Professional Profile

• PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Pharmacology, 1982
• VMD, University of Pennsylvania, 1979
• AB, Dartmouth College, 1975

In today's world, information is abundant and easy to obtain. Our greatest challenge is to teach students to be good consumers of information and to think critically.

• Veterinary Physiology (VM 602, VM 603, VM 604)
• Veterinary Pharmacology (VM 605)
• Rotations in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (VM 601 and VM 606)
• Advanced Therapeutics (CB 646)
• Systems Toxicology (CB 554)
• Comparative Clinical Pharmacology (CB 564)

• Role of thyroid hormone in neurodevelopment
• Metabolic impact of obesity and factors impacting development of fat cell types (brown, beige, white)
• Comparative thyroidology and endocrinology
• Veterinary clinical pharmacology 
• Educational approaches to encourage critical clinical thinking in medical professional students

• Division of Nutritional Sciences
• Neuroscience Program

• Rapid loss of white adipose tissue in adult mice following activation of the hedgehog signaling pathway
• International effort to encourage critical clinical thinking in veterinary students
• Natural language computer analysis to facilitate evaluation of complex learning exercises
• Natural language computing analysis to facilitate evaluation of drug adverse reactions

Cloning, sequencing and expression of thyrotropin in dogs, horses and cats.

1990: Co-founded Veterinary Information Network

• 1975: Phi Beta Kappa
• 1978: Phi Zeta
• 1995: American Animal Hospital Special Recognition Award: "For contributions and advancement of electronic on-line communications in the veterinary profession"
• 2010: Morris Animal Foundation: Small Animal Scientific Advisory Board Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2013: Fulbright Teaching/Research Fellowship - Germany

• Recent Selected Peer-Reviewed Manuscripts
  1. Clark MH, Thomaseth K, Dirikolu L, Ferguson DC, Hoenig M (2014): Effects of pioglitazone on insulin sensitivity and serum lipids in obese cats. J Vet Int Med 28(1):166-174.
  2. Sadowski, R.N., Park, P., Neese, S.L., Ferguson, D.C., Schantz, S.L., Juraska, J.M. (2014) Effects of perinatal bisphenol A exposure during early development on radial arm maze behavior in adult male and female rats.  Neurotoxicol Teratol. 42:17-24.
  3. Clark MH, Ferguson DC, Bunick D, Hoenig M (2013):  Molecular and histological evidence of brown adipose tissue in adult cats; Veterinary Journal 195(1): 66-72.
  4. Hoenig M, Pach N, Thomaseth K, Le A, Schaeffer D, Ferguson DC (2013).  Cats differ from other species in their cytokine and antioxidant enzyme response when developing obesity. Obesity 21(9): E407-14.
  5. Hoenig M, Pach N, Thomaseth K, DeVries F, Ferguson DC (2012): Evaluation of long-term glucose homeostasis in lean and obese cats using continuous glucose monitoring. Am J Vet Res 73 (7):1100-6.
  6. Stanislaus D, Andersson H, Chapin R, Creasy D, Ferguson DC, Gilbert M, Rosol TJ, Boyce RW, Wood CE (2012). Society of Toxicologic Pathology position paper: Review series: assessment of circulating hormones in nonclinical toxicity studies: general concepts and considerations. Toxicol. Path. 40(6): 943-50.
  7. Sharlin DS, Gilbert ME, Taylor MA, Ferguson DC, Zoeller RT (2010). The nature of the compensatory response to low thyroid hormone in the developing brain. J Neuroendocrinol. 22(3):153-65.
  8. Hoenig M, Jordan ET, Ferguson DC, de Vries F (2010). Oral glucose leads to a differential response in glucose, insulin, and GLP-1 in lean versus obese cats. Domest Anim Endocrinol. 38(2):95-102, 2010.
  9. Kley S, Hoenig M, Glushka J, Jin ES, Burgess SC, Waldron M, Jordan ET, Prestegard JH, Ferguson DC, Wu S, Olson DE (2009). The impact of obesity, gender and diet on hepatic glucose production in cats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 296: R936-R943.
  10. Taylor MA, Swant J, Wagner JJ, Fisher JW, Ferguson DC (2008). Lower thyroid compensatory reserve of rat pups after maternal hypothyroidism: correlation of thyroid, hepatic and cerebrocortical biomarkers with hippocampal neurophysiology. Endocrinology 149(7):3521-30, 2008.

• Book chapters
  1. Ferguson DC (2013): Principles of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicodynamics, in Haschek and Rousseaux’s Handbook of Toxicologic Pathology, 3^rd ed., Elsevier.
  2. Rayalam S, Hoenig MH, Ferguson DC (2009): Hypothalamic and Pituitary Hormones, in Riviere JE, Papich M (eds): Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 9th ed., Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 693-716.
  3. Ferguson DC (2009). Thyroid Hormones and Antithyroid Drugs, in Riviere JE, Papich M (eds): Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 9th ed., Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 735-770.
  4. Ferguson DC, Dirikolu L, Hoenig M (2009). Adrenal Corticosteroids, Mineralocorticoids, and Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors, in Riviere JE, Papich M (eds): Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 9th ed., Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 771-802.
  5. Ferguson DC. Testing for hypothyroidism in dogs. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 37(4):647-69, 2007.
• Other Media
  Ferguson DC, Knebel C, Jusay J, Wendt K, Augenblick A, Wollinger (2014): “Dogs and Diabetes” TED Ed animated video lesson.
  http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-did-dogs-teach-humans-about-diabetes-duncan-c-ferguson
• Additional Publications

• Fellow, American Academy of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
• American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
• Society for Comparative Endocrinology -charter member
• American Thyroid Association
• European Association for the Study of Diabetes
• Founding Editor-in-Chief, Veterinary Sciences

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal)
• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology

• Department of Comparative Biosciences
• Division of Nutritional Sciences
• Neuroscience Program
• Division of Biomedical Sciences