Penn Vet News

What’s That? Black squirrels

The black squirrels are regularly seen on College Green, scampering between the historic buildings. “We have five black squirrels that live in the trees outside, and we have taken them as our printshop mascots,” says Jessica Peterson, director of the Common Press, located in the Fisher Fine Arts Library building.

Penn Vet Announces Forthcoming Retirement of Faculty Member, Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine announced the forthcoming retirement of Professor of Working Dog Sciences and Sports Medicine, Cynthia “Cindy” Otto, DVM, PhD, effective on July 1, 2026, after 33 years of dedicated service to the School. Her pre-retirement sabbatical will begin in July 2025.

Q&A with Penn Vet’s Karen Verderame

It all started with worms. As a child, when her dad would buy worms for fishing, Karen Verderame would take them all, give them a home, and name them George. Caring for the squirmy little creatures roused a fascination with worms, insects, and animals, a lifelong passion she now imparts to and shares with students from grade school to college.

Identifying a proliferating repairman for tissue in damaged lungs

Veins in the lungs, or pulmonary veins, play a critical role not only in lung functioning but also in maintaining sufficient oxygen in tissue throughout the body. When a person sustains pulmonary injury from an illness like influenza or COVID, repair of blood vessels and the creation of new ones is vital to meet oxygen demands; however, research in these areas remains underexplored.

Penn Vet Scientist Receives Grant to Study Unconventional T Cell Response to Advance Potential HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development

Michael J. Hogan, PhD, assistant professor of Pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), has been awarded a one-year grant from the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust. The grant will fund Hogan’s investigation aimed at gaining a clearer understanding of a particular type of immune response that could pave the way for developing a safe and effective HIV/AIDS vaccine using pioneering mRNA technology.

Important Tips from Penn Vet to Keep Pets Safe During the Holidays

Dr. Lisa Murphy, Penn Vet’s Professor of Toxicology, and Dr. Deborah Mandell, Service Head of the Emergency Service at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital, offer the following tips to keep pets healthy and out of the emergency room during the holidays.

Penn Vet Researcher Named Winner of Veterinary Pathology Editor’s Choice Award

Joy Tomlinson, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) assistant professor of large animal medicine, has received the inaugural 2024 Veterinary Pathology Editor’s Choice Award for an Observational Study for the 2023 manuscript "Naturally acquired equine parvovirus-hepatitis is associated with a wide range of hepatic lesions in horses." Tomlinson was honored with the award during the Annual Meeting of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists on November 19th in Seattle.

6 Must-Know Thanksgiving Pet Safety Tips from Penn Vet

Thanksgiving is all about food, family, friends, and fun — but for your pets, it can be a minefield of dangerous treats and holiday hazards. To make sure your furry friends stay healthy (and avoid a trip to the emergency room), Service Head of Emergency Services at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital Deborah Mandell offers expert-approved tips.

Penn Vet’s Institute for Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases Hosts Inaugural Fall Research Retreat

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) School of Veterinary Medicine’s (Penn Vet) Institute for Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases (IIZD) hosted its inaugural research retreat on November 15 in Chadds Ford, Pa. The retreat gathered more than 50 leading infectious disease experts, students, fellows, and key stakeholders from Penn Vet, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM).

Rae Thudium Named Head of Penn Veterinary Libraries

Rae Thudium has been selected to serve as head of veterinary libraries at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), effective January 8, 2025. In this role, Thudium will oversee the operations and staff at the Steven W. Atwood Veterinary Medicine Library on campus and the Jean Austin du Pont Veterinary Medicine Library at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa.

Research on key host pathways has implications for Ebola and beyond

Mortality rates from Ebola outbreaks can be as high as 90%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 55 people died in the most recent outbreak in Uganda in 2022. The virus continues to evolve, but currently approved vaccines and therapeutics remain limited. And Ronald N. Harty, professor of pathobiology and microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and Jingjing Liang, a research associate in the Harty Lab, still have a lot of questions.

Collaborating on agricultural climate solutions, from plants to animals

The new Penn Plant Adaptability and Resilience Center brought together faculty speakers from five schools for its Climate Solutions for the Living World symposium.

Innovation and Collaboration Shine at 30th Annual Penn Vet Research Retreat

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) celebrated its history of groundbreaking research during the 30th Anniversary Research Retreat, held at the Inn at Swarthmore on November 1, 2024. 

Penn Vet Student Spends Semester in Malawi as Part of New Educational Partnership

As a student in the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s (Penn Vet) VMD-PhD program, Ashley Vanderbeck’s educational path has been a long one.  

Penn Vet Holds Ribbon Cutting for New $2.8 Million Richard Lichter Advanced Dentistry and Oral Surgery Suite

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) commemorated the official re-opening of the newly named Richard Lichter Advanced Dentistry and Oral Surgery Suite at Ryan Hospital with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held November 7. The ceremony celebrated the effort to fund and renovate a state-of-the-art clinic for comprehensive oral and restorative small animal patient care, clinical instruction, and research. 

Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine Named Winner of 2024 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence

What to know about the current avian influenza outbreak

Louise Moncla and Aliza Simeone of Penn Vet and Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center share helpful information for the public.

Uncovering a way for pro-B cells to change trajectory

Researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Perelman School of Medicine have found that YY1 knockout pro-B cells can generate T lineage cells helping B cells produce antibodies.

University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Biomedical Sciences Researcher Named 2024 Packard Fellow

Andrew Modzelewski, PhD, Receives $875,000 in Support from David and Lucile Packard
Foundation for Work on Genome Regulation.

Penn Vet’s Wildlife Futures Program Launches Habitat Initiative for Philadelphia Bats

In an effort to support local bat populations, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's (Penn Vet) Wildlife Futures Program (WFP) has facilitated the design and construction of a collection of wooden bat boxes to be installed in campus parks.