Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, PhD, presented at International Congress Veterinary Vaccines in Varadero, Cuba on November 28, 2022, on the topic of “A Different Look at Viruses-Adeno Associated Viruses (AAV) as Gene Transfer Agents to Treat Inherited Retinal Diseases in Dogs and Humans.” He also presented at the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists annual meeting in Palm Springs, California, on October 29, 2022, with a keynote lecture titled, “From Dogs to DNA; from the Cage to the Bedside.” He was elected as a member to the Académie Vétérinaire de France, and he is the recent recipient of the 2023 Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research honoring scientific discovery and excellence.
Gary Althouse, DVM, PhD, MS, Diplomate ACTD, was recognized by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) as the 2023 Outstanding Swine Academic of the Year at the AASV’s annual meeting in Aurora, Colorado. The award acknowledges an academic AASV member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service to the swine veterinary profession. "Generating new knowledge, solving problems in the field, and developing and mentoring our future colleagues are the pillars of my career,” said Althouse. “The AASV's recognition of these efforts reinforces my passion and commitment to the profession."
Tatyana Appelbaum, PhD, published Appelbaum T and Aguirre GD, “Identification of Circular RNAs Hosted by the RPGR ORF15 Genomic Locus,” RNA Biology, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1080/15476286.2022.2159165.
Liz Arbittier, VMD, was appointed associate director for student affairs at New Bolton Center.
Matt Atherton, BVSc, PhD, began his role as assistant professor of immuno-oncology. His lab will focus on defining the prognostic and therapeutic role of T cells in hematologic neoplasms utilizing a multispecies comparative approach. He published Atherton MJ, Rotolo A, Haran KP, and Mason NJ, “Clinical and Serological Hallmarks of Cytokine Release Syndrome in a Canine B Cell Lymphoma Patient Treated with Autologous CAR-T Cells,” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.824982.
William A. Beltran, DVM, PhD, was elected to the Académie Vétérinaire de France, appointed the Corinne R. and Henry Bower Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology, and named a 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. He presented at FDA Veterinary Rounds on January 18, 2023, on the topic of “Nonclinical Assessment of Novel Retinal Therapies in Canine Models of Inherited Retinal Degeneration.” He published Aguirre GD and Beltran WA, “The Use of Canine Models to Develop Translational Gene Therapies for the Treatment of Six Forms of Inherited Retinal Degenerations,” Bulletin de l'Académie Vétérinaire de France, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1463-5224.2009.00694.x. He also published Cideciyan AV et al, “Photoreceptor Function and Structure in Autosomal Dominant Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy Caused by BEST1 Mutations,” Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.63.13.12. He also published Xu L et al, “Distinct Phenotypic Consequences of Pathogenic Mutants Associated with Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration,” American Journal of Pathology, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2022.10.004. He also published Nikonov S et al, “Photochemical Restoration of Light Sensitivity in the Degenerated Canine Retina,” Pharmaceutics, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14122711. He also published Cideciyan AV et al, “Photoreceptor Function and Structure in Retinal Degenerations Caused by Biallelic BEST1 Mutations,” Vision Research, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2022.108157.
Leonardo Brito, DVM, PhD, DACT, was an invited expert at the roundtable discussion “The Future of Semen Analysis” during the annual meeting of the National Association of Animal Breeders. He was an invited speaker at the Select Breeders Service network annual meeting and presented on “Quality Assurance for Semen Processing Centers” and “Antibiotics in Equine Frozen Semen.” He also presented the guest lecture “Pathogenesis of Sperm Defects and Effects on Fertility” for the graduate program at the University of Murcia, Spain. He published Brito LF, Loomis PR, Klohonatz KM, and Althouse GC, “Penicillin and Amikacin Mixture Has Bactericidal Activity Equivalent to Gentamicin, Tylosin, Lincomycin and Spectinomycin Mixture in Equine Frozen Semen,” Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.14294.
Julie Engiles, VMD, DACVP, gave the LADIS keynote address, entitled “Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation: A Village-Based Approach to Accurate Diagnostic Interpretations,” at the American College of Veterinary Radiology annual conference in Reno, in October 2022. She also spoke at the annual American College of Veterinary Pathologist Meeting held in Boston, in November 2022, presenting a research project entitled “Gross, Histopathologic, Microbiologic and Radiologic Characterization of Lesions Associated with Clinical Lameness in a Cohort of Group-Housed Sows Euthanized for Lameness.” She also published Engiles JB, Fanzone N, Wulster K, and Pierdon M, “Gross, Histopathologic, Microbiologic and Radiologic Characterization of Lesions Associated with Clinical Lameness in a Cohort of Group- Housed Sows Euthanized for Lameness,” Veterinary Pathology, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1177/03009858221114470.
Samantha “Sammi” Fromm, the lead clinical pathology lab technician, received a Penn 2023 Models of Excellence: Pillars of Excellence Award. This award recognizes Penn staff members with superior sustained service, exemplary responsiveness and professional behavior, exceptional resourcefulness, and who contribute to a positive collaborative work environment.
Ronald Harty, PhD, published Liang J, Djurkovic MA, Shtanko O, and Harty RN, “Chaperone-Assisted Selective Autophagy Targets Filovirus VP40 as a Client and Restricts Egress of Virus Particles,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2210690120. His project collaborators include the BLS-4 Lab at Texas Biomedical Research Institute. He also published Liang J, Djurkovic MA, Shtanko O, and Harty RN, “Chaperoning the Driver of Filovirus Egress to a Dead End,” Autophagy, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2023.2178781.
Keiko Miyadera, DVM, PhD, gave a talk on “Canine Ocular Genetics and Therapy” at the Gifu Pharmaceutical University in Gifu, Japan in November 2022. She also spoke as a panelist at a ciliopathy symposium at the Japanese Pharmacological Society Annual Meeting in Yokohama, Japan, in December 2022.
Lisa Murphy, VMD, DABT, was promoted to professor of toxicology.
Ali Nabavizadeh, PhD, co-published An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023) with David B. Weishampel; available at https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/11476/illustrated-guide-dinosaur-feeding-biology.
Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD, DACVECC, DACVSMR, published Kane SA, Lee YE, Essler JL, Mallikarjun A, Preti G, Plymouth VL, Verta A, DeAngelo A, and Otto CM, “Canine Discrimination of Ovarian Cancer through Volatile Organic Compounds,” Talanta, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123729. She also published Eyre AW et al, “Genome Scanning of Behavioral Selection in a Canine Olfactory Detection Breeding Cohort,” Scientific Reports, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18698-4. She also published Loonsk HL et al, “Retention and Future Involvement in the American Kennel Club Junior Showmanship Program, a Youth Dog Breed Conformation Competition,” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.871914. She also published Gokool VA et al, “The Use of Biological Sensors and Instrumental Analysis to Discriminate COVID-19 Odor Signatures,” Biosensors, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12111003. She also published Ramos MT and Otto CM, “Canine Mobility Maintenance and Promotion of a Healthy Lifestyle,” Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2022.03.001. She also published Meller S et al, “Expert Considerations and Consensus for Using Dogs to Detect Human SARS-CoV-2-Infections,” Frontiers in Medicine, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.1015620. She presented “AAHA Working Dog Guidelines” at the AVMA Convention in Philadelphia, on August 1, 2022, and assisted at a roundtable on “Working Dog Guidelines.” She presented at the Italian Companion Animal Veterinary Association Sports Medicine webinar on “Working Dogs: Preventing Dehydration in Extreme Environmental Conditions” and “Substances That Might Impair Olfaction and Performance in Working Dogs: Diagnosing and Decision Making.” She also presented at the American Animal Hospital Association Conference in Nashville, on September 16, 2022, on “AAHA Working Dog Guidelines.” She is affiliated with Penn Vet Working Dog Center.
Meghann Pierdon, VMD, is the point person for the Certified Swine Sample Collection (CSSC) training program, which will introduce approved national and Pennsylvania Bureau of Animal Health CSSC materials to category II accredited veterinarians practicing in Pennsylvania.
Thomas Schaer, VMD, director of the Comparative Orthopedic Research Laboratory at New Bolton Center, received the ACVS Merit Award from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons at their annual meeting in October 2022. The award recognizes non-ACVS Diplomates who have made major contributions to the development of methods, techniques, devices, and educational aspects of veterinary surgery.
Ana Ripolles-Garcia, PhD, published Ripolles-Garcia A, Chen Y, Sato Y, Gray A, Ying GS, Aguirre GD, and Beltran WA, “Retinal Vascular Plexuses Are Unequally Affected in Canine Inherited Retinal Degenerations,” Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.63.12.22. She also published Ripolles-Garcia A, Dolgova N, Phillips MJ, Savina S, Ludwig AL, Stuedemann SA, Nlebedum U, Wolfe JH, Garden OA, Maminishkis A, Amaral J, Bharti K, Gamm DM, Aguirre GD, and Beltran WA, “Systemic Immunosuppression Promotes Survival and Integration of Subretinally Implanted Human ESC-Derived Photoreceptor Precursors in Dogs,” Stem Cell Reports, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.06.009.
Charles Vite, DVM, ACVIM (Neurology), director of the National Referral Center for Animal Models of Human Genetic Diseases, announced that the center will close in December 2023. Active since 1974, the center has focused on the discovery and characterization of naturally occurring genetic diseases in dogs and cats, and the development of advanced therapies (small molecule, gene therapy, stem cell therapy) for these diseases which benefit both veterinary and human patients. The center’s faculty, staff, and students have published more than one thousand papers on genetic characterization, disease pathogenesis, and therapy. These studies aided in the development of precise diagnostic tests used to recommend informed breeding of carrier and normal dogs to prevent disease in veterinary patients, and in the development of novel therapies for treating diseases that previously had no cure. His project collaborators over the years have been Dr. Margret Casal, Dr. John Wolfe, Dr. Urs Giger, Dr. Mark Haskins, Dr. Paula Henthorn, Dr. Peter Felsburg, and Dr. Donald Patterson.
Susan Volk, VMD, PhD, was awarded the first Penn Vet Cancer Center Transformative Research Award for “Harnessing the Tumor- Restrictive Properties of Type III Collagen in Feline Mammary Tumors: Development of Prognostic Markers and Targeted Therapies for Improved Outcomes.” Her project collaborators are Dr. Amy Durham, and Dr. Karin Sorenmo.
Dean Andrew Hoffman hosted a faculty reception on October 27, 2022, in recognition and celebration of faculty appointments, promotions, and endowed chair appointments from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.