Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Linking arms: First year DVM student and FarmHouse Fraternity work together to support TK Martin Center for Technology and Disability


A Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) student and the Mississippi State University FarmHouse Fraternity are working together to provide support to the TK Martin Center and the students to whom it provides services. While veterinary school itself comes with a significant amount of day-to-day responsibilities, Gunnar Dunnam has found a calling outside of the four walls of his classrooms and labs to give back in a tangible way to children in the community. One of those children is Emma Welch.

"I met Emma my freshman year at Mississippi State while working as a therapeutic horseback riding volunteer in West Point, Mississippi. Emma was not only my rider, but she was also a student at the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability,” said first year DVM student Gunnar Dunnam. “It was during this time that I got to know Emma and her mom better, and I learned a great deal more about the important services provided by the T.K. Martin Center.”

Dunnam is the current Resident Advisor/House Dad for the Mississippi State University chapter of FarmHouse Fraternity. Prior to his role as resident advisor, he served as philanthropy chair for the chapter. He says that the fraternity was not satisfied with the impact they were having with their philanthropic efforts, so they began to develop a plan for making a larger impact.

“As it turns out, I didn’t need to look far,” said Dunnam. “My first thought was the amazing work that was literally happening right down the street from us at the T.K. Martin Center. So, we began this partnership with them.”

In less than a year, the fraternity has been able to donate a Rifton Activity Chair, which is designed to help with feeding, speech therapy, active learning, and for clients (like Emma) with sensory processing challenges.

“This photo was taken at a luncheon where $2,880 was donated so the center could buy new computers,” said Dunnam “This is an opportunity for our members to be able to get involved and have first-hand experience in making a positive difference in our community.”

In addition to the luncheon where the donation for the new computers was announced, Emma was also named honorary sweet heart of FarmHouse Fraternity, since she is the link that originally connected the two organizations together.

“Our family along with others from T.K. Martin Center have been so impressed with the willingness of the FarmHouse Fraternity to help our kids,” said Martha Ann Welch, Emma’s mom. “The T.K. Martin Center means so much to our family because of how Emma has grown – cognitively and physically – since she started attending in 2013 at the age of three. To see these young men and their passion for helping others in the community is amazing! We are just so appreciative of what they have done so far and for what I know they will continue to do.”

You can find out more information about the services provided by the T.K. Martin Center by visiting their website at http://www.tkmartin.msstate.edu/.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Vet Students Decorate, Donate Dog Houses

NestlĂ© Purina Petcare Company donated 15 dog houses to students of MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine to be assembled and distributed.

Third year veterinary student Veronica Kiely, a Purina student representative, was involved in deciding what to do with the dog houses.

“We had a painting event to make it fun and just kind of a stress reliever for the vet students,” Kiely said. “There were prizes for the most creative dog houses, which were judged by faculty members.”
The dog houses were painted by hand by students who worked in teams. Of the 15 dog houses donated, there were 10 judged by faculty members, and the most creative are on display in the front lobby of the Wise Center.

The top three winners were cottage-themed, beach-themed and cabin-themed.  Read More...

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Early Entry Program

Applications for our Early Entry Program are now available! The Early Entry Program is a unique program of MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine that allows high-achieving high school seniors to earn pre-acceptance (early, pre-approved acceptance) into the CVM.
The application for the Early Entry Program is available to high school seniors beginning October 1 through December 31 each year and is due for submission by January 5 of the applicant’s senior year.
Read more about our Early Entry Program and find application materials online here: http://cvm.msstate.edu/…/prospective-st…/early-entry-program

Friday, September 29, 2017

Vet Aspire 2017-1018


We kicked off our VetAspire program for the 2017-2018 academic year with our first session on Friday, September 29.
VetAspire is a program designed for students to spend the day at MSU-CVM. Each month, students have the opportunity to participate in clinics, lectures, and hands-on activities. We cap this program at approximately five students per session, providing attendees with an exceptional hands-on learning experience. The goal of this program is to expose students to th...
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Thursday, September 28, 2017

MSSTATE-Our People-Margaret Khaitsa

Growing up in Uganda, Margaret Khaitsa always excelled in the sciences, and she became one of few young women to study chemistry and biology in her advanced high school. She expected to go into agriculture, but changed her career focus when she qualified to study veterinary medicine at Makerere University.
Today, she is a professor of international veterinary epidemiology in Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She earned a master’s degree at University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom and a doctoral degree at The Ohio State University before working for a decade on faculty at North Dakota State University. She was attracted to MSU in 2013, soon after she attended a university conference on food security. She was impressed by MSU’s strategic goal of globalization, along with its relationship with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
“That aligned really well with what I was doing,” said Khaitsa, referring to a USAID-funded project she was working on in “Capacity building in Integrated Management of Transboundary Animal Diseases and Zoonosis –CIMTRADZ” in East Africa. read more...

Friday, September 1, 2017

Leo the Lab Finds Healing at CVM-MSU

Leo the Lab Finds Healing at MSU-CVM

MSU College of Veterinary Medicine DVM-PhD Student Selected to Present at NIH Veterinary Sciences Technology Colloquium


Dr. Jim Nichols, a DVM-PhD student at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, had an abstract selected and was invited to present his research at the 1st National Training Colloquium for Combined DVM-PhD (VSTP) and Comparative Biomedical Scientists held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Natcher Center in Bethesda, Maryland on August 3, 2017.

Out of 26 DVM-PhD students who submitted abstracts to the colloquium, Nichols was chosen as one of six selected to present his research to an audience of PhD students and administrators from universities around the country. 

Nichols’ abstract focuses on how Cannabidiol, a drug being investigated to treat epilepsy in children, can also be used successfully to treat multiple sclerosis. He conducts research under the supervision of his PhD mentor, assistant professor Dr. Barbara Kaplan, who was excited to hear Nichols was selected to present at the prestigious event. “I was thrilled,” Kaplan said. “It really says a lot for the work he is doing. It shows what we’re doing in the lab, and shows people from other universities the quality of work we do in our veterinary PhD program.”

Nichols was honored to present the research he is so passionate about to such a prominent audience of researchers.
“It felt really great to be chosen to present to my colleagues, who are DVM-PhD students, to present to the heads of other universities’ PhD programs, and to present to NIH members,” Nichols said. “It was a great opportunity.” Of the eight students currently participating in the College’s combined DVM-PhD program, three attended the NIH colloquium. Dr. Brittany Szafran, a DVM-PhD student who also works under Kaplan, attended and had a research abstract accepted into the colloquium’s abstract book, and Dr. Courtney Hunter, another DVM-PhD student, attended the colloquium as well.

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Harkness of MSU honored by international animal-care body

Contact: Sammy McDavid

STARKVILLE, Miss.—A retired member of Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine faculty is being honored for a lifetime devoted to specialized animal care.
Dr. John E. Harkness is receiving the 2017 Bennett J. Cohen Award. Over his decades on campus, the now-professor emeritus served as the land-grant university’s laboratory animal veterinarian.

A major recognition of the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, the Cohen Award is given for exceptional service and significant contributions in the promotion of animal care in research, testing and educational programs.

Headquartered in Frederick, Maryland, AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit body that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs. Founded in 1965, the organization now includes nearly 1,000 businesses, universities, hospitals, government agencies and other research institutions in more than 40 countries. For more, visit www.aaalac.org.  to read more

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Research Day Aug 10


Dog Swim, Moncrief Park Starkville. MS

 
 The 7th Annual OCHS Dog Paddle is a pool party for dogs and a fundraiser for the Oktibbeha County Humane Society (OCHS). Bring your dogs to swim with you at the Moncrief Park Pool in Starkville before the pool is drained for the summer. Proceeds from the event benefit the Oktibbeha County Humane Society’s spay/neuter fund which allows us to spay/neuter 100% of adopted animals, helping to further reduce animal overpopulation.
Join us on Saturday, August 12, 2017, from 9am - Noon. The cost is $25 for early registration and $30 at the door and includes a t-shirt. Additional dogs are $10 each. Sign up in advance on our website (www.ochsms.org) to receive the early registration discount and select your t-shirt size.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Labrador retriever, Leo, happy as a puppy!

"Leo" Cobb is a 7-year-old white Labrador Retriever with a very outgoing personality! Leo was referred to MSU-CVM following a diagnosis of respiratory distress/pyothorax at the Animal Emergency & Referral Center in Flowood, MS. Under the expert care of CVM practitioners, Leo had major thoracic surgery, median sternotomy and lung lobectomy, and he has done exponentially well with every day of post-operative recovery. He's walking around like a puppy again, and he was happy to go home with his family!



Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Operation Brave Paw


Operation Brave Paw (OBP) was the idea of CVM Class of 2019 student, Sadie Wood. Sadie recognized the strength of the human animal bond and that we all have times in our life where we are faced with certain challenges. Operation Brave Paw was formed to link animals in need of a second chance with people in the community in need of a special companion. OBP selects special shelter/rescue animals, which pass an initial behavior assessment, for a six week training period to learn basic obedience commands through the use of positive reinforcement training techniques. Harley, a 1 year old, female, red mix breed dog, is the first canine companion for the program. Harley was matched with an Operation Brave Paw applicant who was looking for a special canine companion to help him adjust to being away from home at college. Operation Brave Paw was able to raise enough money through volunteer fund raisers to completely cover the cost of Harley’s 6 week training period, initial health check, as well as initial flea, tick, and heartworm prevention. Harley successfully completed her initial training and was recently presented to her new guardian.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Orentation Class of 2021

Coating ceremony and orientation welcoming the class of 2021

The entering first-year DVM students received their lab coat to be worn during their veterinary education. The coat is a tangible symbol and daily reminder of the student's chosen profession and accompanying responsibilities. Students also recited the Veterinary Student Oath and were gifted cowbells from the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association.

Slideshow of Orentation 

The Class of 2021 participated in activities designed to encourage engagement, team work, leadership, communication and professionalism.

To order prints of the day's events 

Students with Jak  
https://cvm-photo-services.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=10072478 

Horse Park Games 
https://cvm-photo-services.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=10071109 

Coating Ceremony-Class Group
https://cvm-photo-services.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=10070474 

Friday, June 9, 2017

MSU Vet Sisters Share Their Journey

MSU-CVM veterinary students, Jessica and Rachel Wilson are featured on FarmWeek, Mississippi's oldest and only locally-produced agricultural television news show. The Wilson sisters share their journey into veterinary medicine!

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Passing of retired CVM Administrator and Faculty Member Dr. Margaret Kern


Dr. Maragret R. Kern
With deep sympathy, we announce the passing of Dr. Margaret R. Kern, retired CVM administrator and faculty member. Dr. Kern served in numerous positions at the CVM. She was a revered colleague, friend, and mentor to veterinarians and veterinary students across the country. She had a real passion for teaching and helping others. Memorial contributions may be made to the MSU Foundation to the Dr. Margaret R. Kern Memorial Scholarship Fund # 403149.

 Obituary

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Summer Research Experience 2017

The CVM’s Summer Research Experience is a 12-week program to provide student trainees with exposure and training in biomedical research and to provide them with skills that will help them grow into leaders in the veterinary profession.

1st row: Henry Wan, Alex Shealy, Carol Baker, Caitlyn Outlaw, Jenna Hoden, Jessica Sherman
2nd row: Breanna Brown, Brandie Amos, Courtney Fancher, Acacia Cooper, Jasmine Nolan
3rd row (staggered): Jeff Eells, Frank Austin, James Yates, Keun Seok Seo, Will Crosby, Lakeisha Williams, Jose Zayas, Andrea Varela-Stokes, Barb Kaplan

Friday, May 5, 2017

Class of 2017 Graduation Day

Class of 2017 poses for photo with white lab coats after the awards ceremony!

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

For MSU’s graduating Schraeder sisters, veterinary medicine is all in the family

Petal natives Sarah and Kate Schraeder, pictured with their three dogs on Mississippi State University’s Drill Field, will graduate from MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine on Friday [May 5]. (Photo by Beth Wynn)


Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—In 2013, the Schraeder sisters in Petal anxiously awaited acceptance letters to Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Both Kate and Sarah Schraeder had applied with hopes of being in the university’s CVM Class of 2017. Eventually, good news came the Schraeders’ way.
“I don’t think my parents have ever been happier than when we got in at the same time,” Sarah Schraeder said. “Kate and I were nervous one of us would get in but the other wouldn’t, but our parents were terrified. They cried when we got in, and I don’t know what they’ll do when we graduate.”  Read More...

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare


 

MSU CVM’s Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare Program is designed to improve animal and public health. First initiated in 1995 to provide veterinary students with spay/neuter experience, the shelter program has grown to be comprehensive in nature. Veterinary students have the opportunity to work on one of two mobile veterinary clinics that visit Mississippi shelters 3-4 days each week. The program offers 125 slots to interested students. Students, with faculty supervision, spay and neuter unowned animals while gaining valuable hands-on experience. Students also assist shelters with improving health of animals before the animals are adopted into homes. They provide physical exams, identify and treat common parasites, identify and treat diseases, and improve biosecurity and basic animal care.

Students increase their surgery and diagnostic skills, and they gain valuable experience in the skills relevant to major problems in animal shelters. CVM’s shelter medicine program prepares our graduates to become shelter-medicine educated professionals. After graduation, they take their skills to new communities, further improving the lives of homeless animals by providing exemplary care and service.
The impact that the shelter medicine program has on CVM students, the community, and shelter animals is immeasurable. Please consider making a gift through Hail State Giving Days today!

Click Here to give!

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

2017 SEC Faculty Achievement Award

Congratulations to Dr. Janice Chambers on being awarded the 2017 SEC Faculty Achievement Award. The SEC Faculty Achievement Award honors individuals who have excelled in teaching, research and scholarship. #WeRingTrue

Monday, April 3, 2017

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Pegasus spot on MSTV

To view entire show click here
Sneak peek: Here's a behind the scenes look at the taping of our new monthly Pegasus spot on #MSTV! Dr. Brittany Moore-Henderson was host for the episode. Watch for this segment to air March 8th, and you'll hear more about what's happening at MSU-CVM from our Dean, Dr. Kent Hoblet, in addition to some practical tips from Assistant Clinical Professor Dr. Marc Seitz on how to protect your pets from household toxins.
The university channel (MSTV) is available to MaxxSouth Broadband subscribers in the Golden Triangle area and those with C Spire Fiber TV throughout the state of Mississippi.
#WeRingTrue #vetmed #mississippi #television

Friday, February 24, 2017

Purina Nutrition Center Ribbon Cutting

 Thanks to the generosity of NestlĂ© Purina, MSU-CVM now houses one of the most modern nutrition centers and represents an unparalleled commitment to advancing the role of nutrition in the care and well-being of canine and feline patients. Also located in the AHC is the newly renovated NestlĂ© Purina Student Center which serves as a central location for CVM students to study, research and collaborate on cases.

Thank you Nestlé Purina for your significant investment!
Private support helps drive our forward progress.
#WeRingTrue #vetmed #development

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Graduate student represents MSU in regional Three Minute Thesis competition

Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.— A graduate student in Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine is competing March 4-5 in the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Three Minute Thesis Regional Finals in Annapolis, Maryland.
Caitlin J. Wenzel, a master’s student studying veterinary medical science, was named Grand Champion of MSU’s fourth annual Three Minute Thesis Competition last November. Her research talk, “Magnesium Sulfate: A Rescue for Horse & Human Asthmatics,” earned a $1,000 prize.
Originally from Marinette, Wisconsin, Wenzel also is an MSU animal and dairy sciences bachelor’s graduate.
Based on her research findings, Wenzel concluded that “magnesium sulfate is effective as a monotherapy, and there is strong rationale for its implementation into the emergency asthma therapies and treatments for both horse and human asthmatics.”  read more...

Monday, February 20, 2017

MSU College of Veterinary Medicine researchers complete canine shelter population survey


http://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2017/02/msu-college-veterinary-medicine-researchers-complete-canine-shelte
Photo by Tom Thompson-CVM Coordinator of Photographic Services
Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A recently completed study by two researchers in Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine brings American animal shelter canine populations into sharper focus.
The study by CVM faculty members Kimberly Woodruff and David R. Smith uses survey and capture/re-capture methodology to estimate the number of dogs in U.S. animal shelters, adoption rates, transfer rates and euthanasia rates. The researchers found that commonly cited figures underestimate the quantity taken in by shelters every year and overestimate the number of dogs those shelters euthanize. Woodruff, who leads the College of Veterinary Medicine’s shelter medicine program, said the study’s goal was to put quality science behind shelter population estimates.  read more...

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Batesville student named MSU’s first Gates Cambridge Scholar

https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2017/02/batesville-student-named-msu%E2%80%99s-first-gates-cambridge-scholar/
“Under the mentorship of Dr. Wan and various collaborators from the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, I have been able to help answer pertinent questions related to bovine influenza D virus, which was discovered in 2011,” said Ferguson. His research endeavors and trainings have been supported by the National Institutes of Health.  Read more...

Monday, January 23, 2017

Open House 2017

Our Open House allows prospective students as well as anyone interested in touring the facility to learn more about Veterinary Medicine.  Dates for Open House 2017 will be Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Click here for more information and registration for large groups.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Honoring Dr. Linda Pote


Dr. Linda M. Pote served the CVM for 30 years as a professor in the Department of Basic Sciences. She retired as Professor Emerita. On September 26, 2016, at the age of 63, Dr. Pote passed away at her home in Starkville. As a memorial to Linda, friends and family would like to plant a tree on the grounds of the Wise Center. The memorial tree will be planted near the Gingko tree planted in memory of Hannah Pote, Linda and Jonathan Pote’s daughter. The cost for establishing this long-lasting memorial is $5,750. Gifts for memorial trees cover the cost of the tree, a metal plaque and care for the tree during the first year of growth. The gift also provides for replanting and replacement of the tree over time. To contribute to this special memorial, gifts can be mailed to the CVM Office of Development, P.O Box 6100, MS State, MS 39762. Checks should be made payable to the MSU Foundation and on the memo line of your check, indicate that your contribution is for the Linda Pote Memorial Tree Fund-403052. You can also make a gift at www.msufoundation.msstate.edu.
What a fitting way to recognize and honor Linda’s important professional accomplishments and her positive impact on the lives of many students, colleagues and friends!