2026 Annual Recognition Ceremony Honors VCS Residents, Graduate Students, and PVH Interns

A group of people are dressed in business casual attire and are standing in front of a wood wall with picture frames and lights behind them — Third-Year VCS Residents who are finishing their program on July 15, 2026.

On Monday, June 29, 2026, more than 100 faculty and staff from the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital gathered at Thomas Duncan Hall for the 2026 Resident and Intern Recognition Ceremony. This annual event provides a great opportunity to honor and celebrate the contributions of the residents, interns, and graduate students who are completing their programs this summer.

Each of the finishing residents was recognized individually by Dr. Tim Lescun, VCS Department Head, as well as their mentor who presented them with their recognition documents and parting gifts. Many interesting and fun stories were shared about the residents’ time at Purdue.

Another highlight of the program was the presentation of awards. The Katie McCallister Compassion Award was presented by Dr. Debbie Knapp, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology and Director of the Evan and Sue Ann Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center, to third-year neurology resident, Dr. Joshuah Klutzke. The award recognizes a resident or intern who demonstrates extraordinary compassion and empathy toward both patients and their families.

Next, Dr. Lescun presented the Johnson & Hoffman Residency Teaching Award to Dr. Zineb Kotbi, third-year large animal medicine resident. This award was established to honor those residents who are particularly effective in fulfilling their responsibility to provide instruction to veterinary students.

Two adults are side-by-side, holding framed award certificates. The man on the left is wearing a blue button up shirt. The woman on the right is wearing a polka dot top and a necklace — Dr. Joshuah Klutzke and Dr. Zineb Kotbi, residents in neurology and large animal medicine, respectively, with their awards.

Dr. Lescun also presented the final award of the evening, which was the Graduate School’s Teaching Academy Graduate Teaching Award, to Dr. Klutzke. The award honors graduate students across campus who have teaching responsibilities for their dedication to Purdue students and their outstanding teaching contributions.

The VCS/PVH recognition program continued with the introduction of the new, incoming class of PVH Interns. Then Drs. Paula Johnson and Paulo Gomes, Co-Chairs of the Internship Committee, presented the graduating intern class, each with their own mentor. The interns received their certificate of completion and a gift from the PVH.

Congratulations are in order for all of the residents and interns who were recognized. The outgoing residents and specialty interns are listed below with their specialty and where they are headed next:

Dr. Makensie Anderson (Small Animal Surgery)~Provide care for military working dogs and military family pets in Texas
Dr. Leah Douglas (Ophthalmology)~Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, Texas
Dr. Kristy Faulkner (Specialty Internship, Neurology)~Private Practice Residency in Michigan
Dr. Kiersten Forsyth (Cardiology)~MedVet, Indianapolis, Indiana
Dr. Olivia Geels (Oncology)~MedVet, Houston, Texas
Dr. Niloufar Ghahari (Specialty Internship, Small Animal Medicine)~PhD Program at Auburn University
Dr. Jack Jarvis (Diagnostic Imaging)~Purdue University Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Visiting Faculty)
Dr. Joshuah Klutzke (Neurology)~MedVet, Indianapolis, Indiana
Dr. Zineb Kotbi (Large Animal Medicine)~Still deciding
Dr. Joanna Lum (Emergency Critical Care)~BluePearl Pet Hospital, Paramus, New Jersey
Dr. David Moses (Cardiology)~Virginia Veterinary Specialty & Emergency, Charlottesville, Virginia
Dr. Tai Li Nelson (Small Animal Surgery)~BluePearl Pet Hospital, Rockville, Maryland
Dr. Laura Tran (Cardiology)~Finishing residency at University of Missouri
Dr. Alexandra Usimaki (Large Animal Surgery)~“Still looking for her next giant leap”
Dr. Courtney Westcott (Specialty Internship, Cardiology)~Residency at CVCA, Raleigh, North Carolina
Dr. Zachary Yaufman (Oncology)~Purdue University Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Post-Doc)

The outgoing interns, listed by their areas of focus, along with the Wasson Veterinary Pharmacy Resident, also shared their future plans:

Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Interns

Alex Bruce~Specialty intern in Canada
Dylan Burton~Residency at Purdue University
Wan-Lin Chen~Residency in Internal Medicine at University of Minnesota
Samantha Collins~Staying at Purdue University
Anna Grotjahn ~Private practice position in California
Alan Huizar~Neuro specialty intern in San Antonio, Texas
Jessica Payne~Ophthalmology residency at Eye Care for Animals in Chicago
Kathryn Vasquez~Staying at Purdue University
Beth Zanley~Staying at Purdue University
Shangyu Zhou~London, England

Large Animal Medicine and Surgery Interns

Devon Anderson~Residency at University of Georgia
Andrea Messina~Large animal surgery residency at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island

Wasson Veterinary Pharmacy Resident

Holly Wright~Accepted position at Kansas State University

A large group of people are standing together, with one woman in the front holding a bouquet of flowers. The wall behind them is wooden and has candlesticks and framed artwork close by. — VCS Residents and Specialty Interns who will complete their program this summer gathered together for a group photo.

A group of people stand side by side in a dimly lit, formal setting — VCS Residents and Specialty Interns who will complete their program this summer gathered together for a group photo.

Writer(s): Tressa Bowman | pvmnews@purdue.edu

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