On Friday, October 11, the College of Veterinary Medicine will host the Dr. John A. Coyne Investiture, bestowing professorships on two veterinary faculty members. A named faculty appointment signifies excellence and prominence in the areas of research, teaching, or service.
Please read below for information about Dr. Coyne and his family and about our faculty recipients, Dr. Heidi Phillips, Inaugural Dr. John A. Coyne Professor in Small Animal Surgery, and Dr. Kimberly A. Selting, Inaugural Dr. John A. Coyne Professor in Small Animal Clinical Practice.
Our Donor: Dr. John A. Coyne and Family
When Dr. John A. Coyne was 10 years old, he was put in charge of administering injections to sick piglets on his family’s livestock farm in central Illinois. From that time on, he set his sights on becoming a veterinarian.
Now, 50 years after earning his veterinary degree from the University of Illinois, Dr. Coyne continues to see animal patients almost every day.
“And I still love what I do,” he says. “Because it’s not work to me. It’s my passion. And it’s where I want to be.”
Throughout his long and successful career—he eventually acquired ownership in 11 veterinary hospitals that stretched from Moline, Ill., to Westfield, Ind.—Dr. Coyne has always made a point to give back: to his community, his chosen profession, and his alma mater.
Along with his wife, Ruth, daughters Julie Pignatiello and Amy Fox, and their families, Dr. Coyne made a generous gift in 2022 to establish two named veterinary professorships: for small animal surgery and for small animal clinical practice. These honors will be bestowed, on faculty members Dr. Heidi Phillips and Dr. Kimberly Selting, at an investiture ceremony on Friday, October 11.
The family’s 2022 gift also went toward naming the lobby of the veterinary college’s Veterinary Medicine South Clinic, a free-standing clinic that is home to the hospital’s dog/cat primary care and urgent and convenient care services, the zoological companion animal service, the community medicine service, and the Wildlife Medical Clinic. More recently, the family has committed to a multi-year renovation and expansion within the South Clinic.
Additionally, the Coyne family has donated to name the lobby of the hospital’s Small Animal Clinic, which houses ten veterinary specialty services, from anesthesia to surgery. They have also created scholarships for veterinary students at the college. “I owe this university so much,” said Dr. Coyne. “It has given me the ability to thoroughly enjoy what I do and take care of my family in ways I never thought possible.”
Dr. Heidi Phillips
Inaugural Dr. John A. Coyne Professor in Small Animal Surgery
Dr. Heidi Phillips has devoted her professional life to advancing and performing surgical procedures that improve the lives of dogs and cats. In 2012, Dr. Phillips joined the faculty at the University of Illinois, bringing expertise in microvascular and reconstructive surgery.
She was the first U.S. surgeon, in 2017, to perform a laser-assisted turbinectomy. This procedure involves removing small amounts of tissue from a pet’s nasal cavity to relieve airway difficulties common among bulldogs and other brachycephalic breeds. She also documented for the first time the presence of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome in flat-faced cat breeds. While offering a variety of novel surgical interventions for these pets, she simultaneously calls for changes to breeding practices that exacerbate their airway difficulties.
A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Dr. Phillips is internationally recognized for her expertise in microsurgery and microvascular surgical education. She developed microsurgery training courses to improve the skills of veterinarians, human medicine surgeons, and researchers who work with rodent populations. The University of Illinois awarded her a competitive grant of over $1 million to make that training available to a larger audience through realistic computer simulations.
At Illinois, Dr. Phillips serves as the section head of the teaching hospital’s small animal soft tissue surgery service and holds an appointment in the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. Illinois veterinary students have twice selected her for the prestigious Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teaching Award. Her mentorship for surgery residents and junior faculty members has provided a strong foundation for their success. Dr. Phillips completed her veterinary degree and surgical training at the University of Pennsylvania. She also served for five years as the assistant director of that veterinary college’s renal transplant program before joining the University of Illinois.
Dr. Kimberly Selting
Inaugural Dr. John A. Coyne Professor in Small Animal Clinical Practice
Recruited to the faculty in 2017 to establish a radiation oncology program, Dr. Kimberly Selting contributes substantially to the powerful and growing Illinois veterinary oncology team. She skillfully oversaw the selection and deployment in 2019 of a state-of-the-art linear accelerator, adding a vital dimension to the hospital’s medical oncology service.
Since then, Dr. Selting has built a robust program that encompasses treating patients with cancer, collaborating on clinical trials to advance oncologic therapies, and training residents in radiation oncology.
Funded by a college research grant, Dr. Selting implemented a treatment enhancement called respiratory gating. This process makes radiation treatment possible for dogs whose tumors move with breathing. The linear accelerator delivers radiation only when patients are in a certain phase of respiration. Illinois is one of only two veterinary institutions with this capability, which has opened the door to additional research opportunities.
With Dr. Selting’s crucial partnership, the college’s oncology researchers are exploring novel therapies that combine radiation with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This strategy makes it possible to treat problematic and lethal cancers, such as osteosarcoma and oral melanoma in dogs and oral squamous cell carcinoma in cats.
Dr. Selting earned her veterinary degree from Colorado State University and completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. After practicing in the St. Louis area, she returned to Fort Collins, Colorado, for a residency in medical oncology and master’s degree. In 2002 she joined the faculty at the University of Missouri as a boarded veterinary medical oncologist. While there she earned board certification in radiation oncology. Dr. Selting’s service to her field includes international presentations, scholarly publications, and leadership in both the Veterinary Cancer Society and the American College of Veterinary Radiology.
