Penn Vet students are known to go above and beyond in their studies and careers. Launched in 2008, the Student Inspiration Award has recognized those with the potential to advance the very frontiers of veterinary medicine—providing a $100,000 unrestricted grant to realize exceptional veterinary missions and projects. Prior to a proposed reunion this year, we caught up with past winners to find out how the grant has impacted their paths and their profession.
Rachel Toaff-Rosenstein, V'09
2008 award winner
What did you want to achieve when you made your winning proposal?
My primary goal was and still is to improve food animal welfare, and especially veterinary knowledge and involvement in these crucial issues. To this end, I sought to further my education and skill set by completing a PhD focused on cattle behavior and welfare.
What is your current course of study?
I am in the midst of running my third and final animal trial focused on sickness behavior in beef cattle with Bovine Respiratory Disease. Given that this disease is one of the most problematic for the cattle industry, and that current diagnostic tools are insufficient, I hope that this work will contribute to the development of automated systems to detect behavioral changes in sick animals—and, down the line, improve outcomes for both cattle and producers.
Did the Student Inspiration Award Inspire your career, and if so, how?
When I started veterinary school, I always imagined that I would work in some specialty field of small animal medicine, because I was bothered by the numerous welfare issues associated with raising and killing food animals. My approach has changed 180 degrees; I now believe that precisely because I am motivated to improve the lives of food animals, it is my obligation to be as involved as possible. When I say involved, I mean to contribute to the well-being of producers, their animals, and the consumers of these products. Only by being intimately involved, and having a balanced approach, can I hope to change the world—which is, as I see it, the goal of the Student Inspiration Award, and what I have been inspired to do.
Catherine Brinkley, V'15 (expected)
2009 award winner
What did you want to achieve when you made your winning proposal?
My proposal was to support a lifetime of work connecting the veterinary profession with the design profession, building off my previous work in zoo exhibit design and master’s degree in virology. Penn is the perfect place for such synergy, as the campus is small and there are many opportunities to work with celebrated faculty at the numerous world-renowned schools.
What have you accomplished?
The award directly supported my PhD studies at Penn’s School of Design. I completed my PhD in December 2013 and have published six academic articles over the course of my studies while engaging in local food politics in Philadelphia. My dissertation focused on injecting veterinary knowledge into food system planning and design by looking at the health and environmental impact of farmland food delivery systems for animals and humans alike. I played an integral role in putting together the 2013 conference on Feeding Cities (www.feedingcities.com) and producing the white paper from that conference. I’ve also worked with many local community gardens, school gardens, food pantries, and agricultural extension groups as a volunteer and in an advisory capacity.
Did the Student Inspiration Award Inspire your career, and if so, how?
The Inspiration Award set the trajectory for my future career, and for that I am ever grateful for the chance to work in such a vibrant emerging arena at the confluence of so many interesting disciplines: public health, food policy, medicine, nutrition, and environmental planning.
Brittany Gross, V'13
2010 award winner
What did you want to achieve when you made your winning proposal?
The dairy industry in Thailand contains many small, family-owned dairy farms; it is traditionally the females of the house that perform the majority of the labor. My project is primarily focused on empowering the dairy industry, but ultimately the women farmers, by providing access to educational opportunities, international collaboration, and progressive ideas to support their farming industry.
What have you accomplished?
Originally, my primary goal was focused on creating a structure or “Dairy Education Center” in Thailand that would be the physical site for learning and support. In reality, the DEC organization has taken the form of mobile teaching workshops and has been an avenue for individuals from the U.S. and Thailand to collaborate on animal health projects. Twenty students and two veterinarians representing five different veterinary schools have traveled to Thailand to collaborate with hundreds of Thai students and farmers. We have offered workshops and lessons on a variety of subjects (beef, poultry, agriculture, fishing), not just dairy. The idea of the mobile teaching workshops has allowed the organization to be resilient and change with demands.
Did the Student Inspiration Award Inspire your career, and if so, how?
I am currently an ER veterinarian at a nonprofit animal hospital, DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, Oregon. The award provided an unparalleled opportunity to follow a dream of mine. I know I will continue to be involved in my project for decades into the future.
Jonathan Lustgarten, V'13
2011 award winner
What did you want to achieve when you made your winning proposal?
My vision was to use the strength of the Web and technology to assist veterinarians who participate in animal care during disaster relief.
What have you accomplished?
I have established a front-facing website (http://recover.totalvet.net) that allows people to sign up and help in disasters and recovery. I also have developed a web-based, electronic medical record system that utilizes common devices such as tablets to gather and store relevant information at the point of care in real time. Currently, the system can handle 10,000 concurrent users and up to 250,000 animals.
What's next for you, and what would you say to potential applicants?
I am applying for federal grants to expand and fund this project to fulfillment and deployment. I would advise the applicants to find an idea that you are passionate about that is not only a specific task, but also a general shift in how veterinary medicine operates. There is really no limit to what a veterinarian can accomplish.
What is your current job?
I am working as a Business Resident at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, learning more management of large networks with multiple specialties and the required interaction and detail to successfully run a 100,000-patient-a-year business.
Did the Student Inspiration Award Inspire your career, and if so, how?
The award provided the seed funds to allow me to follow my ultimate dream of bridging the gap between technology and veterinary medicine in a way that has never been attempted before in any medical field (human or animal).
A. Nikki Wright, V'14, & Lisa Gretebeck, V'14
2012 award winners
What did you want to achieve when you made your winning proposal?
Nikki: Together we envisioned a cooperative-style goat breeding facility and farm, run by families, which would serve as a breeding stock for a micro-lending program. Furthermore, we sought to implement a sustainable animal health leadership training program via the cooperative.
What have you accomplished?
Nikki: Since 2012, we have successfully coordinated four trips to Haiti, brought over 20 veterinarians and veterinary students to Haiti to aid in our mission, and provided veterinary care for over 1,000 animals. We are now working closely with five farmers who are our “animal health leaders” to further maximize production and welfare. In order to ensure long-term sustainability of the program, we have applied for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. We continue to bring in new veterinary student leadership and maintain strong ties to the communities we work with.
What is your current job?
Nikki: After graduating in May, I started my job as an associate veterinarian at the Banfield Pet Hospital in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, where I am honored to be working with another VMD, Dr. Kirk Breuninger. Ultimately I would like to return to Penn and contribute to our One Health efforts. Particularly, I hope to find a way to work with underserved communities (domestically and abroad) via public health, shelter animal medicine, and production medicine.
Lisa: I’m working at the National Institutes of Health on research related to emerging zoonoses. As a researcher for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, I aim to better understand the pathogenesis of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus. Our goal is to develop a vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus.
Did the Student Inspiration Award Inspire your career, and if so, how?
Lisa: The experience has helped me better understand the potential impact that veterinarians can have to improve both human and animal health. You leave Penn Vet with feelings of empowerment and responsibility to tackle large-scale issues—not only related to the bubble of veterinary medicine—but also to human medicine, public health, and the environment.
Nikhil Joshi, V'15 (expected)
2013 award winner
What did you want to achieve when you made your winning proposal?
I wanted to inspire veterinary students to think about ways they can help add value to the veterinary industry through innovation. As tuition and student debt loads increase, so does the number of new veterinarians graduating each year. This trend is unsustainable and I hope to encourage students to think outside the box for their future.
What have you accomplished?
I am currently conducting the first-ever business plan competition for veterinary students. More information on the Veterinary Innovation Challenge can be found at www.vetinnovation.com.
What have you learned?
In my effort to raise money for the competition, I discovered the value of persistence. My initial grant from Penn Vet included a stipulation that an additional $10,000 be raised from an external source. Countless phone calls, meetings, and rejections later, I found a sponsor in AVMA-PLIT.
What's next for you, and what would you say to potential applicants?
Next up are the Veterinary Innovation Challenge finals on September 6 in Philadelphia. For potential Inspiration Award applicants, I would hope they consider the long-term effects on animals and veterinarians. A venture is only successful if it has a sustainable impact.
Did the Student Inspiration Award Inspire your career, and if so, how?
I built a solid network, having reached out to numerous leaders in the veterinary industry to sponsor, mentor, or judge the competition. It also reignited a passion for entrepreneurship—I haven’t started a company yet, but I hope to.