![[cat sleeps next to mailer]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/sassy-cat-main-260x157.jpg)
Invention Makes Treating Cats Safer If you’ve never handled a cat in a veterinary setting, you may think you can predict their body movements but you would be wrong! They will surprise you. Dr. Kristen Knight, a veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital in Oswego, Ill., and a 2014 graduate of the college, created the Sassy...
![[Dr. Gavin Meerdink]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/gavin-meerdink-260x157.jpg)
Dr. Gavin Meerdink, who held many roles at our college, passed away on July 4. Joining our faculty in 1989, Dr. Meerdink headed the clinical toxicology service within the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, served the state’s agricultural industry as an Extension veterinarian focused on beef and feed safety, and oversaw the Veterinary Medical Research Farm. He...
![[students giving high fives]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/news-mental-health-260x157.jpg)
Facebook Page Offers Hope “It’s really hard for vets to put ourselves first. Even for people who don’t experience mental illness.” This realization motivated Rosie M., currently a fourth-year student at the College of Veterinary Medicine, to create a private Facebook group to provide resources for veterinarians to fit self-care into their daily lives, to...
![[Sarah Wright at three milestones in her veterinary education]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/wright-feature-260x157.jpg)
DVM Years Included Research, Travel In October 2016, Sarah Wright wrote a blog post* recalling her first impressions upon enrolling at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. “The first day of class left my head spinning with information and my nose burning from the anatomy lab,” she remembered. “How was I supposed to...
![[Dr. Taylor Willis, 2020 veterinary graduate]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/willis-feature-260x157.jpg)
Travel Abroad ‘Can Accelerate Your Education’ Taylor J. Willis insists she didn’t enroll at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine so she could see the world. It just turned out that way. Malaysia, Brazil, South Africa, Australia – through externships, spring break excursions, conferences and job shadow opportunities, Willis has circled the globe...
![[Dr. Anita Kalonaros at the White Coat Ceremony]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/anitak-feature-260x157.jpg)
‘Come on, let’s go’ Anita Kalonaros has been chasing her dream of becoming a veterinarian for as long as she can remember. “I think it’s something I’ve always said my entire life,” the Long Island, N.Y., native reflects. “I’m not sure there was ever a specific moment. We have papers from when I was in...
![[Dr. Robin Downing and her dog Tommy]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/news-downing-award-260x157.jpg)
Dr. Downing with Tommy The American Veterinary Medical Association recently honored Dr. Robin Downing, Class of 1986, as the winner of the 2020 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award. The award is one of veterinary medicine’s highest honors, recognizing the outstanding work of veterinarians in protecting and promoting the human-animal bond. Its namesake,...
![[Terry and Judy Rathgeber in 2003]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/terryrathgeber-260x157.jpg)
Terry Rathgeber, former associate dean for development and alumni affairs, passed away on Tuesday, April 21. Rathgeber grew the college’s advancement, alumni relations, and communications services over more than three decades. He seemed to know every veterinary student during his tenure, and maintained relationships with them as alumni and practitioners, often playing headhunter to match...
![[malayan tiger]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tiger-malayan-tiger-4242695-260x157.jpg)
Infection Presumed Passed to Tiger from Person Even when there is no global pandemic, veterinarians are on the front lines in protecting human health, especially when it comes to zoonotic diseases, that is, infections that can cross between people and animals. The expertise of faculty at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine positioned...
![[Dr. Sara Connolly]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sara_connolly-260x157.jpg)
Making Connections for Student Success March 23 was the first day on the job for Dr. Sara Connolly in the newly created position of assistant dean for student success. Although she’s currently forced to work in isolation imposed by the “work from home” mandate, Dr. Connolly sees her new role as one that facilitates connections:...