Purdue University

Students Successfully Bid to Host SAVMA 2012 Conference

A group of students, pictured in the photograph above, led by SCAVMA president-elect Justin Heinz (DVM class of 2012) traveled to Wisconsin over spring break to present their bid for hosting the 2012 National Student American Veterinary Medical Association conference.

The bid committee spent months putting together a packet that contained details about proposed academic and extracurricular activities, lodging and transportation for the conference. They also received committments from veterinary faculty and staff who will provide educational programs and activities during the event.

"The School has gone above and beyond to make this an event to be proud of," said Heinz. "We had an amazing response from students and faculty who want to participate in the conference and present a variety of topics relevant to practicing veterinary medicine in today's world."

As a pre-cursor to the 2012 event, this year the School hosted the national pre-vet symposium. More than 400 pre-veterinary students from around the country traveled to Purdue for the event.

Further information about the SAVMA symposium 2012 is found here.

Reaching Out through Recruitment

The Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine utilized a special career fair organized by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), to reach out to young people from the Washington D.C. area who are interested in future careers in veterinary medicine.  The career fair was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the AAVMC in Alexandria, Virginia March 14th.  Dean Willie Reed and SVM Diversity Director Kauline Davis teamed-up to explain the “Purdue Advantage” to the career fair attendees, who included students from a variety of cultural backgrounds.  Participation in the AAVMC event is just one of a growing number of efforts to reach an increasingly diverse population of prospective veterinary students.

Grand Opening Planned for New Imaging Facilities

(left-right) St. Elizabeth Regional Health’s Steve Reisman, radiology equipment specialist, and Jason Scott, chief MRI/CT technologist, join Purdue SVM radiologist Jim Naughton and Veterinary Teaching Hospital diagnostic imaging technologist Donna Tudor as the donated CT unit is installed in the VTH’s new CT suite.

The Veterinary Teaching Hospital will celebrate completion of new MRI and CT imaging suites with a Grand Opening Ceremony May 12, 2010.  The new MRI facility replaces a portable MRI unit, and will be capable of accommodating large and small animals.  The CT facility features an upgraded CT unit donated by St. Elizabeth Regional Health, which just opened a new hospital in Lafayette.  The Grand Opening will begin at 4:00 p.m. with a ceremony in Lynn Hall room G167, followed by tours and a reception.  The event is free and open to the public. 

Honoring Dr. John Van Vleet

Help us commemorate Dr. John Van Vleet's dedication to the School of Veterinary Medicine on the occasion of his retirement. The School has elected to set up an endowment in his honor to ensure the Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program will annually provide summer fellowships for veterinary and undergraduate students.

Dr. Van Vleet, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, will officially retire on June 30 this year. Dr. Van Vleet has been with the School since 1967 when he joined the faculty as an assistant professor of veterinary pathology.

The summer research fellowships offer veterinary and undergraduate students the opportunity to work on independent research projects with a faculty mentor and explore non-practice careers in an effort to increase the number of veterinarians involved in biomedical and clinical research. To donate to the endowment click here.

The School also will honor his retirement with a symposium on cardiovascular pathology at 1 p.m. on May 27 in room 1136 of Lynn Hall. Details about the symposium are available on the School’s Alumni Web site.

In addition to the events planned in his honor, Dr. Sandy Amass, associate dean for engagement, is creating a memory book for Dr. Van Vleet. Individuals who would like to contribute letters or photos for Dr. Van Vleet’s memory book may submit them electronically to amasss@purdue.edu or mail them to Dr. Sandy Amass, 625 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907.

Phi Zeta Day - When the Research Stars Come Out

The School of Veterinary Medicine showcases faculty-led scientific discovery April 7th, during the 23rd annual “Phi Zeta Research Day.”  The special day of research poster presentations and lectures is organized by Purdue University’s Omicron Chapter of Phi Zeta, which exists to recognize and promote high level scholarship and scientific discovery.  The schedule includes a keynote presentation by Dr. Dennis O’brien at 8:30 a.m. on the topic of hereditary neurologic diseases, and a talk at 9:30 a.m. by Dr. Gert Breur, Purdue professor of small animal surgery, recipient of the Pfizer Animal Health Award for Research Excellence. The day concludes with award presentations at 3:30, followed by a reception.  All presentations will be given in Lynn Hall Room 1136 (a.m.) and G167 (p.m.).

SAVE THE DATE
May 21-23, 2010

Join us for the Midwest Iverson Bell Regional Diversity Summit, an event co-sponsored by the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine and the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

3rd Annual Talent Show a Smashing Success

The student-run 3rd Annual Vet School Talent Show was held Wednesday at Fowler Hall. It was a huge success, with talk still heard around the hallways of the amazing performances seen. The winners of each category this year were: Dancing- Vibha Rajagopalan, Singing- Bethany Couture, Multi-Talent/Demo: Jun Yu.

Congratulations to all the artists! SCAVMA plans to sell DVD's of the show, with the money raised likely going toward funding of Senior Pagers.