Miselis in the Skeena River with a steelhead trout on a fly fishing trip to British Columbia, Canada.
Miselis at the top of Washington Pass in the North Cascades during a 100-mile ride from the east side of the Cascades to the west side and out to the Washington coast.
Richard Miselis, V’73, professor emeritus, rarely sits still. Cycling, skiing, fly fishing, hiking, woodworking, and, until recently, mountain climbing—you name it, he probably does it. His endless curiosity and attraction to pushing personal limits defined Miselis’ esteemed career as a brain researcher and Penn Vet professor.
“I’ve always had endless curiosity and love for adventure,” he said. “My career itself was one. There were always new areas to discover and questions to ask. Along the way, I met amazing people doing extraordinary things to advance our understanding of human and animal science and medicine.”
It was this insatiable passion for exploration that led Miselis to endow the Richard R. Miselis, VMD, PhD Scholarship fund, which offers financial support to students pursuing VMD or VMD-PhD degrees. The fund gives special consideration to students interested in pursuing research careers, which, to Miselis, is the “ultimate adventure.”
A Radical Approach to Veterinary Education
Miselis’ own journey into research started as a Penn Vet student; he was among the first in Penn Vet’s dual degree VMD-PhD program.
“I was interested in the brain and how it controlled behavior,” he said. “Veterinary medicine was the right type of training for me because I wanted to study animals instead of people. The VMD-PhD program had just launched when I arrived at the School, and it was forward-thinking. I knew I’d spend my life in research versus clinical practice, so being able to pursue a VMD and PhD in biology while accessing all the medical institutions Penn offered was radical.”
After graduating from Penn Vet, Miselis completed postdoctoral training in Paris. Following the postdoc, he returned to Penn Vet, staying until his retirement in 2012.
He taught neuroscience and gross anatomy during his tenure and was a strong student advocate. He pushed for extended hours for the anatomy lab—“so students had more time outside of the classroom to study”—and was one of the first faculty members to make coursework available online.
As a researcher, Miselis led a laboratory focused on how the animal brain controls and regulates the body and maintains internal stability among variables such as body temperature, water levels, and blood sugars.
“I studied the parts of the brain that mediate this grand function called homeostasis,” he said. “That means keeping all your physiological parameters within your body within a range that are compatible with life.”
There was always something unexplored: “When I ran out of things to study, I’d move on to the next area. The constant exploration held my interest and attention!”
Miselis spent ten years running the VMD-PhD degree program, the first of its kind in the U.S. He helped expand it into the largest nationwide; Penn VMD-PhD alums account for 50% of all students trained by veterinary combined degree programs nationally.
Inspiring the Next Wave of “Adventure”
Today, Miselis lives in Portland with his wife, Patricia McManus, V’80—also a VMD-PhD and former Penn Vet faculty member. He remains connected to Penn Vet in several ways, including his most recent philanthropic investment through this fund.
“Vet school life is hard and wonderful,” said Miselis. “I was grateful to be a Penn Vet student and then mentor later generations of students. I’ve given to Penn Vet in different ways and am glad to put some of my resources toward supporting the next wave of smart, curious researchers. It’s my newest adventure with Penn Vet, and I love it!”