The annual Research Day celebration at the College of Veterinary Medicine took place on April 17. Dr. Annette McCoy, associate professor of equine surgery and interim dean of research and advanced studies, coordinated the event. Dr. Miranda Vieson, clinical associate professor, helped serve as master of ceremonies.
Dr. McCoy noted that 85 abstracts describing exciting and diverse research had been submitted, setting an all-time high for this event.
“The presenters include undergraduates, veterinary students, graduate students, faculty, staff, post-doctoral researchers, and research associates not only from our college but from across campus,” she said.
This year the Pensinger Lecture in Comparative Medicine was given by Dr. Kurt Hankenson, a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Michigan. His keynote presentation was entitled “Molecular and cellular determinants of bone regeneration: The long road to developing new treatments for bone healing.” He described not only his research journey in pursuit of ways to improve treatment options for people with broken bones but also his career trajectory, including roles at medical colleges and veterinary medical colleges.
Two graduate students were honored with awards. Vasiliki (Vicki) Mourikes was awarded the Joseph O. Alberts Award for excellence in research and scholarship. Shanny Hsuan Kuo was awarded the Dr. Victor E. O. (Ted) and Carroll J. Valli Award for proficiency in research and diagnostic medicine.
Dr. Zachary Ready was awarded the Phi Zeta Literary Awards in Clinical Science.
The Research Advisory Committee evaluated abstracts submitted by students and trainees who competed for the opportunity to win prizes in a speaking contest and in a poster contest.
The six students selected for oral presentations were:
- Mary Bunnell: Selective Deletion of ESR1 and ESR2 Lineage Cells Causes Infertility in Female Mice
- Jacob Maxon: Prenatal Exposure to a Phthalate Mixture (PHT MIX) Causes Sex-specific and Dose-dependent Changes in Adult Social Behavior
- David Minich: Dental Disease of Domestic Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus): Treatments, Complications, and Outcomes (51 Cases)
- Matheus Moreno Passos Barbosa: Anchored Immunotherapy with Canine Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is Safe and Induces Therapeutic Responses: Preliminary Results of an Exploratory Phase I Clinical Trial in Dogs with Advanced Melanoma
- Tara Prezioso: A Network Evaluation of Human and Animal Movement Data Across Multiple Swine Farm Systems
- Jessica Wagner: Single-dose Pharmacokinetics of Intranasal Levetiracetam in Healthy Dogs
Oral presentation winners were Matheus Moreno Passos Barbosa, Jessica Wagner, and David Minich. Each received $1000 to be used toward research-related activities.
Six students were selected to present a “lightning talk” to attract visitors to their poster. The students and their topics were:
- Rebecca Bishop: Stability of Gastric Fluid and Fecal Microbial Populations in Pastured or Stabled Horses
- Samantha Hammack: Serial Measurements of Circulating Myokine Levels in Exercised Foals: A Pilot Study
- Yishan Kuo: Single-Dose, Intravenous and Oral Pharmacokinetics of Isavuconazole in Dogs
- Jinrui (Grace) Lyu: The GABAA Receptor α5-selective Positive Allosteric Modulator, MP-III-022, Attenuates Postoperative Cognitive Impairments in Aged Mice Via Distinct Mechanisms
- Ji-Eun Oh: Neonatal Exposure to Estrogen Impairs the Ovulation Machinery
- Zunaira Shoaib: Bone Mechanics Influence Cancer Stem Cell Formation in Osteosarcoma
Lightning talk competition winners were Zunaira Shoaib, Jinrui (Grace) Lyu, and Rebecca Bishop. Each received $500 to be used for research-related activities.
By Haley Maser
