Justin Kozma, V’24, with co-presidents Monica Rodriguez and Isabella Bello Rivera as well as Ariana Ramos, Isabel Rodríguez, Dayana Perez-Bonilla, Mariela S. Carrera, and Sofía Zayas, established a chapter of the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA) at Penn Vet. The chapter is part of a national organization whose aims are to better professional development, mentorship, outreach, and scholarship for aspiring and current veterinarians in the Latinx community.
Faazal Rehman, V’22, received a $16,000 grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) to work in the Duran-Struuck Translational Immunology Laboratory. The grant spans from July 2020 to July 2021. FFAR supports pioneering science to provide everyone access to affordable, nutritious food grown on thriving farms by funding critical research gaps and investing the future scientific workforce. Currently, swine health and illness significantly impact productivity and economic losses worldwide. Rehman is identifying a swine health signature in Pennsylvania swine farms by studying the gut, lung and skin microbiomes, as well as characterizing white blood cell populations of healthy and sick animals. Identifying a swine health signature will improve global animal health and productivity.
Abigail Seeley, V’24, lectured at the San Diego State University undergraduate Experimental Ecology Lab regarding humane mark-recapture methods and handling with domestic wildlife in the U.S., combining knowledge from her wildlife and fishery science undergraduate degree and her Wildlife Medicine classes at Penn Vet. She co-hosted the lecture with Dr. Katie Seeley of the Columbus Zoo, who spoke on wildlife sampling methods in Madagascar, where she is currently doing research.
American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation Scholarships
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation awarded scholarships to four Penn Vet students. Awards were sponsored by United Animal Health and Zoetis, with Zoetis providing stipends to each student participating.
Andrew Shulman, V’23, at right, received a $1,500 Student Seminar scholarship
Matthew Boulanger, V’22, received a $300 scholarship
Ashley Hallowell, V’22, and Brooke Kitting, V’22, each received $200 scholarships
Student Research Day
In March, students, faculty, and special guests participated in oral presentations and a competitive poster session at the School’s annual Student Research Day.
During the daylong virtual event, 43 VMD and VMD-PhD students shared their laboratory, clinical, or field studies research with attendees, showcasing innovation, creativity, and academic achievement. Six students gave oral presentations and 37 students presented posters, in addition to the poster slam video. A panel of faculty judges selected outstanding abstracts for awards of excellence.
Theresa Alenghat, V’03, PhD’07, from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, delivered the keynote address entitled Epigenetic Regulation of the Host-microbiota Relationship.
Dual Degree VMD-PhD Awards
Jaclyn Carlson
Collagen V Haploinsufficiency Results in Delayed Healing and Altered Wound Matrix Post-Injury in Murine Tendons
Mentor: Dr. Louis Soslowsky, Perelman School of Medicine
Megan Clark
Remodeling the Electron Transport Chain in Macrophages by a Peptide-miRNA Axis
Mentor: Dr. Jorge Henao-Mejia, Perelman School of Medicine
Martha Stone
Chemogenetic Activation of Orexin Neurons Accelerates Emergence from Isoflurane Anesthesia
Mentor: Dr. Max Kelz, Perelman School of Medicine
Veterinary Student VMD Presenters
Justine Cianci
Qualitative Assessment of Fracture Configuration and Subchondral Bone Pathology in Horses with Lateral Condylar Fractures of MC/MT3
Mentor: Dr. Kyla Ortved, Penn Vet
Victoria Kranz
Sow Familiarity and Aggression at Post-gestation Mixing
Mentor: Dr. Meghann Pierdon, Penn Vet
Julianne Nolte
Non-canonical NF-κB Signaling in Lymphatic Vessels Regulates Immune Homeostasis in the Lung
Mentor: Dr. Michael May, Penn Vet
Best Poster Awards
Matthew Boulanger, VMD
Identifying Sow Lameness Utilizing Time-of-Flight Cameras
Matthew Boulanger and Dr. Thomas Parsons, Penn Vet
Eli Braun, VMD
Development of a RT-LAMP Assay for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Companion Animal Samples at Ryan Veterinary Hospital
Eli Braun, Dr. Jaclyn Dietrich, Dr. Stephen Cole, and Dr. Shelley Rankin, Penn Vet
Brinkley Raynor, VMD-PhD
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rabies Reemergence in Latin America
Brinkley Raynor, Elvis W. Díaz, Julianna Shinnick, Edith Zegarra, Ynes Monroy, Claudia Mena, and Ricardo Castillo-Neyra, Perelman School of Medicine and Penn Vet
Ariel Shepley-McTaggart, VMD-PhD
Identification of a SARS-CoV-2 E/Host ZO-1 Interaction: Implications for Tight Junction Damage in Human Lung Epithelial Cells
Ariel Shepley-McTaggart, Cari A. Sagum, Mark T. Bedford, James Mullin, and Ronald N. Harty, Penn Vet
PennDemic
As a real pandemic raged around the world, Penn Vet and University of the Sciences faculty and students participated in a favorite interdisciplinary annual event: Penndemic. More than 10 faculty and 50 students from multiple programs and schools participated in the four-hour event that simulates an infectious disease outbreak. Students were first grouped by discipline and collaborated on a short presentation about the role of their field in infectious diseases. They then mixed into interdisciplinary teams and used information from their own discipline to “solve” an outbreak of diarrhea in Philadelphia. The day concluded with combatting a rumor that Philly tap water was behind the outbreak (it wasn’t) and students pitched social media campaigns to stop the spread of misinformation. Karl Russek from Penn’s Water Center then gave a short talk about healthy water, communities in Philadelphia, and social justice.