Upcoming Purdue Veterinary Conference Features Keynotes on Wellness and Diversity

(left to right): Dr. Susan Cohen, Dr. Sandra F. San Miguel, Dr. Regina Tan
The 2024 Purdue Veterinary Conference features keynote speakers (left-right) Dr. Susan Cohen and Dr. Sandra F. San Miguel, and the annual Stockton Lecture, which will be given by Dr. Regina Tan.

The 2024 Purdue Veterinary Conference will continue an important tradition of offering keynote sessions on Wellness and Diversity. Another conference highlight will be the annual Stockton Lecture on current issues affecting the Veterinary industry.

This year’s Wellness Keynote will feature Dr. Susan Cohen, DSW, who founded Pet Decisions and is regarded as a pioneer in the field of pet loss. She will give a talk at noon on Wednesday, September 18, entitled, “What’s wrong with resilience? Transforming veterinary culture for better mental health.” During the lecture she will explore three paths to wellness that can make a difference in the life of veterinary professionals and their coworkers: interpersonal skills, self-care, and structural change. She encourages audience members to choose one small action and lighten a heavy load.

The Diversity Keynote will be given by Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s own Dr. Sandra F. San Miguel, associate dean for engagement and professor of veterinary clinical sciences. Dr. San Miguel will speak on the topic, “The Influence of Diversity in Communication in Healthcare.” During her presentation, she will share about The League of VetaHumanz, a global, inclusive veterinary superhero league where VetaHumanz in academia, practice, research, government, and industry engage with community centers and schools across the globe to provide access and support for under-resourced children. The award-winning program is supported by the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. San Miguel’s presentation will include information about how veterinary professionals, veterinary practices, and organizations can join in the mission. The Diversity Lecture is scheduled for Thursday, September 19, at 12:00 p.m.

The Stockton Lecture will feature Dr. Regina Tan, a 1999 Purdue DVM graduate who joined the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the Director of the center’s Office of Research. She currently is the Senior Advisor for the agency’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Tan will speak about the FDA’s Animal and Veterinary Innovation Agenda and demonstrate how the agency is using One Health to protect the health of humans and animals in the United States.

These special lectures represent just some of the highlights of the 2024 Purdue Veterinary Conference. To hear these enlightening presentations click here to register for the conference. Registrants also will gain access to continuing education tracks on Diagnostic Imaging, Equine, Exotics, Emergency Preparedness, Practice Management and Communication, Ruminant, Shelter Medicine, Small Animal, Poultry, and Veterinary Nursing, as well as industry presentations and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) modules. To take advantage of early bird pricing, make sure to register by September 1. Click here for more information about the 2024 Purdue Veterinary Conference.

The conference will conclude Saturday, September 21, with the Dr. Skip Jackson Dog Jog, which is open to the public and starts at 8:00 a.m. in front of Lynn Hall. Click here to sign-up for the Dog Jog.

Writer(s): Tom Mauch | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Behind the scenes, Alicia Williams has been making PVM a kinder, stronger place.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Computational Biologist Uses Big Data, AI and Math to Find Patterns in Cancer

With recent advances, cancer research now generates vast amounts of information. The data could help researchers detect patterns in cancer cells and stop their growth, but the sheer volume is just too much for the human mind to digest. Enter Nadia Lanman, research associate professor in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, whose expertise in computational biology helps researchers at Purdue University distill solutions from the sea of numbers.

Purdue to Host Fourth Annual Antimicrobial Conference in February

With leadership by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Fourth Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will be held at Purdue University West Lafayette February 25–26, 2026. With multidrug-resistant infections on the rise globally, this event brings together experts and practitioners across the spectrum of human, animal, and environmental health to address one of today’s most urgent public health challenges.

PVM Well-represented by Humans and Animals During Annual Homecoming Celebrations

Every fall, Boilermakers from near and far return to the campus in West Lafayette for the annual ritual known as Homecoming. And Purdue’s Homecoming events also attract plenty of non-alumni who are Purdue fans, patrons, prospective students, or clients of the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. During this year’s Homecoming weekend October 24-25, Purdue Veterinary Medicine engaged with attendees in multiple ways, with the help of some furry companions.

Purdue University and Akston Biosciences Bring “First Dose of Hope” in New Cancer Immunotherapy Trial for Dogs with Urinary Bladder Cancer

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with Akston Biosciences Corporation, has initiated the enrollment of dogs with urinary bladder cancer in a clinical trial of a pioneering immunotherapy. The strategic partnership between Purdue and Akston was announced in August after the underlying technology was developed at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR).

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Today we share appreciation for Beth Laffoon, MS, RVT, and Holly McCalip, BS, RVT, who are both instructional technologists in the Veterinary Nursing Program.

MMAS Symposium Brings Participants Face to Face with Specialists and Species from Parrots to Pocket Pets

Thanks to Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Exotic Animal Club and dedicated faculty, staff and students, nearly 100 in-person and on-line participants got a chance recently to gain valuable knowledge and insight about the Medicine of Mammalian and Avian Species. The two-day educational event known as the MMAS Symposium is a biennial conference, and the 2024 edition held in Lynn Hall November 9 and 10 featured an impressive program that included 22 lectures and several hands-on labs, organized into two tracks focusing on avian and mammalian species.

Veterinary Boilermakers Take Part in Purdue One Health Alumni Reunion

Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students turned out for Purdue University’s first One Health Alumni Reunion, which was held on the West Lafayette campus November 14-16. They joined more than 150 Boilermakers from a variety of medical professions who came together to network and participate in timely discussions with Purdue President Mung Chiang, First Lady Kei Hui and fellow alumni.