College of Veterinary Medicine Welcomes New Faculty

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The College of Veterinary Medicine is pleased to introduce the newest academic and research faculty members to join the Purdue Veterinary Medicine family this past year.

These individuals embody excellence in veterinary medicine and research, and continue to build upon the college’s strategic focus on collegiality and collaboration with involvement in multidisciplinary programs across Purdue’s campus and beyond to benefit the health of both animals and people.

Emily Curry, DVM joined the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences as clinical assistant professor of shelter medicine effective January 1, 2021. She has served as a visiting assistant professor in this position since 2019, and leads the Priority 4 Paws shelter medicine program, which partners with regional shelters to provide medical and surgical care for adoptable pets. Dr. Curry earned her DVM degree at Purdue University in 2014. Before returning to Purdue, she worked as a small animal veterinarian at an animal hospital in Ohio. She also served as a veterinary surgeon, performing spay and neuter surgeries on shelter animals, while teaching veterinary nursing students anesthetic and surgical skills.

Luis Dos Santos, DVM, PhD became a member of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences upon his appointment as assistant professor of cardiology July 19. Dr. Dos Santos earned a DVM degree in 2004 from the Federal University of Uberlandia in Brazil. He served as a general practice veterinarian before earning a PhD degree in 2019 from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Dos Santos came to the U.S. in 2017, completing a small animal rotating internship at Oregon State University followed by a cardiology residency program at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in 2021. His research interests include arrhythmia, cardiovascular diseases, hemodynamics, and nutritional supplements for cardiac diseases.

Jessica Fortin, DVM, PhD joined the Department of Basic Medical Sciences as assistant professor with a focus on physiology and pharmacology effective August 16. Dr. Fortin earned a BPharm degree in 2004 followed by a master’s degree in 2008 from the Université Laval in Quebec. She then went on to earn a DVM degree in 2015 followed by a PhD in 2016 from the Université de Montréal in Quebec. Dr. Fortin completed a residency program in 2018 at the University of Missouri. She joins PVM from Michigan State University where she was on faculty as an assistant professor. Dr. Fortin’s research focuses on drug discovery, seeking new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Debra Hickman, DVM, MS joined the Department of Comparative Pathobiology as clinical professor upon her appointment as attending veterinarian and associate vice president for animal resources in the Purdue University Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships effective August 2. In this role, Dr. Hickman is responsible for ensuring animal care and welfare in all of the University’s research and teaching programs. As clinical professor, she will lead efforts to establish a residency program in laboratory animal medicine. Dr. Hickman earned both her DVM and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois in 1998 and 2001, respectively. She is a diplomate of the American College of Animal Welfare as well as the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.

Andy Hubner, DVM joined the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences as clinical assistant professor of farm animal field services effective September 27. Dr. Hubner earned his DVM degree from the University of Illinois in 2005. He went on to work in private practice, including owning his own bovine veterinary practice, before returning to the University of Illinois in 2018, serving as a clinician in the hospital’s On-Farm Services while also working toward completion of his PhD degree before coming to Purdue. Dr. Hubner is a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners specializing in Dairy Practice.

Roman Husnik, MVDr, PhD was appointed as visiting assistant professor of small animal internal medicine in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences effective January 4, 2021. Dr. Husnik earned his MVDr (DVM equivalent) degree in 1999 followed by a PhD in 2006 from the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Czech Republic. He went on to complete a residency program in 2015 and post-doctoral research fellowship in 2017 at Louisiana State University. Dr. Husnik is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, specializing in small animal internal medicine. His areas of interest include small animal gastroenterology and endoscopy.

Hyunwoo Lee, PhD joined the Department of Comparative Pathobiology as research associate professor specializing in molecular microbiology effective March 8. Dr. Lee earned a master’s degree from Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea in 1995 and a PhD degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2003. He continued there as a research assistant professor before coming to Purdue University. Dr. Lee also holds a courtesy appointment in the Purdue University College of Pharmacy Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy. His research interests include gut microbiome, pharmacokinetics, and molecular pharmacology.

Anna McManamey, DVM joined the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences as clinical assistant professor of cardiology August 9. Dr. McManamey earned her DVM degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2016. She went on to complete a small animal medicine and surgery internship at The Ohio State University in 2017. Dr. McManamey then completed a small animal emergency and critical care specialty internship in 2018 followed by a cardiology residency program in 2021 at North Carolina State University.

Shankar Thangamani, DVM, PhD was appointed as assistant professor of microbiology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology effective August 16. Dr. Thangamani earned his DVM degree from Madras Veterinary College in India followed by a PhD degree from Purdue University in 2016. He then served on the faculty at Midwestern University before returning to Purdue. Dr. Thangamani’s research focuses on the process by which metabolites, microbiome, and host interact to regulate fungal and bacterial pathogens. He also is a member of the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease (PI4D).

Sarah Waxman, DVM, MS joined the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences as clinical assistant professor in the Equine Field Service effective February 1, 2021. Dr. Waxman has served as a visiting assistant professor since 2019. She earned a DVM degree in 2009 from Kansas State University and went on to complete an internship program in 2010 at Wilhite and Frees Equine Hospital in Missouri. Dr. Waxman then completed a large animal surgical residency program and earned her master’s degree at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons with a specialty in large animal.

Writer(s): Allison Gardner | pvmnews@purdue.edu