save the Children for evaluation of an ani-mal health training program in ethiopia, consultant to heifer project international to develop and facilitate an animal health training of trainers course in Creole, and the list goes on and on.

in his current position with Christian Vet-erinary mission, flanagan hosts short-term mission trips and trains and mentors young haitian veterinarians. he continues to work closely with the ministry of agriculture on animal disease control programs. his wish is that the programs he has helped implement and the work he has done will keep moving forward even after he is gone.

both flanagan, the son of Rosella flana-gan of Texhoma, and his wife, Jan, graduated from Texhoma high school and panhan-dle state University. They raised two sons in haiti, sean and brian. sean and his wife, Chandra, both graduated from osU. They now reside with their two children in deca-tur, ala., where sean works as a computer specialist with Raytheon. after graduating from Texhoma high school and oklahoma panhandle state University, brian returned to do community development work in haiti for six years. While there, he met his wife, Robin. They have recently moved to new york state, where brian will pursue a mas-ter’s program in international agriculture development at Cornell University.

dr. dee grIffIn

dr. dee griffin has had a tremendous impact on the cattle industry.

he earned his dVm degree from osU in 1975 and a master’s degree in veterinary pathology and animal science from purdue University in 1978.

griffin has spent most of his career in the cat-tle industry. he was the staff veterinarian for hitch enterprises, a family-owned operation that has 1,200 cows, as many as 20,000 stockers, more than 250,000 feeder cattle and two packing plants. griffin has worked with the beef Quality awareness program since its inception, when hitch enterprises became the first U.s. department of agriculture verified con-trol production beef operation.

Today, griffin is a professor at the University of nebraska in veterinary and biomedical science, teach-ing at the great plains Veterinary educational Center. his emphasis is on developing pre-harvest haCCp (hazard analysis, critical control points) production practices dealing with residue avoidance. he has a keen interest in respiratory disease and proper anti-biotic usage.


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a past president of the academy of Veter-inary Consultants, griffin won two national awards from the american association of bovine practitioners: one for excellence in preventive medicine and one for institu-tional Teaching, Research and service excel-lence. he received the academy of Veterinary Consultants’ Consultant of the year award. he serves on the national Cattlemen’s beef association’s beef Quality and safety assur-ance advisory board, the fda’s Veterinary medical advisory Committee and minor Use minor species Committee, and the profes-sional animal auditor Certification orga-nization’s board.

griffin is a member of several organiza-tions, including the academy of Veterinary Consultants, american Veterinary medi-cal association, plains nutrition Council, nebraska Cattlemen, nebraska Veterinary medical association and the nebraska acad-emy of science.

dr. kermIt mInton

dr. Kermit minton has made a 50-year career spent in lind-say, okla., a family affair.

after minton graduated from sulphur high school oklahoma, he enrolled at murray state Uni-versity, where he took 60 hours in three semesters and won two scholarships as the top agri-culture student. he enrolled at oklahoma a&m College and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1956. in 1958, he earned his dVm degree and has served as the class representative since then.

in august 1958, minton founded the lindsay (okla.) Veterinary hospital. one of his first cases was a farm call south of lindsay concerning a cow that came from louisiana that had died. minton took samples and sent them to the state depart-ment of agriculture. The diagno-sis was anthrax. state authorities investigated, resulting in quar-antine for several farmers and ranchers in the area.

Through the years, minton expanded the lindsay Veterinary hospital, serving both large and small animals. in 1992, he added to the large-animal facilities and installed a tilting chute to accom-modate larger livestock. Clients included local farmers and ranch-ers whose locales ranged from Verden, okla., to marietta, okla.

minton suffered a heart attack in 1990. his wife, frankie,

retired from teaching school and became the office manager at his practice. in 1993, daugh-ter Tammy minton joined the practice after earning her dVm degree from her father’s alma mater. many clients began refer-ring to the mintons as “big doc,”

“little doc,” and “mrs. doc.”

in 1997, Tammy minton took over the practice. her father continued to work part-time. in 1999, they expanded the build-ing to incorporate more space for small animals and added more diagnostic equipment for blood work and radiographs. in 2005, they officially stopped working with large animals, selling all of the equipment pertaining to the large-animal side of the busi-ness. lindsay Veterinary hospi-tal strictly serves small animals today.

Kermit minton was more than a veterinarian in lindsay. a past president, he continues to be active in the lions Club. he is a lifetime member of both the future farmers of america and the elks lodge.

minton is also a lifetime mem-ber of the oklahoma Veterinary medical association, the amer-ican Veterinary medical asso-ciation and the osU alumni association. he proudly dis-plays a special gold seal on his 50-year license to practice vet-erinary medicine.

minton still enjoys his work, visiting with clients and spend-ing time at the family’s cabin at little glasses Resort at lake Texoma.


photo provided

Before the supermarket

ashley deMeo visits with a baby calf during a trip that was in the “introduction to Food-animal Production systems” elective course.

NEW ElECTIVE INTrOdUCES STUdENTS TO fOOd-ANImAl prOdUCTION SySTEmS


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a new elective, “introduc-tion to food-animal Produc-tion Systems,” is opening the eyes of some veterinary students. The weeklong class, offered to students during the summer between their second and third years of veterinary college, is familiarizing students with the food-production components of the beef, dairy and swine industries.

“We offered the course in 2011 and again in 2012,” explains dr. Jared Taylor, an assistant pro-fessor in veterinary pathobiol-ogy and co-creator of the elective.

“The first time through, on Tues-day i thought maybe we should offer two sessions. by friday of that week, i wasn’t sure i wanted to offer it ever again. it’s a very intense week. We take 10 stu-dents through a variety of mod-ern food-animal production systems in oklahoma and Texas. both years, the class has been comprised of all female students.

“While we don’t actually visit swine nurseries or finishing barns, the students meet and talk with people who oversee those operations,” says Taylor.

“We want the students to see all the components of these three food-animal systems.”

students from the Class of 2014 were selected to participate based on an interest in food-ani-mal medicine.

“i was excited to be able to take the course,” says Kami Jensen. “i plan on being a mixed-animal practitioner, and this allowed me to see how animal agricul-ture works on a large scale and the role veterinarians play in the industry.”


“We try to encourage students who have minimal exposure and knowledge of food animals to apply. We want to give those who are not familiar with cows or swine an opportunity to learn about the industry and become more comfortable with it,” says dr. John gilliam, clinical assis-tant professor in food-animal production medicine and field services and the other course co-creator.

some fourth-year students would discover that they really enjoyed the food-animal medi-cine rotation, but they felt a little intimidated by the production-medicine industry because they were never exposed to it before.

“While this course may ignite their interest to choose a food-animal medicine career at some level — it would be wonderful to have more food-animal veteri-narians — it also helps students have a better understanding of production agriculture,” says gil-liam. “They see the realities of what it is like firsthand, not from their previous perceptions or from media reports. The course helps dispel misconceptions about agricultural production. They are able to talk to people who do this for a living. even if these students never engage in production medicine, they will be able to draw on this experi-ence and their exposure to the challenges and realities of this business and help educate the public, friends and family about food-animal production.”

Hitting the roadon a monday morning, 10 stu-

dents and two faculty members boarded an osU bus and headed toward oklahoma City.

“We utilize the drive time for group discussions,” says Tay-lor. “our first stop was express angus Ranches in yukon, okla., to look at a seed stock opera-tion. This facility raises purebred bulls, primarily angus, to sell to commercial cow/calf operations. Then it was on to the oklahoma national stock yards in okla-homa City, where we met with dr. Troy shelby (osU ’89). We then visited the Tim haines fam-ily ranch, a commercial cow/calf operation before heading home to stillwater for the night.”

early Tuesday morning, the group left stillwater for guy-mon, okla.

“at hitch feedlots in guy-mon, dr. shawn blood (osU ’89) hosted the group,” says Tay-lor. hitch has one of the largest feedlots in oklahoma.

The next morning, the group stopped at seaboard swine oper-ations in guymon. They visited a swine farrowing barn and swine slaughter plant before driving to the Circle h Veterinary Clinic in dalhart, Texas.

“We met up with angela dan-iels, who connected us to a vari-ety of operations,” says Taylor.

“Thursday, we visited dalhart Jersey Ranch, Van Ryn dairies, morning start dairy and deer

“the course helps dispel misconceptions about agricultural production,” says clinical assistant professor dr. John Gilliam.

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the ten osU veterinary students visited the seaboard swine operations in guymon.

photo provided


Creek feeding. We saw every-thing from custom heifer rais-ers through a variety of operating dairies.”

“it was amazing to see how big the world of food-animal pro-duction really is. i gained knowl-edge that helped to pique my interest in the field,” adds brandy germany.

Their final destination was booker, Texas.

“We stopped at preferred beef group, a cull cow and bull slaughter plant, where we met with don Clift, Ceo. We were also able to tour the operation. Then we headed home to still-water,” adds Taylor. “overall, we’ve had positive feedback from the students. The second year when we approached some of the same operations we visited the first year, they enthusiasti-cally welcomed us back.”

“The food-production elective is a unique experience for veter-inary students. it’s a great value to anyone interested in the food-animal industry. i learned a lot and gained a new perspective,” says Wendy elbert.

and thanks to a variety of co-sponsors, all expenses are covered.

“The american association of bovine practitioners founda-tion, pfizer animal health and the oklahoma Veterinary med-ical association have generously supported this program,” con-tinues Taylor. “We also received some funding from the depart-ment of Veterinary Clinical sci-ences, Veterinary pathobiology and the dean’s office here at the veterinary center.”

“i really gained an apprecia-tion of how many people depend on animal agriculture for their livelihoods and how seriously those people take the welfare and humane handling of the animals,” says alissa anderson.

“i think often these workers are viewed as not liking animals because they work in places like slaughter plants and that really isn’t true. everywhere we visited it seemed that animal welfare was one of the biggest priorities, whatever their final intended purpose was for those animals.”

students are graded on their participation. They take a final exam and give a group presen-tation, which is open to faculty, students and oVma members, in the fall.

“This is a great opportunity for the participants to share with other students, who didn’t have the opportunity to go, the infor-mation and experiences they had,” says Taylor. “it also can be a recruiting tool to increase inter-est for future years and if oVma members attend, they can see how their support benefited the students’ education. Texas a&m has a similar course but they do not cover the swine industry. north Carolina state student chapter of the american asso-ciation of bovine practitioners offers an annual trip to see cat-tle production facilities, but stu-dents do not get credit for taking it. I think we’re offering our stu-dents a positive experience and knowing the work they will put into the course, they are able to earn credit and hopefully we’ll encourage a few more students to choose a mixed-animal prac-tice as a career path.”



assistant professor dr. Jared taylor says both students and the operations they visited during the “introduction to Food-animal Production systems” regard the course very favorably.


t o t h e D i n n e r t a B L e

TEAm HOpES rESEArCH frOm ANImAlS CAN lEAd TO HElp fOr HUmANS

dr. Melody de laat (left) demonstrates the new micro-ultrasound machine with dr. Veronique lacombe (center) and Brittany evans.

Tackling diabetes

“diabetes is an epidemic disease that affects more than 250 million people with almost 10 percent of the population affected in the U.s., and it is expected that the world-wide prevalence will rise to 450 million by 2030,” she says. “as a result, the disease imposes a considerable medical and economic burden on societies. my lab is investigating the regulation of glucose transport in insu-lin-sensitive tissue. in other words, we are looking at how the glucose (i.e., sugar) in the bloodstream transfers to tissue. This process is the metabolic bottleneck for glucose utili-zation and fuel production. in addition, this process is altered in people who have diabe-tes because they have improper production and/or action of insulin, a hormone that is necessary to make that transfer.”

While there is no drug to cure diabetes, human diabetes can be regulated and mon-itored to avoid complications.

“With a diet regimen, exercise and weight loss, diabetics can help manage their disease. When skeletal muscles contract, that pro-cess helps transport glucose into cells. exer-cise can speed glucose uptake in muscles. however, the process by which contraction enhances glucose transport is unknown, and it is one of the research focuses of my labora-tory. findings from this research could lead to the discovery of a cure for diabetic patients.”

Véronique lacombe, dVm, ph.d., brought a long history of comparative med-icine research with her when she joined osU’s veterinary center as an associate pro-fessor in physiological sciences. since she was a veterinary student, lacombe has had an interest in metabolism, the complex pro-cess the body uses to turn food into energy. specifically, her fields of interest include skeletal and cardiac muscle energetics, glu-cose transport during diabetes, insulin resis-tance using small- and large-animal models, as well as cardiovascular complications dur-ing diabetes.

The main mission of lacombe and her team is researching mechanisms underly-ing diabetes, a complex disease for which there is no cure.


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t h e B i g P i C t U r e

the VisualSonics Vevo 2100 micro-ultrasound machine is believed to be the only one of its kind in oklahoma.

lacombe says glucose is one of the main sources of fuel for the body, and the uptake of glucose from the blood into the cell and its uti-lization by the cell to produce energy is sim-ilar across all species — human and animal.

“because the process is similar, we use both small- and large-animal models in my lab, spanning from mice to horses. if we find mechanisms responsible for diabetes using these species, it could also have an impact on human health, a concept referred to as one health, one medicine,” she says. “for example, in mice, we can upregulate a pro-tein potentially implicated in the transport of glucose to see if it will help prevent dia-betes. as a result, we have now established a line of mice that are resistant to diabetes.

like people, horses can become obese, which can lead to a metabolic disorder such as insulin resistance. interestingly, cats can get transient diabetes, where the diabetes goes into spontaneous remission. Unlike the rodent models used to study diabetes,

which are generated from inbred strains of laboratory mice, these naturally occurring models are genetically diverse and exposed to many of the same environmental factors that humans are, and they are great models of metabolic disorders.

by transcending species boundaries to include the study of spontaneous and exper-imental models of human disease, research in comparative medicine can lead to excit-ing discoveries that will benefit both people and animals.”

lacombe firmly believes that veteri-narians’ thorough training puts them in a unique position to improve research and help society.

“Veterinarians have such a broad training. We have to know all the different species from fish to elephants. That vast knowl-edge can be applied in comparative medi-cine research. it is a career path with many rewards that many veterinary students don’t really think about.”

after earning her dVm degree, lacombe completed her residency in large-animal internal medicine and worked as an equine clinician before focusing on research.

“As a clinician first and a scientist second, I am a better researcher and ask questions that are clinically relevant. Clinical veterinary med-icine and research are similar processes. in both cases you start with a problem. in clin-ical veterinary medicine, you have a list of different diagnoses that could be causing the problem. in research, you have different hypotheses you want to prove. one by one, you check them off the list in both areas. in clinical veterinary medicine you have a final diagno-sis, and you treat it. in research, you have the correct hypothesis, and you find a cure or you take one step closer to finding a cure. We are responsible to nourish that aspect of the vet-erinary profession and train the next genera-tion of veterinary scientists.”


the center for Veterinary Health sciences purchased a state-of-the-art ultrasound machine in 2011 that greatly expands researchers’ ability to image small animals.

the machine, the Visual-Sonics Vevo 2100 , allows vet school scientists such as its operator, Dr. Véronique lacombe, to see into the organs and systems of lab animals as small as mice and rabbits. the high-frequency digital imager adds to the vet school’s growing list of imag-ing technology that already includes MRi and ct scan machines, and a human-size ultrasound machine available at the teaching hospital.

Big pictures from little things

ultrasound uses sound waves to create images of how things work inside bodies by translating how the waves pass through different objects into an image. they are used in everything from imaging fetuses and the hearts of peo-ple suffering from cardiovas-cular disease to cancer.

it’s easy to envision their usefulness in veterinary med-icine as well, including the booming realm of compar-ative medicine and preclini-cal research that focuses on problems afflicting both ani-mals and humans. naturally, it makes sense to use animals to model human systems in research.


NEW mICrO-UlTrASOUNd mACHINE gETS ClEAr pICTUrES frOm INSIdE SmAll CrITTErS


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the problem is that large ultrasound machines operate at a lower sound frequency to pass through larger patients, such as a human or a horse. it is not as helpful to image a mouse or a rat because the image quality wouldn’t be as good.

“With this micro-ultrasound machine, you can’t go very deep, but you’re going to have a spectacular resolution of the specific area that you’re exam-ining,” lacombe says. “the advantage of this machine is that it has the same features as a human ultrasound machine, but it has been designed to image all the organs of small animals, including of early embryonic and neonatal mice.”

the Vevo 2100, believed to be the only one in oklahoma, is in lacombe’s compara-tive Metabolism laboratory in the vet school’s physiology department.

it has already proven help-ful in her research.

As d iabetes i s one of lacombe’s chief areas of inter-est, she often works with small animals, such as mice and rats as models of human metabolic diseases.

one of the increasingly common condition’s accom-panying diabetes is heart dis-ease. Previously, she had to use human ultrasound machines in her animal models that were not as useful in her work.

this machine lets her look at everything from the shape of the heart to how effectively

dr. Véronique lacombe (center) has put together a team to research the mechanisms underlying diabetes. studying with her are (from left) Kaylynn Gruntmeier, a senior studying zoology at osU; Chelsie Clement, a senior in animal sciences; Brittany evans, a veterinary student in the Class of 2015; and dr. Melody de laat, a post-doctoral research associate in physiological sciences.

it pumps blood, as well as how the heart tissue contracts and relaxes during each heartbeat, letting her “detect subtle heart dysfunction very early on in the process of the disease in our diabetic mice,” lacombe says.

“Also, with this high resolu-tion, you can also inject any-thing you want into a targeted site, including the brain and the spinal cord. you can also use micro bubble technol-ogy,” she says. “you can create small bubbles of air that will go through the heart or blood vessels to mark the passage of what you’re trying to track.”

she can also look at blood flow into organs to track vas-cular diseases. it also lets her deliver gene and stem cells at a targeted site and measure things such as gene

therapy effectiveness. And 3-D reconstructions of organs are possible.

“it’s a huge improvement since this micro-ultrasound machine greatly expands our understanding of the physi-ologic and pathophysiologi-cal processes in small animal models.” lacombe says.

the Vevo 2100 is available for any researcher in the veter-inary college or on osu’s cam-pus to use, she says.

“it can be used by any inves-tigators on campus since it is a common equipment. i think the more people we have using it from different areas of research, the better it would be. i think it could even generate some collaborations between the veterinary school and other colleges on campus.”

— MAtt elliott


2 0 1 2 O k l a h o m a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y 632 0 1 2 o k l a h o m a s t a t e u n i v e r s i t y 63

lAb HElpS fUTUrE VETS HONE THEIr COmmUNICATION SkIllS

in the medical exam rooms, we have four cameras to accu-rately and completely record the student and owner verbal and nonverbal interactions in their simulated medical interviews. Cameras and recording equip-ment were initially provided by pfizer animal health. subse-quent equipment and program cost of the client communication simulation skills laboratories have been supported by hill’s [pet nutrition].”

In the beginningmacallister says clients ini-

tially volunteered to serve as simulated clients in medical sce-narios involving their pets while the student practiced taking a medical history.

“at first, these volunteers par-ticipated in the communication skills labs because they hon-estly enjoyed students and had a strong interest in helping stu-dents learn how to effectively communicate even though we had no support to pay them or even reimburse them for their gas,” she recalls. “They basically like serving as living textbooks and have a passion to teach. Thanks to hill’s [pet nutrition] sponsorship, our simulated cli-ents now get paid a small stipend for their time.”

That sponsorship also allows the veterinary center to award two $500 “top communicator” scholarships to deserving stu-dents. demars and macallister view the tapes of each student to select the top four or five tapes for a panel of judges. The panel

— made up of a communications professional, a veterinary acade-mician and a veterinary practi-tioner — select the winners.

With the CVhs communica-tion skills labs aligned across the entire four-year program, the students aren’t forced to take it all in at once. The first-year vet-erinary students interview a sim-ulated client, who has brought in a pet with a health problem, and take a medical history. The next year, the students move up to performing a physical exam on the animal after the interview.

“as the students progress through the years, their com-munication interaction with the client and the challenge of the case increases in proportion to what they have learned clini-cally and should be able to apply to the simulated case. The entire time the student and client are talking, the session is being vid-eotaped. at the end of the ses-sion, the ‘client’ provides the student with immediate feed-back, including what went well and areas for improvement,” says macallister.

Getting the word across By DeRinDA BlAkeney

“CoMMUniCation — the hUMan ConneCtion — is the Key to PersonaL anD Career sUCCess.”

— PAUl J. MEyER, AUTHOR, ATTiTuDE iS EvERyThing!

from the first day of class at oklahoma state University’s Center for Veterinary health sciences, future veterinarians start working on their commu-nication skills — and they don’t stop. specific exercises in the Veterinary Client Communica-tion Clinical Technique labs continually hone students’ rap-port skills to prepare them to be practice-ready veterinarians upon their graduation.

two faculty members at oSU’s Boren Veterinary Medical teaching Hospital came up with the course after attending a weeklong training course. adjunct assistant profes-sor dr. Paul deMars and asso-ciate professor dr. Carolynn Macallister put ideas together and developed a program spe-cific to osU’s needs.

“The process is similar to human medicine client communica-tions training, where students are trained how to communi-cate with patients both in gath-ering and giving information in the medical interview,” explains macallister.

“a remarkable and unique aspect of osU’s veterinary com-munication training is we use real clients in our clinical scenar-ios. The clients are not trained actors; rather, they simply relive authentic medical problems they have experienced with their pets, which makes the interaction more realistic to the students.

Third-year challengesin the third-year communi-

cation skills lab, the veterinary students perform two simulated client interviews. The history is taken on two different medical problems, questions are asked about the pet’s clinical signs, and a physical exam is conducted on the pet.

on the second of the two exams, macallister provides each student with a packet of information concerning the sim-ulated case, including diagnostic test results that he or she would have ordered on the actual case, radiographs if appropri-ate along with reference mate-rial on the clinical problem. The student reviews the information along with other clinical refer-ence resources and returns the next day to basically explain the diagnostic tests and deliver the diagnosis, treatment plan and prognosis to that same simu-lated client.

“Again, what’s really unique regarding these communication labs is the ‘clients’ are not act-ing. They are reliving the case that their pet had at one time or another. These volunteers have pets that have had common health problems. it is natural for the ‘client’ to share the history of this health problem, includ-ing clinical signs and what he or she has observed, because it really happened to their pet. it’s real to them, and it makes it real


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Retired osU veterinary hos-pital director and alumnus, John Kirkpatrick (Class of 1965) is another regular client for the communications lab.

“i believe we do a great job of training veterinary students in medicine, surgery, anesthe-siology, etc.,” says Kirkpatrick.

“This class in client communica-tion puts icing on the cake as far as training veterinary students. It helps students improve their interpersonal skills and become more comfortable with clients. These interaction skills and the ability to develop rapport with clients will transfer directly to practice. i love interacting with veterinary students and watch-ing them improve their skills.”

Professor ’s returnone of the center’s highly dec-

orated professors, now retired, has been with the program for the last three years.

“i enjoy being back with the students. Who knew i would miss them so much?” says Rebecca morton, who is also an alumna (Class of 1972). “This is an excellent way to prepare stu-dents in the art of history taking and client relations. When i was in veterinary school, this type of class was not offered. look-ing back, i know it would have helped me tremendously as i was shy and nervous around clients. here, the students get feedback on how they are perceived by cli-ents. i am glad i am able to help the students enhance their inter-personal skills. “

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ray Hammergren “discusses” a diagnosis and treatment for his dog, Greta, with student nicole Morton (Class of 2013) in the communications lab. Veterinary medicine students polish their communications skills with clients in the course.

to stillwater in 1994. he has been part of the client commu-nications program for the past six years.

“i enjoy being with the stu-dents,” says hammergren. “They are very eager to learn and inter-ested in any comments or con-structive criticism i can offer them. The students come from all over the country — California to florida to upstate new york. i even talked with one student who spent the first two years of veterinary college studying in the Caribbean before transfer-ring to osU. i remember one student who said she was inter-ested in small-animal practice when she started studying; now she wants to go to Wisconsin and take care of dairy cows. it fasci-nates me to hear their stories.”

to the student, and that is impor-tant and the pivotal reason this communication lab has been a success,” she adds.

The client volunteers come from all walks of life. They all are clients of the osU boren Veter-inary medical Teaching hospi-tal — one is a retired fbi special agent, another a retired profes-sor, several are osU alumni, and one is a young mother of two who lives in edmond and drives to stillwater a couple times a month to participate in the sim-ulated interviews.

Ray hammergren served 20 years as a special agent with the fbi. in addition to his wife’s friendship with macallister, his two schnauzers — greta and minnie — have been regular patients at osU’s community practice in the small-animal clinic since the couple moved


The client communication skills training program has been part of the required curriculum for the last seven years at osU’s Center for Veterinary health sciences.

“A veterinarian’s communi-cation skills are vital to their success,” adds demars. “Their knowledge and skills cannot be used unless they first gather accu-rate information from the ani-mal’s caretaker about what has been happening. Then, after con-sidering this information along with the physical exam and other diagnostic information, the veterinarian has to effectively communicate their diagnosis, prognosis and treatment recom-mendations to the caretaker so that the animal can receive the necessary care.

“on the community practice rotation, the students spend three weeks focused on well-ness medicine and primary-care cases,” says paul demars, com-munity practice assistant pro-fessor. “They are required to submit five videos, which are then evaluated and critiqued to help sharpen their medical and communication skills.”

“all the changes and improve-ments we have made to the com-munication skills labs over the years have been student driven,” says macallister. “from the seniors telling us they wanted to receive the training earlier in the curriculum to students say-ing they want client feedback as soon as they are done, right on the spot.”

“We know from several stud-ies on compliance that the per-centage of clients who actually follow the veterinarian’s advice, their communication skills have more to do with treatment suc-cess and client satisfaction than their medical skills. here at oklahoma state University, we are committed to producing veterinarians who excel both in their communication and med-ical skills.”

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adjunct assistant professor dr. Paul deMars helped develop osU’s course in communicating.

“a veterinarian’s communication skills are vital to their success,” he says.

morton brings Roz, her borzoi (also known as a Russian wolf-hound), to the client communi-cation class.

“a borzoi is not a breed com-monly seen, and most of the students really enjoy her,” says morton. “I am sure the public rec-ognizes the importance of good

‘bedside manner’ in physicians. This program is helping in that regard for veterinarians, many of whom are more animal-oriented than people oriented. This helps them move past that, to be prac-tice-ready veterinarians.”

The communication train-ing culminates in the fourth year when the students become part of the team that sees actual clients.

“this CLass in CLient

CoMMUniCation PUts iC ing on

the CaKe as Far as training

Veterinary stUDents. it

heLPs stUDents iMProVe their

interPersonaL sKiLLs anD

BeCoMe More CoMFortaBLe With CLients.”

— John KirKpatricK,retireD oSU veterinarY hoSpital

Director, alUMnUS (claSS of 1965) anD

coMMUnicationS laB volUnteer “client”

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For more than 60 years, the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences (CVHS) has improved the lives of animals and people through education, research and community-

impact with a new Academic Center complete with clinical

will function as a recruiting and retention tool in addition to facilitating collaboration between faculty, students and business professionals.

Private donations are vital for the multi-purpose auditorium to become a reality. The new facility will be equipped with video capture technology, providing a modern atmosphere for learning that connects the classroom with alumni, veterinary medicine professionals, distance learners and guest lecturers.

Your gifts will help to create a facility that will educate future veterinarians, ensuring that the CVHS continues its legacy of nurturing and protecting the fundamental connection between humans and animals.

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY HEALTH SCIENCES

PLANS FOR NEW ACADEMIC CENTER

For more information about how you can enhance the lives of animals

and the people who serve them, please contact the OSU Foundation at

800.622.4678, by email at [email protected] or visit OSUgiving.com.

OSU rESEArCH COUld HElp ‘mANy dOgS ANd CATS lIVE A lONg, HEAlTHy lIfE’


Tackling a fungal disease


a F U n g U s a M o n g U s

an osU educator could have a profound impact on diagnosing and treat-ing a fungal disease, which has become pervasive in oklahoma.

andrew Hanzlicek , dVm, m.s., diplomate of the american College of Veterinary internal med-ic ine in small-animal internal medicine, is an assistant professor of small animal internal medicine at osU’s Veterinary hos-pital. his research on his-toplasmosis — a fungal disease endemic in okla-homa — may change the way the disease is diag-nosed and treated.

dr. andrew Hanzlicek examines Midget, owned by Lois Crain of ringling, okla., with dr. Jennifer Chang, a resident in small-animal internal medicine.

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Histoplasma capsulatum , a soil-borne fungus, is found in temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world. in the U.s., histoplasmosis appears in the ohio, missouri and mis-sissippi river valleys as well as in oklahoma. The disease is a com-mon systemic fungal infection of many dogs and cats in oklahoma and occurs when microconidia

— the mycelial form of Histo-plasma sp. found most abun-dantly in nitrogen-rich soil — is inhaled or sometimes ingested.

“i saw this disease when i worked at Texas a&m Univer-sity and at Kansas state Uni-versity, but i was surprised at how frequently we see it here at osU’s Veterinary hospital,” says hanzlicek. “because of its small size, the microconidia can pene-trate deeply into the lungs when inhaled. histoplasmosis is a dis-ease that can affect the respira-tory system, the gastrointestinal tract or the skin in cats and dogs. sometimes it affects the bone marrow, eyes, the brain — it can go virtually anywhere in the body.”

Common clinical signs include lethargy, weight loss, anorexia and fever unresponsive to antibi-otics. an infected animal — espe-cially a dog — may have diarrhea.

Traditionally, the diagnosis of histoplasmosis is made from clinical signs and finding fungal organisms from affected tissue or fluid samples and, in some cases, a fungal culture.

“fungal culture has the disad-vantages of lacking sensitivity, requiring specialized labora-tories and having a slow turn-around time (weeks).”

Currently, hanzlicek uses a test from miraVista diagnostics in indianapolis. The test can be performed on body fluids of the potentially infected animal.

“We can use urine samples, blood samples or fluid from a lung wash,” explains hanzlicek.

“if a protein from the cell wall is in the sample, the dog or cat will test positive for histoplasmosis.”

hanzlicek started a clinical trial in June 2012 to determine how treatment with antifungal therapy affects the antigen test.

“from previous information in over 70 dogs and 30 cats, we are convinced this test is accurate, and in some cases, this test has changed the way we diagnose the disease,” he says. “before this test, we diagnosed histo-plasmosis based on clinical signs and finding the fungus through invasive tissue biopsy or needle aspirate procedures. now it may be as easy as submitting a urine or blood sample. next, we need to find out if it can also be used to monitor or guide antifungal therapy.

“Right now, the test is used to monitor treatment in humans. We don’t have data on animals, and that’s why we are doing the study,” says hanzlicek. “When you test positive for histoplasmosis, the test readout gives you a num-ber. for example, it could be 8.2. you treat the person and then re-test. The result has to be below a certain number before you stop treatment. if you stop antifun-gal therapy too soon, the infec-tion could return. if the test result decreases with treatment like we expect, it should work the same for animals as it does for humans.”

he has applied for grant money to cover the research and hopes to have 20 dogs and 20 cats known to be infected with histoplasmosis in the program.

“We will monitor how the anti-gen test changes during treat-ment, which will help us decide if we can use the test to moni-tor treatment. i anticipate it will take 12 to 18 months to gather the data,” he says.

“If we can diagnose histoplas-mosis early on and if we treat for the appropriate amount of time, the animals have a pretty good chance of making it. This isn’t an end-of-life disease. it affects young, otherwise healthy dogs and cats. if we can diag-nose it with a simple fluid test and monitor treatment without invasive procedures, we have a better chance of helping many dogs and cats live a long, healthy life.”


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a F U n g U s a M o n g U s

The third annual lund-berg-Kienlen lectureship in Biomedical research fea-tured Joseph P. Mizgerd, sc.d., professor of medicine, micro-biology and biochemistry, and director of the pulmonary Cen-ter at boston University school of medicine.

presenting “mechanisms of lung innate immunity during infection,” mizgerd emphasized the importance of lung disease research, including the discrep-ancy between disease burden and the level of funding.

Joseph Mizgerd focused on the importance of research into lung disease during his presentation of “Mechanisms of lung innate immunity during infection.”

From left: dr. Joseph Mizgerd, osU Center for Veterinary health sciences dean Jean Sander and dr. lin liu


Boston professor takes the

stage at OSU

Recognized internationally for his contributions to respira-tory infections and pneumonia, mizgerd’s research focuses on various cells and receptors in the lung and the correlation to lung infection or lung injury.

T h e l e c t u r e s h i p i s s u p -ported by the lundberg-Kien-len endowment, the office of Research and graduate edu-cation and the department of physiological sciences. lin liu, ph.d., Regents professor and the lundberg-Kienlen profes-sorship in biomedical Research, hosts the annual seminar.

during his visit, mizgerd also met with several veterinary cen-ter multidisciplinary research groups including the adult stem cell focus group and the respira-tory and infectious disease group, providing valuable input on their research.


L U n D B e r g - K i e n L e n L e C t U r e s h i P i n B i o M e D i C a L r e s e a r C h

ONE HEAlTH CONfErENCE brINgS glObAl INITIATIVE TO OklAHOmA

more than 370 health pro-fessionals gathered at the Tulsa Convention Center for okla-homa’s first one Health Con-ference . Co-hosted by the oklahoma state department of health, one health Kansas at Kansas state University and oklahoma state University’s Center for Veterinary health sciences, this groundbreaking seminar brought together physi-cians, veterinarians, nurses, vet-erinary technicians and other professionals.

national and global one health education initiatives rec-ognize that human health, ani-mal health and ecosystem health are intricately linked. humans share disease risks with wildlife, livestock and pets. The goal of one health is to collaboratively work to improve the lives of all species worldwide.

dr. C. Ben Beard of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spoke on Lyme disease and similar illnesses at the one Health Conference.

Linking life around the world

focusing on tick-borne dis-eases and rabies, the speak-ers presented information on rickettsial diseases in humans and animals, lyme disease and lyme disease-like illnesses, bar-tonellosis, rabies prevention and more.

according to dr. laura Kahn, more than 75 percent of emerg-ing infectious diseases are zoo-notic — able to spread from animals to humans.

Conference attendees were treated to a special luncheon presentation from dr. sidney ewing, osU veterinary center emeritus professor and osU eminent faculty award recipi-ent. dubbed by fellow presenter dr. Christopher paddock as a

“rickettsial rock star,” ewing said nations need a cadre of phy-sicians and veterinarians who know how these diseases work.

“There is a need for One Health,” says Ewing. “broad training of specialists is essential. I propose that physician students and vet-erinary students take a common course during their studies. I hope to live to see the day when we make one medicine a reality.”

“in order to effectively treat zoonotic diseases, physicians must be able to clearly identify which disease the patient has,” warns paddock. “species-spe-cific diagnoses are needed to determine which antibiotic will work best.”

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One HealtH COnferenCe Presenters � Dr. C. Ben Beard, chief, bacterial diseases

branch, division of vector-borne diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

� Dr. Kristy Bradley, state epidemiologist, Oklahoma Department of Health

� Dr. Cathleen Hanlon, director of the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory

� Dr. Laura Kahn, research scholar, science and global security, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

� Dr. Susan Little, Regents Professor, Krull-Ewing Chair in veterinary parasitology, OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, and director, National Center for Veterinary Parasitology

� Dr. Christopher Paddock, infectious disease pathologist and rickettsiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

� Dr. Linda Salinas, associate professor of infectious disease, Health Sciences Center, University of Oklahoma

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“prevention all year against fleas and ticks is recommended,” says dr. susan little, another presenter at the conference.

“The 2011-2012 oklahoma win-ter was so mild that ticks are out early and in abundance. one of the best things owners can do for their pets is use preventive med-icine all year long to help keep them healthy and disease free.”

“With more than 7 billion peo-ple on the planet, the need for one health is now,” says confer-ence organizer Carolynn macal-lister, dVm, associate professor and director of continuing edu-cation at osU’s veterinary center.

“international travel facilitates the quick and wide spread of diseases. an organism can move faster than its incubation period, which threatens humans and animals.”

Throughout the conference, several experts on infectious dis-eases of people and animals com-mented on the important role of veterinarians in protecting the health of people as well as pets.

“Quality tick control on dogs is a key part of limiting the risk of tick bites to people,” says little. “We know that routine veterinary care improves both animal and human health, and we have the exper-tise, ability, and tools to make this work. We just need more pet own-ers to understand the importance of preventive care for the health of every member of the family — pets and people.”

drs. linda Salinas (from left), Kristy Bradley, laura Kahn, Susan little, Christopher Paddock and Cathleen Hanlon were among the presenters at oklahoma’s first one Health Conference in tulsa.


WITHOUT EArly dETECTION, dISEASES CAN SprEAd frOm ANImAlS TO HUmANS

Guy Palmer, dVm, ph.d., keynote speaker at the 2011 fall Veterinary Conference, presented “the Challenge for Veterinary Medicine in Global Health” during the Class of 1963 distinguished lectureship.

global health is a field of study, research and practice that pri-oritizes equity in health of peo-ple, palmer says. global health involves all of the health sciences, including veterinary medicine, and emphasizes international health issues, determinants and solutions.

The emergence of new zoo-notic diseases affects global health; recent examples include the h5n1 avian influenza and nipah virus. emerging diseases often spread extensively before they’re first detected in coun-tries with well-developed diag-nostic systems.

“There is an acute need for bet-ter global surveillance for animal and zoonotic diseases. We need to have on-site capacity, the resources for international stan-dardization and validation of testing,” explains palmer. “Early detection and rapid response to emerging diseases requires an infrastructure of veterinary systems.”

palmer leads several projects dealing with livestock health and zoonotic diseases in Kenya and Tanzania in east africa. he notes that livestock is a source of food, labor, fertilizer and wealth for more than 70 percent of the world’s poor. in these pop-ulations, animal diseases have a disproportionately negative impact on the well-being of indi-viduals, their families and their communities.


dr. Guy Palmer of Washington state University and osU’s dr. Jean Sander, dean of the Center for Veterinary health sciences, at the 2011 fall Veterinary Conference.

Vets must join global health fight, professor says

“if we can keep the livestock in these countries healthy, the people will be healthier, too,” he adds. “Whether a family is con-suming the meat from an animal or selling the animals’ milk and using the money to buy medi-cines or provide education for their children, they will enjoy a better quality of life.

“Veterinarians are absolutely required to make global health work.”

The Class of 1963 established an endowment in 2005 to pro-vide prominent lecturers on campus to provide national visibility for osU’s veterinary program and enhance the con-ference experience for veterinary students, faculty and alumni attendees. speakers are selected from nationally and internation-ally known experts in their fields.

palmer is the Regents profes-sor of pathology and infectious diseases, holds the Jan and Jack Creighton endowed Chair in global health and is the direc-tor of the paul g. allen school for global animal health at Washington state University. a member of the national acad-emy of science, he currently serves as an adviser to the international science founda-tion, the national institutes of health, the bill & melinda gates foundation and the northwest Regional Center for excellence in infectious diseases.

“Veterinarians are aBsoLUteLy

reqUireD to MaKe gLoBaL

heaLth WorK.”


C h a L L e n g e h e a r D ‘ r o U n D t h e W o r L D

donald fox shared his recent research findings on the effects of lead exposure on the retina.


Sitlington Lecture features visual system expert

fox is a professor in the col-lege of optometry at the Uni-versity of houston and holds joint appointments in biology and biochemistry, pharmacol-ogy and pharmaceutics, and health and human performance departments. he is also a distin-guished aRVo (association for Research in Vision and ophthal-mology) fellow.

With at least 100,000 chemi-cals in commerce today, approxi-mately 1,000 are neurotoxicants. of those, 200 are demonstrated human neurotoxicants, and five have been identified as neuro-toxic to developing humans. The vulnerability and phenotype of developing nervous systems fol-lowing exposure to many envi-ronmental toxins is virtually unknown.

of concern to fox, whose research focuses on chemical effects in the retina, is the fact that low levels of lead exposure below the level identified by the Centers for disease Control and prevention have been found to have irreversible effects on the retina in children. he cautioned that children exposed to a low level of lead during pregnancy should be followed and exam-ined for possible visual defects and retinal degeneration as they age.

fox earned a bachelor ’s degree in chemistry from miami University and a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati medical Center on a national institutes of health predoctoral fellowship.

The 12th annual Sitlington lecture in toxicology featured University of houston professor donald fox, ph.d., who shared his most recent research findings regarding the effects of low lev-els of lead exposure at different critical developmental stages on the retina.

Carey pope, ph.d., hosted the lecture on “altered Regula-tion of Cell Cycle and Cell fate specification increases Retinal progenitor Cell proliferation and neurogenesis during ges-tational lead exposure.” The presentation was made simulta-neously to faculty, staff and stu-dents at osU’s veterinary center and at the University of okla-homa College of pharmacy.


s i t L i n g t o n L e C t U r e i n t o x i C o L o g y

College graduates largest class

Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2012

WITH 85 STUDENTS, THE ClASS OF 2012 IS THE lARGEST ClASS TO GRADUATE FROM OSU’S COllEGE OF VETERINARy MEDICINE SINCE IT OPENED ITS DOORS 64 yEARS AGO IN 1948. ON HAND WERE SOME SPECIAl GUESTS TO HOOD THOSE NEAR AND DEAR TO THEIR HEARTS. HERE ARE THEIR STORIES:

By DeRinDA BlAkeney


C L a s s o F 2 0 1 2

Genesee photo systeMs

c o n t i n u e s

Jessica Abbey of tulsa, okla., is the daugh-ter of Mike and Jennifer Abbey of tulsa. Jes-sica was hooded by her uncle, Dr. chris kelley, a 1997 osu veterinary graduate.

“I didn’t decide to become a veterinarian because my uncle was one, but his career choice definitely had an impact on me,” says Abbey. “i have always looked up to my uncle. When i was younger, i would call him and ask him animal questions. i remember him having to leave family functions or answer his phone for emergencies. I feel like he gave me a true understanding of what it means to be a veterinarian.”

kelley owns and operates sAHo owasso Animal Hospital and sAHo skiatook Animal Hospital.

“i loved the summers and breaks when Jes-sica would come work with us,” recalls kelley.

“the best memory was assisting her with her first full spay on her own dog. it was great to see her do that. Jessica is intelligent, responsi-ble and compassionate. she would have been successful in any profession, and i am glad she chose ours. i am very proud of her and look-ing forward to the day i get to call and ask her advice on a patient.”

Following graduation, Abbey plans to prac-tice at a small-animal hospital in tulsa.

JESSICA AbbEy AND HER UNClE

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Matthew Barker of yukon, okla., is the son of Dr. l.D. and Alta Barker of yukon. in the fall of 2008, l.d. Barker, who received his DVM at osu in 1965, put a white coat on his youngest son, Matthew, as he entered the veterinary college. on May 5, he had the honor of hooding Matthew as he earned his DVM degree.

Following graduation, the youngest Dr. Barker will join his father and brother, Mark Barker, a 2005 osu DVM grad-uate, at the family’s mixed-animal veterinary practice, Professional Animal Health in newcastle, okla.

“my main interest is food-ani-mal medicine but I will be doing any large-animal or small-ani-mal cases or whatever is needed of me,” matt barker says. “I am ready to start my career, contrib-ute to the clinic and help to grow it. It has been a long four years but well worth it.”

“i am real proud of Matt for having accomplished this goal while serving in the u.s. Marine Reserves as well as raising and caring for a family,” his father says. “He was delayed a year in reaching this goal when his Marine unit was deployed to iraq. i am excited and proud to have two sons who chose veterinary medicine as their profession — and both at my alma mater.”

According to his father, Matt Barker’s strengths are his calm temperament, his concern for people and his passion for animals.

“Matt enjoys working with and caring for livestock and has the innate skills to do so,” adds his father.

With both sons working at Professional Animal Health, is the senior Barker thinking about retiring?

“Retirement is not currently in my plans,” he says. “there is still much to do and to learn in food-animal medicine, espe-cially in disease prevention. it has been a real joy to watch

MATTHEW bARkER AND HIS DAD

and work with Mark as he grew as a veterinarian in the knowl-edge of practice, the develop-ment of the essential skills in large-animal practice, and to take our practice to a higher level of service. i want to be a part of and to experience that with Matt as well.”

Being the first one in his family to earn a college degree, l.D. Barker says he feels very blessed that all three of his sons have earned degrees of higher education. His wife, Alta, agrees.

“Brad, our oldest, is a West Point graduate and a lieuten-ant colonel in the u.s. Army,” l.D. Barker says. “Mark and now Matt have earned their DVM degrees. Veterinary med-icine has been a very rewarding profession for me. I am glad to have the opportunity to be of ser-vice in it and to have provided for a family from it. Alta and i are very proud.”

Matthew Barker is ready to carry on the family tradition and has begun seeing clients at Professional Animal Health.

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C L a s s o F 2 1 0 1 2

c o n t i n u e s

Kelli McMahan of Whitehouse, texas, was hooded by her fiancé, dr. nick Johnson, an osu 2011 veterinary graduate. McMahan is the daughter of larry and Jo McMahan of tyler, texas.

“I am proud of kelli and how hard she worked to get where she is,” says johnson. “I’m very lucky to have found someone as wonderful as her.”

Johnson has spent the past year working as an associate veterinarian at Pawnee Veterinary Hospital. the mixed-animal practice (60 percent large animal and 40 percent small animal) serves Pawnee county and parts of osage, noble and Payne counties.

After graduation, McMahan is joining Hecht Veterinary clinic in tulsa.

lINDSEy WOODS AND HER STEPFATHER

lindsey Woods of Fort smith, Ark., is the daughter of Jerry and steph-anie Woods of Hackett, Ark., and Ray and Jan Burd of lavaca, Ark. dr. ray Burd, Woods’ stepfather who received his DVM from osu in 1969, placed her hood on during the cere-mony. “I know I have been only a small part of lindsey’s dream of becoming a veterinarian and in choosing OSU for her undergrad and veterinary degrees, and I am very honored to be the one to place that hood on her,” says ray burd.

Woods knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian.

“When my mom started dating a veterinarian, he encouraged me but wouldn’t let me work at his clinic until i was at least 16,” recalls Woods. “His philosophy is that exposing a ‘young-ster’ to some things too early might turn them away from veterinary medicine. so all through junior high school, i volunteered at the Humane society as a dog walker and cat sit-ter. Finally when i started high school, i was allowed to start working at the Rogers Avenue Animal clinic. even though my first job was sweeping the parking lot and being a kennel tech, i was convinced that i wanted to be a veterinarian.”

kEllIE MCMAHAN AND HER FIANCé

Woods spent three summers work-ing at Burd’s small-animal clinic in Fort smith.

“i tried to challenge lindsey to always look at the big picture whether it was a medical case, surgery or life in general,” Burd says. “i worried about the boss’s-daughter syndrome but due to her strength of character, hard work and cheerfulness, lindsey was soon a favorite of the doctors and staff. she will be an outstanding veterinarian.”

“I enjoy extrapolating information I have learned about common or domes-tic species and applying it to exotic and zoo species, which we know very little about,” says Woods. “i hope to work in a small-animal and/or exotics private practice for a year or two and then seek an internship position in a zoo.”

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bRIDGET WAGNON AND HER HUSbAND

Bridget Wagnon of oklahoma city is the daughter of lorraine and David ellis of Pur-cell, okla.

Wagnon knew from a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian. While earning her bachelor’s degree at osu, she worked on the barn crew at osu’s Boren Veterinary Medi-cal teaching Hospital, where she met daniel Wagnon. A year ahead of her, Wagnon also had his sights set on veterinary college. He earned his DVM degree from osu in 2011 and is return-ing to hood his wife.

“I am very happy for my wife and her accom-plishment,” says dan Wagnon. “Having known her through it all — undergraduate, applying, getting to be there when the ‘big’ letter finally came saying she was accepted, and knowing just how much it means to her to be a veter-inarian — i couldn’t be more happy for her. i know she’ll be a fine veterinarian.”

Bridget Wagnon has fond memories of the last four years.

“i liked the field trips that the small ruminant club took with Dr. katie simpson to the alpaca farm,” she recalls. “i would suggest that stu-dents who are thinking about veterinary col-lege find a veterinarian to work for or volunteer for to make sure they enjoy the work and also to gain experience. stay focused and be per-sistent, and all your effort will be worth it in the end.”

As for dating or getting married while earn-ing your veterinary degree, Dan Wagnon has some advice.

“marriage is tough, and so is vet school,” he says. “Our profession takes up a lot of our time. It’s impor-tant to make time for each other. you must learn to step away from medicine and just be a regu-lar person every once in a while. if you do, you can look forward to having a spouse who will understand your situation more than almost any other person, someone who will be there for help with studying for tests, to help treat patients on emergency calls on a sunday after-noon. it makes for plenty of opportunities to bond with each other and help each other grow. And it makes for some very ‘interesting’ dinner conversation as well.”

Following graduation, Bridget Wagnon joined Deercreek Animal Hospital in Harrah, okla. Her husband works at Veterinary cor-ner, a four-doctor mixed-animal practice. in the long term, the Wagnons look forward to starting a family together and perhaps one day owning a veterinary practice together.

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C L a s s o F 2 0 1 2

The Center for Veterinary Health

Sciences held a transition ceremony

for the Class of 2013 (below) at the

Stillwater Community Center. The tradition,

which began seven years ago, marks

the start of clinical rotations, signifying

the next step forward for third-year

veterinary students.

Moving ahead

Holly Slater receives her white coat from dr. larry Stein, interim head of the Department of Physiological sciences, during the spring ceremony.



t r a n s i t i o n C e r e M o n y

CLASS OF

2016NUMBERSBY

THE

WHO WE ARE

WHERE WE’RE FROM

OUR YOUNG ’UNS

OUR ACADEMICS

17 men

65 women

3.533 averagecore GPA

3.579 average cumulative GPA

150 average GRE quantitative score*

153 average GRE verbal score*

4.0 average GRE analytical

writing score*

58 Oklahoma

residents

5 Oklahoma residents

24 from elsewhere in the U.S.

2 from elsewhere in the U.S.6 women



1 man

82 total students

7 totalstudents

*Revised GRE General Test now reports verbal and quantitative scores on a 130–170 scale in one-point increments. Analytical writing score scale is unchanged.

(Early Admit Program students)

2 0 1 6 s t a t s

the incoming Class of 2016 at oklahoma state University’s Center for Veterinary health sciences spent two days in the Colvin annex participating in a new orientation program. the Cowboy Vet (Veterinary education and team building) program focuses on leadership, self-awareness and communication concepts to give the class tools they need to be successful veterinary students.

Welcome to the Class of 2016. of its 82 students: 65 are female and 17 male. of the group, 58 are oklahoma residents and 24 come from other states. the core and cumulative grade point averages for these students are 3.533 and 3.579 respectively. their average grade GRe scores are 153 verbal, 150 quantitative and 4.0 analytical.

if the verbal and quantita-tive scores look low, it’s because the GRe General test has been revised. the new format reports scores on a 130–170 scale in one-point increments. the analyti-cal writing scores continue to be scored on the same 0–6 scale in half-point increments.

this is the third class that includes early Admit Program (eAP) students. of the eight, five are residents and three are non-residents. the eAP strives to aid students with strong academic ability, who are committed to a rigorous academic program in their veterinary medical career development.

to be eligible for the eAP, seniors in high school must have an Act score of 28 or higher and be enrolled in a comprehensive university in the state of okla-homa. students can be admitted to the program during the fresh-man year of their undergraduate education.

early Admit scholars must maintain a 3.5 GPA each semes-ter whi le completing their bachelor’s degree and the pre-veterinary course requirements. During this time, students are teamed with veterinary college faculty to provide guidance and mentorship. Drs. Robert Bahr, todd Holbrook, tim snider and lara sypniewski are mentors for these students. these veterinar-ians took extra time with these students and we applaud their dedication to the future of vet-erinary medicine.

eAP students in the class of 2016 had an average core GPA of 3.74 and an average cumula-tive GPA of 3.85.


CLASS OF

2016NUMBERSBY

THE

WHO WE ARE

WHERE WE’RE FROM

OUR YOUNG ’UNS

OUR ACADEMICS

17 men

65 women



150 average GRE quantitative score*

153 average GRE verbal score*

4.0 average GRE analytical

writing score*

58 Oklahoma

residents

5 Oklahoma residents

24 from elsewhere in the U.S.

2 from elsewhere in the U.S.6 women



1 man

82 total students

7 totalstudents

*Revised GRE General Test now reports verbal and quantitative scores on a 130–170 scale in one-point increments. Analytical writing score scale is unchanged.

(Early Admit Program students)


r e a C h i n g F o r t h e g o L D

for the first time since 2004, the oSU Student Chapter of the american association of Bovine Practitioners rounded up a team to compete in the Bovine Palpation Competi-tion at the Student american Veterinary Medical associa-tion Symposium.

The osU 2012 bovine palpa-tion Team coached by dr. emily reppert and assisted by dr. Suzanne Genova, consists of six veterinary students — four competitors (Jason anton, Class of 2015; Ben estes, 2013; eric Harms, 2013; and Hannah Wadsworth, 2013) and two alternates (J.d. folsom, 2015; and Holt tripp, 2015). all six made the trip to the competition at purdue University.

“I joined the team because I am interested in working with cat-tle, especially cow/calf opera-tions,” says harms. “i wanted to learn about artificially insemi-nating cows. This competition was a great way for me to prac-tice and gain some skill at pal-pating before i graduate.”

The team aims to provide veterinary students who have demonstrated a strong interest in food-animal medicine and bovine reproduction a venue to further develop their skills in bovine palpation while prepar-ing to participate in the national competition.

OSU fields team at national bovine palpation contest

“in order to be selected for the team, students are required to be members of the student chapter of the aabp,” says Reppert. “They had to demon-strate outstanding knowledge of bovine reproduction via a writ-ten examination. The members have undergone rigorous train-ing, including in-depth weekly classes on subjects relevant to the study of bovine theriogenol-ogy, such as control of the bovine estrous cycle, causes of infer-tility, advanced reproductive techniques and obstetrics. in addition, students are required to attend weekly laboratory ses-sions in order to develop their palpation skills.”

“i enjoyed being part of the palpation team as it allowed me to earn valuable knowledge not only in palpation but in all differ-ent aspects of reproduction that will be of good use in my future career,” says estes. “It was also important to me that OSU, one of the top food-animal schools in the country, was represented on a national level.”

“i believe that it is absolutely necessary to be proficient in palpation when working in large-animal veterinary med-icine,” says anton. “The osU palpation team has provided an opportunity for me to strengthen my palpation skills and has improved my understanding of the veterinarian’s role in bovine reproduction.”


The osU team placed fourth in the national competition. Team members are grateful to their two coaches and others who helped them train for sev-eral months — dr. Reed holy-oak, veterinary clinical sciences professor and diplomate in the american College of Therio-genologists; dennis Wilbourn, Veterinary medicine Ranch manager; and alan Jennings, local dairy breeder. Two osU alumni, dr. bruss horn (1980) and dr. denis matousek (1981), provided financial support that made this program possible.

“i have had an interest in bovine reproduction for several years,” says Wadsworth. “for me, the palpation team was an oppor-tunity to delve deeper into the field and to apply the knowledge i had obtained from the third-year theriogenology course. The three months of preparation for the competition was arduous, and the competition itself was very chal-lenging. my participation in the competition has allowed me to become more confident with my palpation skills and has prepared me for practicing better bovine medicine in the future.”



Members of the oSU 2012 Bovine Palpation team traveled to Purdue University in Lafayette, ind., for the national Bovine Palpation Competition. the team includes (from left) Hannah Wadsworth, eric Harms, J.d. folsom, Ben estes, Holt M. tripp and Jason anton, along with coaches dr. Suzanne Genova and dr. emily reppert.


n o t e W o r t h y

From left are dr. Ken Bartels, a retired U.s. army colonel, newly commissioned 2nd lt. Candace Wimbish and Sgt. 1st Class lindsay dally, an army health care recruiter.

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Newly commissioned veterinary student

in April 2012, a severe tornado blew through Woodward, okla., killing six people and dam-aging or destroying 224 homes and businesses.

two veterinary students, tyla Barkley (class of 2012) and Kami Jensen (class of 2014), were safe at school in stillwater but wanted to help their hometown. the two sent out a plea to the center for Veterinary Health sciences family for help — and boy, did they respond.

“We raised $1,026 in cash and gift cards from a bake sale and donations,” says Barkley. “We also donated 1,200 pounds — or $2,500 worth

— of Hill’s science Diet pet food.”

“it was great to see the kindness shown to our hometown and its citizens,” says Jen-sen. “Words cannot express how awesome it feels to be a part of such a caring CVHS family. the cleanup process is coming along rapidly with the support of volunteers. survivors still have a long road to haul but with such generosity expressed from so many individuals, the heal-ing process will come soon.”

College helps tornado victims

oklahoma state veterinary students Kami Jensen (Class of 2014, left) and tyla Barkley (’12) deliver two carloads of donations, in addition to cash and gift cards, after a tornado struck their hometown of Woodward, okla., in april. since her graduation in May, Dr. Barkley is pursuing a career in a mixed-animal practice in central oklahoma.

Candace Wimbish of Den-ton, texas, a veterinary student at osu’s center for Veterinary Health sciences, was commis-sioned on April 27 as a second lieutenant in the u.s. Army. Performing the ceremony was retired Col. Ken Bartels, who holds the Mccasland Profes-sorship in Biomedical laser surgery and kerr Foundation endowed chair in the Depart-ment of Veterinary clinical sci-ences at the veterinary center.

Wimbish joins the Army on a two-year health services pro-fessional scholarship. Follow-ing her graduation in 2014, she will serve three years’ active duty in the military.

she graduated from Den-ton High school and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the university of texas at Arlington, graduating magna cum laude. she is the daugh-ter of sandra Parker of Denton and married to Patrick Wim-bish, a petty officer first class with the navy Reserve.



dr. lara Sypniewski (right) and fourth-year student Sharon Uluh (left) are treating Katy ashcraft’s dog, toby, a shih tzu mix who had suffered a ruptured eye.

INjUrEd dOg rEApS THE bENEfIT Of A VETErINAry STUdENT STEppINg Up TO ‘rETUrN’ A fAVOr

Paying it forward

it started when a veterinary student rescued a boxer who had been wounded in a dog fight and neglected by her owners. The student found a new home for this dog, but she could not afford the shipping expenses nor to deliver the dog herself. a truck driver stepped forward to pro-vide a free ride from oklahoma to massachusetts to deliver the boxer to her new family. in return, that same veterinary student, who wishes to remain anonymous, stepped forward in 2011 to help someone else in need, Katy ashcraft.

ashcraft is a northern okla-homa College student from Welty, okla., who plans to major in agricultural communications at osU. she saw something lying alongside the road while driv-ing. stopping, she discovered a small dog covered with grime in a mud puddle.

“i took him home,” says ash-craft. “i noticed he had some-thing wrong with his eye. i had toured osU’s veterinary hospi-tal when i was younger and was fascinated with it. i thought it would be convenient to take him there since i go to school there.”

each case at the veterinary hospital is assigned to a fourth-year veterinary student, an intern or resident and a faculty member. ashcraft and the dog, named Toby, were seen by stu-dent sharon Uluh, a Ross Uni-versity student completing her clinical training at osU. Uluh took Toby’s history, examined him and discussed the dog’s con-dition and treatment options.

next, dr. lara sypniewski, community practice veterinar-ian and the clinical assistant professor on the case, assessed Toby’s condition.

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s t e P P i n g U P

“We scanned Toby for a micro-chip, checked for any identifica-tion and found none,” explains sypniewski. “he looks to be a middle-aged male shih tzu mix, covered in mud and grease from the underside of a car. he appears to be healthy except for a ruptured right eye.”

sypniewski found a hole in the center of Toby’s cornea and the contents of the anterior por-tion of the eye were protruding from the globe.

“his eye was covered with dirt and debris and, of course, was noticeably painful. This injury could have been from an acute injury, such as head trauma, or the result of a progressive, chronic corneal injury or disease,” adds sypniewski.

With little chance of saving his sight, sypniewski suggested removing the painful eye and ashcraft agreed, despite the cost.

“between what was left from high school graduation gifts and incoming paychecks from my part-time job, I was able to cover Toby’s surgery and medical care,” says Ashcraft. “dr. sypniewski asked me about having him neu-tered while he was under anes-thesia for his eye surgery, but i declined because i couldn’t afford the added cost.”

Toby received an antibiotic to help reduce the infection in and around the affected eye before surgery, as well as pain medication.

“We gently cleaned Toby’s eye and sent a topical antibacterial ointment home with Katy,” says sypniewski. “Thanks to Toby’s small stature, we were able to provide a ‘no-charge puppy pack’ sample of Revolution, a topi-cal anti-parasitic and anti-hel-minthic that helps to prevent heartworms, fleas, ear mites, sar-coptic mange and certain types of ticks. it also helps to con-trol hookworm and roundworm infestations.”

six days later, ashcraf t brought Toby back for surgery.

“The morning of Toby’s surgery, i mentioned to a fourth-year student, who would be assist-ing during the operation, that i wished i could neuter Toby while he was under for his eye surgery to avoid multiple anes-thetic events,” recalls sypniewski.

“i told her i was unable to do so because Katy couldn’t afford any extra procedures.”

“When i heard that, i knew it was time to ‘repay a favor,’ and i told dr. sypniewski that i would be glad to pay for Toby’s neuter, and i wanted to remain anon-ymous,” the fourth-year stu-dent says.

The hospital called ashcraft.

“i was so happy when they called me and asked me about having Toby neutered,” says ashcraft. “it was such a relief because i really wanted it done, but the money was an issue. it takes someone with a big heart to just donate money to a dog they just met. i am so very thank-ful to that student.”

Toby’s surgeries were unevent-ful with no complications, and he went home the next morning.

“What a tremendous change in Toby,” says ashcraft. “he went from being a withdrawn, quiet dog to an excited, happy little guy. he is never in a bad mood, and he’s just an awesome dog!”

Ten days following surgery, Toby returned to the veterinary hospital for suture removal. “The surgical site healed nicely, and his sutures were removed with-out incident,” reports sypniewski.

“Coming to OSU’s veterinary hospital was wonderful,” says ashcraft. “i loved it there. They explained everything to me and worked with me on my work and school schedules. my veteri-nary student gave me her num-ber, and i called and texted her every day with different ques-tions and concerns. everyone and everything deserves a sec-ond chance, no matter the his-tory or condition. Toby was in bad shape when i found him, and dr. sypniewski and the veterinary students and hospi-tal staff helped me give him a second chance. i will always be grateful.”

and who knows? maybe someday ashcraft will have a chance to express that gratitude by “paying it forward” for some-one else in need.


oSU’s Boren veterinary Medical teaching hospital is open to the public, providing routine and specialized care for small and large animals. it also offers 24-hour emergency care and is certified by the american animal hospital association.

s t e P P i n g U P

“What a treMenDoUs Change in toBy. he Went FroM Being a WithDraWn,

qUiet Dog to an exCiteD, haPPy L ittLe gUy. he is neVer in a BaD MooD, anD

he’s JUst an aWesoMe Dog!”


The many people who will benefit from the estate gift totaling $3.2 million (the larg-est given to the veterinary cen-ter to date) will never have the opportunity to meet the two sisters behind this donation — luella Curtis of Canton, okla., and leora Calkins of Tonkawa, okla. but someone at oklahoma state University’s Center for Vet-erinary health sciences did meet luella Curtis, and the treatment that veterinary clinician pro-vided to luella and her pet is the reason behind part of the gift.

Curtis and her husband butch, who passed away before she did, didn’t have any children but she loved animals. she had a pet parakeet and a cat. When her beloved cat became ill some 20 years ago, she brought it to osU’s veterinary hospital for treatment. The compassion-ate care extended to her cat so impressed Curtis that she and her husband decided to leave the majority of their estate to the veterinary center.

leora Calkins

fElINE WHO WAS TrEATEd WEll yEArS AgO spurs 2 SISTErS TO lEAVE OSU $3.2 mIllION

“luella lived next door to us, 3-4 miles away, as long as i can remember,” says Ralph Chain, one of the executors of the Cur-tis estate. “my family has been on the same property for 120 years. back in the day, luella was the one who would come by and col-lect the telephone bill. my son, monte Chain, would take his children to luella’s on hallow-een trick-or-treating. she had some cattle and pretty much went about her business quietly. she sure was grateful that osU veterinarians saved her cat.”

When it came time to put her affairs in order, Calkins con-sulted with her financial adviser. not only did they share a busi-ness relationship but over the years, they became dear friends.

it is said that leora was a very humble person. Very few peo-ple knew she was wealthy. The money was never a factor to her. she was a frugal woman, always to the point. you knew where she stood on things. she never mar-ried and didn’t have children. her cats were her family, and like so many animal lovers, she adored them.

it was the wishes of both sis-ters that the majority of their estates be left to further the edu-cation of many at osU’s Center for Veterinary health sciences.

luella had cattle as well as her pets and knew firsthand the importance of veterinarians in oklahoma. leora’s love for ani-mals was great, and she knew that veterinarians shared that same wonderful love for animals large and small.

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The cat’s meow

photo provided


g e n e r o s i t y i n a B U n D a n C e

so thanks to the care provided by an osU veterinary clinician and the generosity of these two sisters, the estate gift endowment will provide funds for student scholarships for years to come.

“The amount of each award and the number of awards given each year will be determined by the awards selection commit-tee,” explains Christopher Ross, dVm, associate dean for aca-demic affairs. “The debt load veterinary students face upon graduation is staggering, and we are very appreciative of donors who make it possible for us to reduce that burden. We expect the annual income from this gift to expand our scholarship offer-ings by about 50 percent, which is a huge increase.”

“This is a phenomenal gift,” adds amanda davis, senior director of development. “The number of lives that will truly be touched by luella’s and leora’s generosity is countless. not only will the students receiving the scholarships benefit but so will the patients they treat down the road thanks to their education — an education that is made possi-ble in part by this gift.”

once leora made her plans known she was asked if she would like to meet pistol pete and give osU an opportunity to thank her in person for her generosity. she refused, saying she didn’t want any recognition; she was just glad to pass the money on. she had everything she needed. she felt blessed that she could fur-ther someone’s education so they could in turn help animals.

The first scholarships from the luella Ruth and butch Curtis educational fund will be awarded in the spring of 2013 — the first of many scholarships, thanks to luella and leora.


photo provided

luella and Butch Curtis

g e n e r o s i t y i n a B U n D a n C e

“the nUMBer oF L iVes that WiLL trULy Be toUCheD By LUeLLa’s anD Leora’s generosity is CoUntLess.”


Greetings:Since becoming the CVHS’s development director last year, I have had the

privilege of meeting many of our alumni and donors while getting to know

the important work done here. Each day, I am grateful to be part of this

very special place. From the compassionate care provided by the Boren

Veterinary Medical Hospital and the education of some of the country’s best

veterinarians to the research that affects our animal friends, our national

security, and in many cases our own health, it is easy to see the impact of

the CVHS everywhere you look.

Message from the Development Office

Under the leadership of Dean Jean Sander, we are expanding our development programming and the level of service we provide to our supporters. This issue marks the first phase of that effort with the 2011-2012 Donor List. We are also preparing to roll out an initiative called the Orange Sock Society to thank donors who have supported the CVHS for five or more years consecutively. The name comes from a tra-dition begun by former dean Dr. Michael Lorenz, who created the Loyal and True Order of Orange Socks. Induction into the society is given in recognition of service to the CVHS. The loyalty of individuals who support the center in the long term is an inspiration. The benefit comes not only from the impact of the financial gifts they make, but also from the statement their consistent support makes. We have created the Orange Sock Society as a way of recog-nizing that our consistent supporters are part of us. On their fifth consecutive year of giving, donors will receive a special letter from the dean and an Orange Sock Society pin to wear at our CVHS events such as Fall Conference, the Awards Banquet and the alumni receptions at various conventions.

In addition to finding more ways to thank you, we will be offering new oppor-tunities to support the work of the CVHS, including a new support fund for the hos-pital, an Academic Center facility campaign, and new programs for alumni and friends. These are exciting times at the CVHS, and I am glad to be here supporting the faculty and staff in all they do.

If you have any questions or needs, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your support.

aManda daViS MPa, Cfre

Senior direCtor of deVeloPMent

405-385-5607

[email protected]

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D e V e L o P M e n t

o U r D o n o r s

* inDicAtes MeMBeRsHiP in tHe DeAn’s cluB

2011–2012 DonorsThe Center for Veterinary Health Sciences wishes to express our gratitude to our donors and friends for your support. The following is a list of individuals and organizations that made a gift between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, of $250 or more. All of us thank you.

$1 million or moreButch and luella Ruth curtis trust

leora calkins estate

$100,000 to $999,999Bayer Health care

novartis Pharma AG

e.l. & thelma Gaylord Foundation

Pauline Wright estate

$50,000 to $99,999Dr. Anton kammerlocher

Williams clinic of stillwater

$25,000 to $49,999Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation

Boehringer ingelheim Vetmedica inc.

Diane stuart and Jon stuart

Jean Williams

$10,000 to $24,999catoosa small Animal Hospital inc.

conocoPhillips co.

Hill’s Pet nutrition inc.

sandra lee

Pfizer inc.*Molly and D.D. Patterson

stuart Family Foundation

travis lumber llc

$5,000 to $9,999Maj. stephanie Bounds

A.W. and Gwen Foley

iDeXX laboratories inc.

Michael and Rosana Mayer

Vicki Palmer

MsRs Revocable trust

Merkel Family Foundation

norfolk southern Foundation

oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association

Petsmart charities

RH Veterinary service Pllc

$2,500 to $4,999Bobby and Brenda Alexander

AVMA Professional liability insurance trust

cargill inc.

JMJ technologies inc.

Joyce Doran

Dr. karen and capt. samuel Dowds

Dr. Paul and Margaret DuBois

Dr. Greg and Jana Duffy

Dr. Mark and Denice elwell*Gregory Gray

Dr. keith and Bonnie Hand

Dr. Joseph and Betty lou Hayden

Dr. Gerald Hegreberg and Dr. lynetta Freeman-Hegreberg

JMJ technologies inc.

Dr. Michael and Velda lorenz*James Miears

Dr. carey and Dr. Jing Pope

tim and tina Ridley*Dr. chris Ross*Dr. Michael and Dr. Jennifer schoonover

Dr. Richard and Mary shepherd

Dr. steven and carolyn Vonderfecht*Billy White

Bernadine Wold

$1,000 to $2,499Alamo Pintado equine clinic inc.*American Association of Bovine Practitioners Foundation

Arkansas Veterinary Medical Foundation

Dr. keith Bailey*Paige eubanks-Barrow and John Barrow*Bild Animal Hospital*Bruss Horn DVM Pllc

Gary and linda Burke

cedarwood Veterinary clinic

cherokee Hills Veterinary clinic Pc

Jerrell and Peggy chesney

Dr. James and Deborah conklin*kendria and Bradley cost

Ruth cotner

Dr. R. Reynolds and evelyn cowles Jr.*Dr. Joe and Mary Davis*Dr. Phillip and Martha Day

Dorothy c. Richardson trust

Dow chemical co. Foundation

thomas Duquette

Dr. norman and Jane Durham

Forest trails Animal Hospital

Frazier Management trust

Dr. John Freeman

lynn and catharina Fujii

Jeff and Debi Hafner

V. Burns and Ann Hargis

Dr. James and lee Ann Hackworth*Halliburton Foundation inc.

Helen W. ehrhart Revocable trust

David and Grace Helmer*Heritage Plaza Animal Hospital

col. Bradford and Annette Hildabrand

kenneth and karen Holmes

Dr. kenneth Huffman*iBM corp.

Dr. Harry and Hannah James

Dr. eileen and Dr. Bill Johnson

Dr. John and Donna kirkpatrick*Dr. thomas and linda latta

Dr. susan little and Dr. Rodney Will

Dr. steven and Melissa lucas

steven and Jana Mackey

Matousek Veterinary clinic

Melinda McAfee

Mid-America Alpaca Foundation

Midwest Alpaca owners & Breeders Association

Jean Miller

Morris D. covey estate

Dr. nicholas and Dr. Dianne nail*


national livestock commission Association

national livestock credit corp.

nestlé Purina Petcare co.

oakridge equine Hospital Pc

oklahoma city obedience training club inc.

Dr. Roger Panciera

Boone and Madeleine Pickens

Jerry and Donna Pongratz

Dr. James and cynthia Richardson Jr.

Dr. William and Mary Roberson

Rose Rock Veterinary Hospital & Pet Resort*Dr. Jean sander*steven and christine savage

Dr. ted schupbach

Dr. steven and nancy slusher

Dr. D.c. and l. Michele smith

charles and Joyce sullivan

textron Matching Gift Program

tulsa county Veterinary Medical Association

Veterinary ophthalmology services inc.

Dr. John and Wynn Walker*Western Veterinary conference

$500 to $999John A. Baker Revocable trust

Dr. todd and Debra Behre

Gary Bogue

carol and larry Brown

cDX scholarship Fund

chimney Hills Veterinary Hospital

Dr. Alan and Amy Haws coffman

Dr. James and Dr. kathy cooper Jr.

Dr. colette crotty

Dr. lee Denney

irma and Robert eufinger

Family Pet Hospital Plc

Dr. Frederick Feibel

Hughes cattle co. llc

Dr. stephen Hull Jr. and kathryn Reilly

Dr. Joseph inscoe Jr.

Mary kay and Roger Jennings

Dr. cornelia ketz-Riley and Donald Riley

Dr. Jerry and cindy Malayer

kevin and Jo Ann Manke

Dr. James and Dr. katrina Meinkoth

Dr. lester and Grace naito

Fidelity inv. charitable Fund / Willard Rhynes

Dr. Justin Roscoe

Dr. thomas and Jenny sartain

Dr. Richard and cynthia shawley

Amelia smith

Dr. timothy and Jennifer starks

stillwater Designs/kicker

Dr. Amy thiessen

VetPrep

Dr. c. Glenn Warren

leesa and Jeffrey Wyzard

$250 to $499Dr. troy and kristina Acree

Dr. Paul and carla Aldridge

Dr. carey Bachman

Dr. Annette and Robert Baker

Dr. linda and James Branscum

cameo Arabians

Dr. kimberly and William carter

Dr. Ross and linda clark

Dr. Michelle corr

Amanda Davis

Dr. Frank Denney

Dr. William and Rose edwards

Dr. ireta and Dr. Merlin ekstrom

Dr. kevin Gibbs

Janet and Matt Hall

Dr. susan Harrington and Robert Fichman

Dr. charles and lola Heaton

nancy Henslee

Fidelity inv. charitable Fund / Don and Mary Holmes

steven and Dorothy labounty

Dr. lin liu

Dr. Melissa Magnotta

Victor neal

Dr. John and karen nick

Dr. Joe and Ginger noble

John Richardson

Dr. Richard Roth

Dr. Douglas Ruby

Dr. Michael and sonia sealock

sequoyah Fuels corp.

charles and Mary Ann shields

lisa and Randy sims

Dr. Martin and Patricia spindel

Rex and Jane stachmus

Dr. Gregory and Deborah stanbery

stillwater Furniture showcase

Rebecca tims

kristen Vails

Veterinary Associates of Jacaranda inc.

Via luna Group inc.

Dr. loretta Walker

Dr. stephen and Johnita Walker

cmdr. R. Dean Ward (Ret.)

sandra Ward

elaine and James White

Dr. R. Gene and Donna White

Patty Whitecotton

laRonna and Donald Wilbourn


a L U M n i n o t e s

it’s not all animal care for dr. Chris deWitt, who enjoys sailing when he’s not working at his clinic on St. Maarten in the Caribbean.


The sun, ocean views and his own veterinary clinic on a trop-ical island is exactly the para-dise Chris deWitt, Class of 1991, could thrive in. While still at osU’s veterinary college, he saw a job listing in dr. Tom monin’s employment book for a veteri-narian in the Caribbean, and the seed was planted.

“my father was in the U.s. army-artillery, so we lived in Turkey and germany when not at our home base of fort sill, okla. i thought [the Caribbean] sounded like a nice, romantic idea, and i was encouraged by a few of the students from Ross University who were completing their clinical training at osU,” recalls deWitt.

during his senior year while working as a preceptor at the busch gardens Zoo in Williams-burg, Va., deWitt met Teresa Kraska, a veterinary graduate from the University of missouri. Kraska soon left to take a posi-tion in the Caribbean, mirroring deWitt’s destination at least for a year or two.

Working in ParadiseVET TAkES HIS prACTICE TO A CArIbbEAN ISlANd

“i didn’t know which island she had traveled to, so i was pleas-antly surprised when we ended up working at the same hospital,” deWitt remembers.

The couple eventually married and in 1995, the two started their own clinic — animal hospital — on saint maarten, a 36-square-mile island that’s divided into french and dutch sides. They have two daughters, morgan, 9, and madison, 11, who were both born on the island.

“it’s pretty busy for such a small place, which is great for business,” says deWitt. “While it isn’t the grass-hut clinic on the beach with coconut palms I imagined, the weather is great, and I can see the ocean and sun-sets from both our home and our clinic.”

deWitt’s animal hospital treats mostly small animals with some large animals, exotics and wildlife mixed in.

“in addition to the clinic, we consult with the island govern-ment on public health issues and regulations relating to ani-mals. We are also the veteri-narians for the St. maarten zoo. once a month, i travel to an even smaller island, saba, to per-form veterinary surgery and see patients,” says deWitt. “saba is a 5-square-mile, volcanic island with a population of 1,500 and a great destination for diving. We also see clients from the nearby islands of anguilla, st. barthe-lemy, st. eustatius and even from st. Kitts and nevis.”

located on the dutch side of the island, deWitt’s animal hos-pital employs three veterinarians, an office manager, three veter-inary assistants and three ken-nel workers.

“We see a variety of cases treat-ing many orthopedic and soft tissue surgical cases. We also perform a lot of cancer treat-ments and dermatology cases that would be referred out to a specialist in the states.”

deWitt says the biggest chal-lenges are language and location.

c o n t i n u e s

photo provided


a L U M n i n o t e s

some of the more unusual animals the clinic has treated include sea turtles, pelicans, frigate birds (tropical sea birds with powerful wings and a hooked beak) and a giraffe from a traveling circus.

“We even treated a pilot whale, which is small by whale stan-dards but a whale nonetheless,” deWitt says. “The Coast guard found him having trouble in the water and brought it to the clinic in a truck. We quickly shipped him to a marine mammal facility.

“our biggest case involved a trip to puerto Rico to inspect a group of polar bears owned by the suarez Circus. The cir-cus made the mistake of travel-ing to a U.s. territory with polar bears that did not conform to U.s. standards. The bears were being threatened with confiscation. We examined the animals and did not recommend importation. a week later, the polar bears were

confiscated and several still reside in U.s. zoos.”

deWitt believes a dVm degree opens the world and is limited only by one’s imagination.

“The options for teaching, industry or private practice can take you anywhere. i think this extends to specialty practice as well. in a practice, i think it is necessary to start small but always have a plan for growth.

“As much as I enjoy life on this tropical paradise called St. maarten, I really miss and appreciate Okla-homa State and the College of Vet-erinary medicine. as a military brat, oklahoma is the state where i lived the longest, and i have never met a more fun and friendly peo-ple. our football team may have been ranked no. 2 [last season] but the university and veterinary college are no. 1.”

in Saint Maarten, veterinarian Chris deWitt sees a fair share of exotic animals such as the colorful Gizmo.

a pilot whale — one of the smaller versions of whales — has been among DeWitt’s patients.

“While most residents speak english, there is a fair amount of spanish, dutch and french spo-ken,” he says. “We have to order supplies in advance, and water and power outages do occur. We are prepared, however, with a large standby generator, and we cross our fingers during hurri-cane season.”

photos / provided


the oSU alUMni aSSociation offerS Several MeMBerShip optionS to Serve YoUr neeDS — annUal, lifetiMe, new graDUate, Senior or even gift MeMBerShipS. MeMBerShip BenefitS range froM reDUceD rate athletic ticKetS to inSUrance DiScoUntS to career ServiceS anD More. Join the

oSU alUMni aSSociation toDaY at oranGeConneCtion.orG or call 405-744-5368 or 1-800-433-4678 .

SAN ANTONIO AlUm SHOWS pASSION fOr OSU AT HIS TExAS VET ClINIC

“Bleeding orange” is one phrase often used to describe osU alumni — and it certainly applies to 1983 alumnus Kenneth d. Kirlin, dVm, of san antonio.

at the southwest Veterinary symposium in 2004, Kirlin was sharing his ideas about fund-raising and connecting with out-of-state alumni with then-dean michael lorenz.

dr. lorenz invited him to serve on the dean’s develop-ment associates, which began in april 2005. Kirlin accepted and continues to serve in that capacity today.

“It’s my way of giving some-thing back to the college, and it helps keep me in touch with what’s happening at the veter-inary center in Stillwater,” says kirlin. “i wasn’t sure what to expect at the first meeting. i was very impressed with how dean lorenz was so involved in every aspect of the school. We have an excellent staff, and they always give informative reports at the meetings. now that dean [Jean] sander has taken over, i find the same excellence is there. she brings a different perspective, which is every bit as committed as dr. lorenz’s. i appreciate the fact that the college is interested in what is important to alumni and what we’d like to see in the new graduates.”

dr. Kenneth Kirlin (left) used the services of an auto body paint shop to get the brilliant finish for his osU-orange refrigerator that sits in his office in san antonio.

and that isn’t the only way Kirlin gives back to osU.

Kirlin is the Class of 1983 rep-resentative and attends the col-lege’s annual alumni association meeting. in 2006, he began serv-ing on the association’s board of directors as secretary/trea-surer. each position term is two years. in 2008, he moved up to vice president and in 2010, he stepped into the role of pres-ident. his term ends in 2012, when he will serve as the imme-diate past president until 2014, then as the past president for another two years.

“being on the alumni asso-ciation board, i’ve been able to reconnect with my classmates and those in other classes. i’m not sure most of our alums know we have such a board. as class representative, it’s our job to keep the lines of communication

open between the school and our classmates. We’re all proud of our OSU education, and I’d like to see everyone be more involved in sup-porting the college in whatever capacity they can. It’s not just monetary support that’s needed. It’s helping our current and future students with employment and helping them gain valuable expe-rience they can only see in the real world.”

and his support doesn’t end there. dr. Kirlin has been a life member of the osU alumni association for 20 years.

“I would like to see a greater percentage of our alumni join the OSU Alumni Association. Cur-rently, only 15 percent of vet-erinary alumni are members. i think it’s important to support osU. by joining, alumni help both the university and the vet-erinary center as a portion of the membership dues goes to our alumni association. i owe a lot to osU for giving me an excel-lent education that has allowed me to own my practice and enjoy my chosen career. i’d really like to see every alum become a life member, which helps support osU at a higher level. i enjoy receiving the orangebytes email newsletter, which keeps me informed about what is happen-ing in stillwater and around the nation with other osU alums.”

and he shows his osU Cow-boy spirit in yet another way.

“When i bought my practice 16 years ago, a working 1950s ge refrigerator came with the build-ing. We recently rebuilt the hos-pital and bought new appliances throughout. one of my clients owns a paint and body shop, so i asked them to paint the refrig-erator osU orange. i even gave them the registered color codes for the right shade of orange and told them to put their best show-car finish on it. i put a magnetic osU decal on the front, and it now sits in my personal office in the new hospital. even the Texas a&m alums who see it are impressed.”

Orange all the way to the fridge


Donald Muncy worked for a few years in a small-animal practice before attending law school. he worked in a variety of legal areas, including energy and insurance, while he flipped houses for fun. still in pursuit of more excitement, he took up flying, which he does frequently in his retirement.Joseph William “Bill” Inscoe returned

to his hometown of newton, n.C., after grad-uation. he started a solo veterinary practice and continues to treat dogs and cats.

Don Ensey practiced mixed-animal medicine in paris, Texas, after graduation. his work ethic caused him to set an unsus-tainable professional schedule, so he sold his practice and opened a restaurant until he retired.

Wylie Dunn opened the first veterinary practice in searcy, ark., and was an essential part of the community for 42 years before retiring.

C o n n e C t i o n s

some of the members from the Class of 1962 returned to osU to mark their 50-year reunion. they include (front row, from left) lester dupler, dick roth, david Mitchell, Janet Graham Schroeder and arlis Boothe. standing behind them are (from left) dale Schomp, louis nightengale, nick nail, don Muncy, ed Schenk and don ensey.

Class of 1962 celebrates 50 years

Twelve of the 17 living class members from the Class of 1962 returned to stillwater to celebrate their 50th reunion. invited back to participate in the 2012 hooding Ceremony, these senior veterinarians provide a great example of the vari-ety of career paths one can travel with a dVm degree. here are some highlights from the last 50 years:

Arlis Boothe served as a veterinary research medical officer for the federal agri-cultural Research service at the national animal disease Center in ames, iowa. later, he taught pathology at the University of arkansas for medical sciences and went on to serve as a consultant with the devel-opmental metabolic neurology branch of the national institute of neurological and Communicative disorders and stroke at the national institutes of health.

Lester Dupler is proud to call himself a country veterinarian. he bought a practice in Claremore, okla., where he and his first wife worked for many years.

David Mitchell served in the U.s. army Veterinary Corps before settling in Tulsa. he worked in private practice and served as a trail veterinarian for the iditarod Trail sled dog Race. Today, he still serves on the Tulsa state fair Committee.



mEETINg Old frIENdS, mAkINg NEW ONES

Roy Smith owns and operates Central Texas Cat hospital in Round Rock. his career started off with a mixed-animal clinic focusing on dairy cattle and horses. The practice evolved into small animals and then into his cats-only clinic. he is the president-elect of the american association of feline practitioners.

Dale Schomp drove all night to take the Texas boards the morning after graduation. he started his own practice, working sale barns and being on-call at several slaughter plants for years. he purchased some land and built the area’s first storage units. he has built many more since.

Edward Schenk went into private practice and built a practice in oklahoma City. he sold the practice to go into farm-ing, where the financial challenges led him to serve as a lobbyist for the farm Credit Council.

Louis Nightengale started practicing three days after graduation and continued to practice for the next 50 years. he has men-tored many new graduates and established ardmore animal Care, which was the foun-dation for the city’s animal shelter.

Janet Grantham Schroeder was active in production-animal medicine. While run-ning a general practice out of her home, she also managed a dairy operation and later some sheep. she sold the dairy cows and went into beef cattle. Today, she works in a pound, providing medical services to the animals.

Nicholas Nail worked for the Usda poultry inspection service while awaiting commission as a medical services officer in the U.s. air force, where he served at the Royal air force base in Wethersfield, eng-land. Upon his return, he was an instructor of small animal medicine before going into private practice until he retired.

Richard Roth has spent most of his pro-fessional life in a mixed-animal practice in his hometown of Casselton, n.d. he also serves as a swine consultant in several states.

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Class of 1956out of the 16 living members of the Class of 1956, three members and one widow of a classmate returned to stillwater for the Cowboy roundup to celebrate their 55-year reunion. Pictured (from left): drs. Charlie Wulz, Paul long, i.Q. Sewell’s widow Viva Sewell, and James Price.

2011 Cowboy Roundup



Class of 1966six of the 32 living members of the Class of 1966 were able to return to stillwater for their 45-year reunion. Pictured (from left): drs. robert fulton, tony fell, Warren newby and John Hahn. not pictured but also attending reunion activities were drs. Jack roberson and Vernie Walker.

Class of 1971the Class of 1971 began planning their 40-year reunion early in the year. of the 42 living members, 19 were able to attend. Pictured front row (from left): drs. Carl McCoy, r.d. Hall, Charles Hatfield, James Hensley, tim Woody and Wayne Sizelove. Back row: drs. John Myers, Kenneth Gunkel, John Scott, larry Minter, Cliff Mcdonald, thomas Bowles, Gary detrich, William ferrell, John Gage, Marcia Short and Sybil Heise. also attending but not pictured were drs. anna Parker and Jim Shipman.


Class of 1986a total of 12 members of the Class of 1986 were in stillwater to celebrate their 25-year reunion. Pictured in the front row (from left): drs. leslie Cole, Susan Gaffney and Susan tomlinson. in the back row (from left) are drs. Keith fuchs, Ben Haning, Matt McQuade, robert norris and Grant rezabek. also attending reunion activities but not pictured were drs. rebecca Coleman, Mike Pruitt, Paul robertson and Phil tripp.

Class of 1981twenty-four of the 57 living members of the Class of 1981 returned to stillwater to celebrate their 30-year reunion. Pictured in the front row (from left): drs. deena Gregory, Paula Janko, tom taggart, Genie thoni, renee Hammer and Margaret ann Snyder. in the back row: drs. Kevin allen, Stephen Meyerdirk, Jeffrey livingston, rocky Bigbie, dennis dugger, dee Gragg, Jeff tidwell and fred northern. also attending the Fall Conference and other related reunion events but not pictured were drs. Phil Steinert, Paul Welch, larry thompson, larry Barrett, Mark Kopit, Bob ables, david Glover, denis Matousek, Ken olivier and Stan Jenkins.

aLL cLass photos By Gary Lawson / University MarketinG


Class of 2001nine of the 76 living members of the Class of 2001 came back to stillwater to celebrate their 10-year reunion. Pictured in the front row (from left): drs. lyndi Gilliam, Jenny McGee, Melinda luper and Kristie Brandenburg. in the back row: drs. John Gilliam, dustin dersch, James daniel, Justin Graham and Michael Prewett.

Class of 1991a total of 21 members of the Class of 1991 returned to stillwater to celebrate their 20-year reunion. Pictured in the front row (from left): drs. Susan Harrington, elizabeth owen, tiffany Virga, antoinette Walker, Melinda Upton and Catherine Homrig. in the middle row: drs. richard Hufnagel, laura Blazek, Steven lucas, dana Harvey and Petrina york. in the back row: drs. Jerry ritchey, Mark richards, Jesse thompson, Christopher Schumpert, troy osborne, Steven Giles, travis Mauldin, Mike Jones, and richard Mathes. attending the reunion but not pictured was dr. desirae Self.

aLL cLass photos By Gary Lawson / University MarketinG



fUNdrAISINg ANd VISITINg ClASSmATES & OTHEr frIENdSCowboy RoundupGary Lawson / University MarketinG

2 0 1 2 O k l a h o m a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y 1032 0 1 2 o k l a h o m a s t a t e u n i v e r s i t y 103

pEOplE CAmE TO SEE WHAT TOmOrrOW’S VETErINArIANS ArE lEArNINg dUrINg THE OpEN HOUSE AT OSU’S CENTEr fOr VETErINAry HEAlTH SCIENCES IN mArCH. THEy WErE AblE TO lOOk OVEr THE CENTEr’S fACIlITIES ANd TECHNOlOgIES AS WEll AS VIEW A VArIETy Of ExHIbITS ANd lIVE ANImAl dEmONSTrATIONS COVErINg mANy ASpECTS Of VETErINAry mEdICINE.

Welcome to the Open House

photos: Gary Lawson / University MarketinG


o P e n t o V i s i t o r s

OSU’S grANdpArENT UNIVErSITy brOUgHT mOrE THAN 400 lEgACIES ANd THEIr grANdpArENTS TO STIllWATEr IN jUNE. AmONg THE COllEgES pArTICIpATINg IN THE AlUmNI ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAl EVENT WAS THE CENTEr fOr VETErINAry HEAlTH SCIENCES.

Grandparent University bridges generation gap

photos: Gary Lawson / University MarketinG

dr. larry Hamilton (’81) helps grandson luke Wells prepare for

“surgery.”

Sherbert, the indian runner duck mascot for the veterinary college, gets a treat from one of the young gPU attendees.

a young calf gets a drink from a gPU attendee.


t e a C h i n g y o U n g M i n D s

We honor those who have served the profession, our distinguished colleagues and friends.

dr. richard Eugene “gene” baileyDr. richard eugene “gene” Bailey, 83, died april 1, 2012, in tulsa. he earned his DvM degree from oklahoma State University in 1965.

following a short stint with another veteri-narian, Dr. Bailey opened his own practice in tulsa in 1965. he ran the Southwest veterinary hospital for the next 25 years. the practice started as a mixed-animal practice and even-tually moved to focus on small animals only. in 1985, his son, Keith Bailey (who received his own DvM degree from oSU in 1984), joined him. father and son practiced together until the elder Dr. Bailey retired in 1990.

Bailey is survived by his sons, Stan Bailey of Sand Springs, okla., and Keith Bailey (and his wife, Melissa) of tulsa; four grandchildren, Brian Bailey (and his wife, Stephanie) of cla-remore, okla., lisa Bailey of tulsa, David Bailey, who is a fourth-year veterinary student at oSU, and amy Bailey of tulsa; and one great-granddaughter, claire Bailey (daughter of Brian and Stephanie). his wife, Betty g. Bai-ley, died in 2000.

Source: Bailey family

dr. Clem Cottom jr. longtime oklahoma veterinarian Dr. clement v. “Doc” cottom Jr., 78, of Bixby, okla., died nov. 4, 2011.

Born in Stillwater, Dr. cottom graduated from liberty Mounds (okla.) high School in 1951. he earned his bachelor’s degree from oklahoma a&M college in 1954 and his DvM degree from oSU in 1958.

he married cleo Shackelford in august 1954. in 1962, he established cottom veterinary clinic in Bixby, which was still an active prac-tice at his death.

Dr. cottom was a charter member of the Bixby lions club. he worked on the green corn fes-tival planning and in later years dressed in a Santa suit to promote 7c’s christmas tree farm. Many area ffa chapters gained their

“hands-on” experience under his guidance.

he was a lifetime member of the oSU alumni association, the northeast oklahoma veteri-nary Medical association, the oklahoma vet-erinary Medical association and the american veterinary Medical association.

Dr. cottom was known for playing hard after working hard. he and his wife built carnival booths for school, held hayrides and snow sled rides, led fundraisers and took the girl Scouts to Six flags over texas. his ranching opera-tion included cattle, swine, sheep and horses.

Dr. cottom was preceded in death by his wife, cleo, on Dec. 23, 1995, and one daughter, Dee cottom, on april 8, 2008. he is survived by two daughters, vicki linker of liberty Mounds and Sandi cottom of choctaw, okla.; two sons, Jerry cottom (and his wife, cheryl) of Morrison, okla., and chet cottom (and his wife, Deann) of liberty Mounds; six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, siblings and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Source: leonard and Marker funeral home

dr. Weldon glenn one of oSU’s first veterinary graduates, Dr. weldon glenn, 92, of San Diego, died Jan. 6, 2012.

the fourth of eight children, he served in the U.S. army during world war ii. on May 29, 1949, he married Marian Spann. following his service, Dr. glenn completed his education through the gi Bill, graduating with his DvM degree in the first class of oSU veterinarians in 1951. his brother, Bertis glenn, graduated with the second class in 1952.

following graduation, weldon glenn prac-ticed in Blackwell, okla., before going on to teach animal science at the University of wyoming. in 1961, Dr. glenn earned his doc-torate in veterinary pathology from colorado State University. he worked in the georgia State veterinary lab (1964) and as an exten-sion veterinarian for South Dakota State Uni-versity (1965). Dr. glenn spent some time in pharmaceutical research at the Upjohn co. in Kalamazoo, Mich. in 1990, he retired from the Department of agriculture in San fran-cisco, calif.

in 1994, the glenns moved to San Diego. at age 70, Dr. glenn was a “gardener extraordi-naire” who enjoyed hours in the sunshine and warm days of southern california. he loved working in the garden and studying the sci-ence of plants and maintained 10 neighbor-hood landscapes. he even knew the latin names of many ordinary flowers, shrubs and trees.

Dr. glenn is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marian; four children, Joe glenn (and his wife, anita), Dana glenn, chris glenn and Kim Jef-frey glenn; and three grandchildren.

Source: Marian glenn


i n M e M o r i a M

dr. john Harper jr. a longtime veterinary medical officer for the government, Dr. John Matthew harper Jr., 81, of neosho, Mo., died aug. 31, 2011, at the Mount vernon veterans home in Missouri.

Dr. harper was born in oklahoma city and served in the U.S. air force. he earned his DvM degree from oSU in 1960 and worked as a veterinary medical officer for the meat and poultry branch of the U.S. Department of agri-culture for 30 years, retiring in 1988. he was also a longtime member of the neosho United Methodist church and active in the choir.

Dr. harper is survived by his wife of 55 years, olivene harper; three daughters, Debra Devers (and her husband, Scott) of irving, texas, Judy Spaar (and her husband, John) of lee’s Summit, Mo., and rebecca harper of round rock, texas; and four grandchildren. Memo-rial contributions may be made to the neosho United Methodist church, hospice compassus or Mount vernon veterans home, c/o clark funeral home, p.o. Box 66, neosho, Mo 64850.

Sources: the Joplin Globe and clark funeral home

Upon his return home, he married his high school sweetheart, Meldine Boyles. he soon entered oklahoma a&M college and grad-uated with his DvM degree in 1951 — one of the 26 members of the first veterinarians to graduate from oklahoma a&M college. after graduation, Dr. henry opened his first veteri-nary clinic in pawnee, where he and Mel ran a successful practice for 35 years. he worked on a wide variety of animals — large, small and exotic — but had a particular gift for diagnos-ing and treating horses. his love of horses led to his service on the oklahoma horse racing commission for several years.

Dr. henry was a beloved veterinarian as well as an accomplished trumpet player and pia-nist. his lifelong love of music began in sec-ond grade. he played with various bands in high school, in the service and in his spare time throughout his life, stopping only in his early 80s.

Dr. henry was also a great storyteller. in the last few years of his life, he wrote down his amazing stories in a self-published book called Just so you’ll know. he wrote much of the book during the long hours of his dialy-sis treatments.

he is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mel henry; daughter, ava osborn (and her hus-band, lynn); son, Matthew henry; six grand-children and 10 great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations can be made to the oSU foundation, attention: Sharon worrell, okla-homa State University, 308 Mcelroy hall, Still-water, oK 74078; the first christian church of pawnee, 900 6th Street, pawnee, oK 74058; or Judith Karman hospice, 915 S. Main St., Still-water, oK 74074.

Source: stillwater newspress

dr. Everett j. HickokDr. everett James hickok of St. augustine, fla., died July 4, 2012. he was 92.

Born in Billings, okla., he served as a major in the U.S. army infantry during world war ii. in 1942, he married frances faye Smith in enid, okla.

he earned his DvM degree from oklahoma State in 1956. he was an oklahoma veteri-nary Medical association member for 56 years.

Dr. hickok is survived by his son, James hickok (and his wife, pam); granddaughter, emily phan (and her husband, hieu); and great-granddaughter, Jasmine phan, all of St. augus-tine; as well as two brothers and a sister.

Source: tulsa world

dr. Stephen Holmes longtime Yukon, okla., veterinarian Dr. Stephen r. holmes died at age 69 on oct. 7, 2011.

Born in fairview, okla., he graduated from fairview high School and attended okla-homa State University. he earned his DvM degree from oSU in 1966, then served in the U.S. army veterinary corps from 1966-68. for the next two years, Dr. holmes taught anat-omy at oSU’s college of veterinary Medicine.

Married to Dianna (Dee) fry in 1966, the cou-ple and their two children moved to Yukon in 1974, where Dr. holmes established the Yukon veterinary hospital inc.

Dr. holmes was very active in the commu-nity. his list of service included member and two-term president of the Yukon chamber of commerce; member and president of Yukon rotary club, which recognized him as an out-standing rotarian and a paul harris fellow; member of Yukon’s planning commission; serving an unexpired term on the Yukon city council; and member of the first United Meth-odist church of Yukon.

Dr. holmes will be remembered for his love of animals as well as his loving, gentle and kind ways. he loved his cabin at lake texhoma, fish-ing and the beauty of the outdoors.

he is survived by his mother, eleanor holmes of oklahoma city; his wife of 45 years, Dee of Yukon; son, Stephen holmes of Dallas; daugh-ter, anilee foster (and her husband, Shane) of frisco, texas; and his five beloved grandchil-dren, who called him “poppy Soc.”

Memorial contributions may be made to the oSU foundation for the companion animal fund, c/o Sharon worrell, 308 Mcelroy hall, Stillwater, oK 74078.

Source: Yanda and Son funeral home

dr. raymond E. ‘doc’ Henry longtime pawnee, okla., veterinarian raymond e. “Doc” henry, 86, died in Stillwater on March 27, 2012.

Born in ralston, okla., he graduated from ralston high School in 1944. the next day, he joined the U.S. navy and was assigned to the 62nd Seabees Battalion during world war ii. he was stationed on iwo Jima before being transferred to the 90th Seabees Battalion in Yokosuka, Japan.

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dr. kenneth gene keenum Sr.oklahoma State alumnus Dr. Kenneth gene Keenum Sr., 77, of Murphy, n.c., died oct. 28, 2011, at Murphy Medical center.

a native of gaston county, n.c., he attended north carolina State University, oklahoma State University and the U.S. naval academy.

after he graduated with his DvM degree from oSU in 1960, Dr. Keenum practiced for six years in South Dakota. from 1966 to 1972, he practiced in Murphy. in 1972, Dr. Keenum became the assistant director at the animal Disease Diagnostic laboratory under the north carolina Department of agriculture, retiring in 1995.

Dr. Keenum enjoyed farming and playing bridge. he was a member of the Masonic lodge in South Dakota, various Jaycee groups, the lions club and assisted with the veter-ans. he was also a member of the first United Methodist church of Murphy.

Dr. Keenum is survived by his wife, clara; son, Kenneth Keenum Jr. of Murphy; daughters lisa Keenum of Murphy and Joyce Jackson of win-ston-Salem, n.c.; two sisters, geraldine James (and her husband, Duke) of waynesville, n.c. and carolyn lonnblad of glendale, ariz.; and one granddaughter.

Memorial contributions may be made to the hattie parker cemetery flower fund at friendship Baptist church cemetery fund, c/o t.l. Mcnabb, 186 friendship church road, Murphy, nc 28906.

Source: townson-rose funeral home

dr. Clyde kirkbride textbook author Dr. clyde Kirkbride, 87, of Brookings, S.D., died Sept. 15, 2011, at the Dougherty hospice house in Sioux falls, S.D.

Born and raised in california, he graduated from Burbank high School. he attended one semester at the University of california at los angeles before he was inducted into the U.S. army air corps in 1943. he met Dorothy cribbs and they were married april 19, 1944. During world war ii, he served with the 9th air force as a B-26 pilot, completing 21 missions out of england and Belgium.

after the war, he earned his DvM degree in 1953 from oklahoma a&M college. Dr. Kirk-bride spent the next 10 years in private prac-tice in Mountain grove, Mo. in 1963, he went to Kansas State University and served on the faculty until 1967. in 1967, the family moved to Brookings, where he worked for the next 23 years at the South Dakota State University animal Disease research and Diagnostic lab-oratory. he also earned his master’s degree in microbiology in 1970 from South Dakota State.

Dr. Kirkbride authored a textbook, control of Livestock diseases, and was an honorary dip-lomate of the american college of therio-genologists. a past president of the western veterinary conference, he was an honorary life member of the american association of veterinary laboratory Diagnosticians. he was also a member of the South Dakota vMa, american leptospirosis research conference, national Mastitis council and the U.S. ani-mal health association. honors he received included the SDvMa veterinarian of the Year (1989) and the aavlD Distinguished Service award (2011).

Dr. Kirkbride enjoyed fishing, gardening, work-ing on his computer and reading. Besides his wife of 67 years, Dorothy, he is survived by five children, Sharon arndt, Barbara Brown, Katie gilmore (and her husband, paul), tom Kirkbride and Steve Kirkbride; four grandchil-dren and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the South Dakota State University foundation Jackrabbit guarantee Scholarship program, Box 525, Brookings, SD 57007; or advance, p.o. Box 810, Brookings, SD 57006; or the Dougherty hospice house, p.o. Box 5045, Sioux falls, SD 57117.

Sources: heritage funeral home and JavMa

dr. lester johnsona professor who spent 30 years at oklahoma State University’s college of veterinary Medi-cine has died. Dr. lester Johnson, 93, of Still-water, died Sept. 4, 2011, in Stillwater.

Born in overbrook, okla., he attended school in ravia, okla., graduating in 1935 as class vale-dictorian and a member of the national honor Society. he earned an associate degree from Murray State college in tishomingo, okla., in 1937. at oklahoma a&M college, he made the dean’s honor roll and graduated with a bach-elor’s degree in 1939.

in May 1942, he was inducted into the U.S. army and trained in meteorology. on aug. 4, 1943, he and 12,000 other soldiers sailed for Scotland. he was assigned to the 8th air force serving in england, france and germany dur-ing world war ii. Johnson rose to the rank of staff sergeant and received the eaMe (euro-pean-african-Middle eastern) Service Medal with four Bronze Battle Stars. he was dis-charged Sept. 30, 1945.

after the war, he studied veterinary medicine at texas a&M University. he was named a dis-tinguished student, outstanding veterinary student and elected president of his senior class while he was earning his DvM degree, which he received in 1950. he then went into private practice in ada, okla., and later worked for the U.S. Department of agriculture’s agri-cultural research Service.

in 1954, Dr. Johnson accepted a position as an assistant professor in large-animal med-icine and surgery with the oSU college of veterinary Medicine. his career spanned 30 years, ending with his retirement as profes-sor emeritus in 1984. During his tenure, he received seven outstanding teaching awards, including the norden teaching award in 1963 and 1965. he served as head of large-animal medicine and surgery, performing some of the first successful equine abdominal surger-ies in the U.S. and as equine section chief. Dr. Johnson also served as president of the okla-homa veterinary Medical association in 1975 and was named the oklahoma veterinarian of the Year in 1983.

an elder in the chickasaw nation, Dr. Johnson was preceded in death by lucille, his wife of nearly 56 years. he is survived by two neph-ews, a sister-in-law and one cousin.

Memorial contributions may be made to the oSU foundation, designated for the lester and lucille Johnson Scholarship fund, and mailed to oklahoma State University, 308 Mcelroy hall, Stillwater, oK 74078.

Source: Strode funeral home


i n M e M o r i a M

dr. larry mayberry Dr. larry Mayberry of Brandon, Miss., died oct. 23, 2011, at Baptist hospital in Jackson, Miss. a native of oklahoma, he earned his DvM degree from oSU in 1972. Dr. Mayberry spent 35 years practicing equine medicine exclusively. he was experienced in lameness diagnosis and treat-ment and was certified in chiropractic and dentistry.

Dr. Mayberry taught equine-clinical medicine at Mississippi State University college of vet-erinary Medicine from 1984 to 1988, receiving teacher of the year honors twice. Dr. Mayberry then returned to private practice in Mississippi. he was a lifetime member of the Mississippi veterinary Medical association.

he is survived by his wife of 49 years, Marcia e. anderson Mayberry; son, Dr. larry Brook May-berry, DvM (and his wife, Dianne); daughter, amy Mayberry fries (and her husband, Kery); sisters, ouida Mayberry Self and Delcine May-berry goodpasture; brother, tim Mayberry; and two granddaughters.

Memorial contributions can be made to the leukemia lymphoma Society, Mississippi-louisiana chapter, 3636 S. i-10 Service road, Suite 304, Metairie, la 70001.

Source: Mississippi veterinary Medical association

dr. fayne Higgins Oberst oklahoma State University professor emeri-tus Dr. fayne higgins oberst, 92, formerly of Manhattan, Kan., died april 5, 2012, in palm Bay, fla.

from 1974 to 1984, he was a professor and head of medicine and surgery and director of oSU’s Boren veterinary Medical teaching hospital. in 1984, Dr. oberst retired from oSU, but he continued to be a part of the emeritus faculty until his death.

Dr. oberst was on the organizing committee, a charter diplomate, and the second presi-dent of the american college of theriogenol-ogists. he was also involved with a number of other veterinary related organizations. he was a highly recognized educator who received numerous teaching awards, including the 1988 clinician of the Year award from oSU.

after he retired, Dr. oberst remained active, becoming a master gardener, volunteering for Meals on wheels and participating in church activities.

Dr. oberst was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, anne charlson oberst. he is sur-vived by his daughter, Diane erickson (and her husband, robert) of paluski, tenn.; sons, Dr. richard oberst (and his wife, Jacque Staats) of Manhattan, Kan., and Mark oberst (and his wife, ann) of Micco, fla.; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Source: cox gifford Seawinds funeral home and crematory

dr. Thomas pastorDr. thomas pastor died on June 26, 2012. he was 64 and living in new orleans.

he is remembered as being kind-hearted, compassionate and loving his family dearly. Dr. pastor was well known and respected in the veterinary world by his clients and peers.

Dr. pastor is survived by his mother, cathe-rine Decorte pastor; two brothers, Kenneth pastor and Danny pastor; and a sister, cath-erine deveer and her husband, Joseph. he is also survived by his grandchildren, Sebastian pastor and Kashmeria pastor; a close friend, Marilyn waites pastor; and best friend, car-los campos.

Memorial donations may be made to your charity of choice in Dr. pastor’s memory.

Source: the times-picayune, new orleans

dr. debra riding In Dr. Debra riding in, 48, of portland, ore., died oct. 1, 2011. She was born in portland and earned her biochemistry degree from hood college in fredericksburg, Md.

She received her DvM degree from oklahoma State University in 1994.

She had a passion for her work as a veterinar-ian and worked for several veterinary hospitals and clinics throughout portland and Mult-nomah county. Dr. riding in was especially adept at surgeries.

dr. Harold b. rinker an honored oSU football player, Dr. harold B. rinker, 78, of west fork, ark., died Jan. 2, 2012, at the willard walker hospice home in fayetteville, ark.

Born in Seneca, n.M., he graduated from clay-ton (n.M.) high School. he attended fort lewis a&M college in colorado (1951-52) and oklahoma State University (1953-54) as an undergraduate. he earned his DvM degree from oSU in 1958.

he played collegiate football in colorado and oklahoma. earlier at fort lewis a&M, he earned all-conference and honorable Mention all-america honors and was named outstand-ing athlete of the Year in 1952.

During his veterinary medicine career, Dr. rinker taught, published articles in numer-ous trade journals and served as a consultant to the livestock and pharmaceutical indus-tries. he was a founding member of the acad-emy of veterinary consultants. Dr. rinker had veterinary practices in texas, oklahoma and new Mexico. he also worked on the hopi and navajo reservations in arizona and new Mexico. in the latter years of his career, he was an inspector for the U.S. Department of agriculture.

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Dr. riding in loved her family and hosted many dinners and barbeques at her home. She enjoyed going to the beach, traveling and sightseeing throughout the country. She was a member of the confederated tribes of Siletz and the pawnee nation and served as a good role model as a young native ameri-can professional.

Dr. riding in is survived by her husband, andres angeles; mother, Doris riding in of portland; sisters, Dorna Battese of apache, okla., Delores riding in of Siletz, ore., and Denise riding in of Kailau, hawaii; a step-daughter, nicolina angeles, and two step-sons, andres angeles Jr. and tony angeles, all of portland; and numerous relatives. She was preceded in death by her father, rob-ert riding in.

Source: omega funeral & cremation Service


dr. betty Self oklahoma’s first female veterinarian, Dr. Betty Self, 78, of robert lee, texas, died Jan. 10, 2012, in San angelo, texas.

Born in colorado city, texas, she graduated from odessa high School. a pioneer in the field of veterinary medicine, she was the sec-ond woman to graduate from oSU with a DvM degree when she graduated in 1957.

Dr. Self started her career in a mixed-ani-mal clinic in ada, okla., where she worked for about 24 years. after that, she returned to texas and practiced in Denton for 19 years before retiring in 2000. in 2002, she opted for a slower pace and moved to robert lee.

She was preceded in death by a son, Brian. She is survived by two sons, thomas Self and Bruce Self (and his wife, Diana); two grand-sons, four great-grandchildren, siblings, a niece and four nephews. a practicing veter-inarian for 43 years, Dr. Self was devoted to her profession and her family.

Source: san angelo standard times

She was very active in her community. Dr. Simon was a former president of Brighton rotary, founding member and charter pres-ident of Brighton early rotary, and founded Brighton interact (junior rotary) club at Brighton charter high School. She was a chamber of commerce citizen of the Year in 2005 and rotary District 5450 rotarian of the Year in 2009.

a singer and actress, she became involved with the performing arts council of Brighton and later with the platte valley players. She was a member of the Brighton chorus, per-forming in the 2010 holiday concert and at new York’s carnegie hall in 2008.

She spearheaded an effort to improve aca-demic performance at north elementary School, which started a grant-funded tutoring program. that led to the robert M. Shopneck Boys & girls club, with which she remained involved. She also supported a scholarship program for young women through the phi-lanthropist education organization and was a donor to the platte valley Medical center campus.

Dr. Simon is survived by her husband, Dave; daughter, Kari Jo walker; son, lucas Beattie; father and stepmother, ronnie and linda Scott of lamar, Mo.; brother, terry Scott of Manhat-tan, Kan.; sisters, Stephanie white of lafayette, Kan., gayle england (and her husband, J.c.) of tulsa, and Denise pruner (and her husband, rob) of clay center, Kan. She was preceded in death by her mother, Betty Scott.

Memorial contributions may be made pay-able to the Sheri Simon Memorial fund and mailed to Sheri Simon Memorial fund, 420 court place, Brighton, co 80601. the fund will be used to keep Dr. Simon’s legacy alive and well in the Brighton area and beyond.

Source: tabor-rice funeral home

he considered his most important achieve-ments to be his continued sobriety as an active member of alcoholics anonymous for 38 years, volunteering for the washington regional hospice program for more than 20 years, and what he taught his children and grandchildren by voice and deed. he lived a life of service helping others.

Dr. rinker is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jan; two sons, Martin rinker (and his wife, tracy) of hardesty, okla.; and Michael rinker (and his wife, rhonda) of Union city, tenn.; three daughters, Karen rinker (and her partner, Jake warnock) of west fork; Kim white (and her husband, Scott) of warren, ark.; and Kelly cantrell (and her husband, Jay) of west fork; 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the willard walker hospice home, 325 e. longview Drive, fay-etteville, ar 72703 or to the Dr. harold B. rinker annual Scholarship, (make check pay-able to oSU foundation with scholarship nota-tion in the memo), oklahoma State University, 308 Mcelroy hall, Stillwater, oK 74078.

Source: saline river chronicle news

dr. Coleman Scott oklahoma State University alumnus Dr. cole-man Scott, 66, died July 30, 2011, after a battle with cancer.

Born in Sapulpa, okla., he grew up on the family dairy farm. in 1963, he married his high school sweetheart, ruth ann Stout. he earned his DvM degree from oSU in 1970. he served as a captain in the U.S. army veterinary corps at fort riley, Kan.

Dr. Scott established great plains pet hospi-tal in newton, Kan., and passionately cared for animals for almost 35 years.

a private pilot, Dr. Scott loved to fly his Mooney and Bonanza airplanes as well as travel, boat, rv, fish and watch his grandchil-dren’s sports and activities.

he is survived by his wife of 48 years, ruth ann; children, Shawn Scott (and his wife, Bea-triz) of rota, Spain, Julie Koehn (and her hus-band, warren) of wichita, Kan., and Jennifer Brown (and her husband, Scott) of Maize, Kan.; six grandchildren and several siblings.

Memorial contributions may be made to the leukemia and lymphoma Society, 300 n. Main, Suite 300, wichita, KS 67202 or trans world radio Missions, c/o twr Donor Ser-vices, p.o. Box 8700, cary, nc 27512.

Source: the newton kansan

dr. Sheri Simon Dr. Sheri Simon, 49, of Brighton, colo., died Dec. 4, 2011, from complications related to a lengthy illness.

She graduated from northeastern oklahoma a&M college in Miami, okla., in 1982, from oklahoma State University in 1984 and earned her DvM degree from oSU in 1988. She and her first husband, lyal Storm Beattie iii, and their daughter, Kari Jo, moved to Brighton, where she began working for alan rice at Brighton animal clinic. Dr. Simon became a partner in the clinic in 1992 and bought it in 2003. She also owned and operated the international canine Semen Bank of colorado and the play Stay & More pet care business.

dr. E.l. Stair jr.one of the first officials with oklahoma State University’s oklahoma animal Disease Diag-nostic laboratory has died. Dr. ernest lee Stair Jr. was the assistant director and chief pathol-ogist for the lab from June 1975, six months before it opened, until he retired in 1997.


i n M e M o r i a M

Dr. Stair, a Stillwater resident, was born on the family farm near geronimo, okla., and lived to be 80 years old. he died on aug. 15, 2011, from complications of parkinson’s disease. he earned his DvM degree from oSU in 1960.

following graduation, he accepted a March of Dimes fellowship at the University of nebraska, where he conducted viral infection research on pregnant swine and became an instructor in the veterinary department from 1960 to 1964. he also earned a master’s degree in veterinary science at nebraska.

in 1968, Dr. Stair earned a doctorate in veteri-nary pathobiology from texas a&M University. as an assistant professor and later an associ-ate professor, he taught veterinary students necropsy techniques and basic pathology. his students gave him “a good Stick award.” from 1968 to 1975, Dr. Stair returned to the University of nebraska as an associate profes-sor. he chaired committees, advised master’s degree candidates and served as an instructor.

Dr. Stair was active in the Stillwater commu-nity, coaching little chief t-Ball and working with cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. he belonged to the first christian church in Stillwater and was interested in electronics, woodworking and computers. he helped his friends set up their first computers.

he is survived by his wife of 52 years, eileen austin Stair; sons, eric Stair (and his wife, lalai), evan Stair (and his wife, Dana) and eron Stair; two grandchildren; two sisters, Mildred King (and her husband, harrison) and patricia David-son; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Judith Karman hospice, p.o. Box 818, Stillwa-ter, oK 74078; first christian church, 411 w. Matthews ave., Stillwater, oK 74074; or any of several parkinson’s associations at apDa oklahoma parkinson Disease chapter (opDa), 1125 S. trenton ave,, tulsa, oK 74120.

Source: stillwater newspress

dr. William d. TolbertDr. william D. tolbert, 74, of huntington, w.va., died oct. 1, 2011, at the emogene Dolin Jones hospice house in huntington.

he was born in hinton, w.va. he graduated from west virginia University and earned his DvM degree from oklahoma State Univer-sity in 1962. he established the Barboursville (w.va.) veterinary clinic in 1975.

Dr. tolbert is survived by two sons, alan tol-bert and greg tolbert, both of Barboursville, w.va.; and three grandchildren.

Source: herald-dispatch, huntington, w.va.

dr. leo Voskuhlone of the first graduates of oklahoma State University’s veterinary school has died. Dr. leo

“Doc” Jerome voskuhl, 86, of Kingfisher, okla., died aug. 1, 2011. Born in celina, ohio, he was raised on his family’s farm in Marshall, okla.

while he knew at a young age that veterinary medicine was the career for him, he served in the U.S. army at camp Swift Military Base near McDade, texas, before pursuing that dream. he met and married edith english during his army service.

following his military service, he applied to oklahoma a&M college’s School of veterinary Medicine. he was selected to be among the first class and graduated with a DvM degree in 1951.

while traveling from hennessey, okla., to oklahoma city, Dr. voskuhl saw Kingfisher and decided to practice there. a country doc-tor who loved his work, he practiced in King-fisher for 60 years.

among his achievements were sitting on the oklahoma veterinary Board of examiners for several years and receiving an achievement award at the U.S. Department of agriculture’s Millennium celebration. the award recog-nized Dr. voskuhl’s common-sense approach to veterinary medicine, his customer service and professional knowledge. he also served on the Kingfisher School Board for 20 years and was named Kingfisher citizen of the Year.

Surviving are his wife of 20 years, Sharon voskuhl; son, Steve voskuhl of austin; daugh-ter, vicki Smith (and her husband, Jim) of Kingfisher; two grandsons and six great-granddaughters. he was preceded in death by his wife, edith, and one son, Danny. Memorial contributions may be made to russell-Murray hospice in Kingfisher.

Source: the kingfisher times & free press

dr. Edgar Ellis Wallop Dr. edgar ellis wallop, 85, of chester, Md., died nov. 26, 2011, at the hospice house of Queen anne’s in centreville, Md.

Born in washington, D.c., he graduated from that city’s calvin coolidge high School before enlisting in the U.S. navy in 1945. he enjoyed playing drums and played in the navy Band. after his military service, he continued to play drums for several big bands. he later attended loyola college and graduated from the Uni-versity of Maryland. he earned his DvM degree from oklahoma State in 1962.

Dr. wallop practiced in Bowie, Md., and Berlin, Md., before establishing Kent island veterinary hospital in chester, where he retired. he was a beloved veterinarian who was well-respected throughout the eastern Shore.

he loved his family, swing and jazz music, ani-mals, Baltimore orioles baseball, Maryland’s ocean city and drumming. he continued to play for big bands into the 1990s.

Dr. wallop is survived by his wife, Margaret; two sons, Jeffrey wallop (and his wife, Jan-ice) of Burtonsville, Md., and chris wallop of austin, texas; two stepdaughters, carrie Jen-nings (and her husband, chris) of cordova, Md., and lettie weldon of Stevensville, Md.; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Memorial contributions may be made to hos-pice of Queen anne’s inc., 255 comet Drive, centreville, MD 21617, or to your local ani-mal shelter.

Source: fellows, helfenbein & newnam funeral home



THEy STArT OUT SmAll …

Don’t be fooled by young natty’s small size: the bull-mastiff puppy, who belongs to dianne Mcfarlane, DVM, Ph.D., diplomate American college of Veterinary internal Medi-cine and associate professor in

Vets’ pets

physiological sciences, is only 9 weeks old in the photograph below and on the cover. As a giant breed, natty will grow up to be much larger. Bullmas-tiffs are good athletes, fearless, confident and independent

thinkers — good qualities for agility training and other events. they are typically low-energy dogs with sweet natures. Although they are natural guard dogs, they do not bark much. Bullmastiffs

were originally bred to guard estates, and silence was con-sidered a virtue. McFarlane has another bullmastiff named nellie. Both natty and nellie love to go places and meet new people.


B i g t h i n g s t o C o M e

Welcoming the newest class

Keep your college and fellow alumni informed of pertinent events in your life by sending your news to:

Vet cetera

center for Veterinary Health sciences

308 Mcelroy Hall

stillwater, ok 74078-2011

(405) 744-6740 PHone

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[email protected] eMAil

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to Write Home


The Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences officially welcomed the Class of 2016 at a traditional White Coat Ceremony in August at the Stillwater Community Center. The class, with 82 members, is dominated by Oklahoma residents. For a closer look at the Class of 2016’s statistics, see pages 82-83.

“America’s Greatest Homecoming Celebration” is oct. 19–20, 2012 , culminating in the football game against Iowa State on Saturday, Oct. 20 (kickoff TbD).

before that, there will be plenty to do & see:

Walkaround — 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19. Check out the Greek house decorations.

Homecoming & Hoops — 9 p.m. Friday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Enjoy celebrating OSU’s upcoming basketball season and Homecoming awards. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Sea of Orange parade — Thousands of spectators will watch more than 100 entries roll down the streets of downtown Stillwater before the game Saturday (time TbD).

t h e F U t U r e

NoN-Profit

orgaNizatioN

U.S. POSTAGE

P A I D

Stillwater, oK

Permit No. 191

Oklahoma State University

Center for Veterinary Health Sciences

308 McElroy Hall

Sti l lwater, Oklahoma 74078-2011

the board of the national Center for Veterinary Parasitology met at osU in March. Members included (back row, from left) dr. dwight Bowman, Cornell University; dr. Joe Hostetler, Bayer animal health; dr. Kelly allen, osU; dr. Christian epe, novartis animal health; dr. doug Carrithers, Merial Ltd.; dr. Chris adolph, osU; (front row, from left) dr. Mason reichard, osU; dr. anne Zajac, Virginia tech; dr. eileen Johnson, osU; dr. lindsay Starkey, osU; and dr. Susan little, osU and director of the center.

NCVP board meets at OSUGary Lawson / University MarketinG

Documents

Vet Cetera magazine 2012