In Memory – Dr. Julie Anderson (PU DVM ’78)

A Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumna and beloved veterinarian, Dr Julie Anderson, of Rockville, Indiana, was remembered at a Celebration of Life event hosted in her honor by West Central Veterinary Services at the Parke County 4-H Fairgrounds 4-H building Sunday, April 27, 2025. Dr. Anderson, a member of the Purdue DVM Class of 1978, passed away December 19, 2024 at the age of 71. She was an associate veterinarian with West Central Veterinary Services of Rockville, Indiana.

According to information shared by West Central Veterinary Services, Dr. Anderson had joined the Rockville Veterinary Clinic in 1991 and in 1996 became certified in holistic and alternative chiropractic. Having developed an interest in holistic and alternative veterinary medicine, Dr. Anderson studied at the Chi Institute and completed a program in acupuncture in 2004 and finished their Chinese herb program in 2006, after which she offered alternative forms of veterinary medicine for the clinic. She was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Holistic Veterinary Association, World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, and American Veterinary Chiropractic Association.

Dr. Anderson also had an interest in Australian Cattle Dogs (ACDs or blue heelers) and began breeding them in 1982 in Jasper County, Indiana. She had shown ACDs in both obedience and conformation since the 1980s and had three as her companions in Rockville: Mica, Junior, and Dark Star. She also had a small flock of sheep and had worked with her dogs in herding. Dark Star passed her herding test in October 2022 at the National ACD Specialty that was held in Aurora, Colorado.

When Dr. Anderson wasn’t working at the veterinary clinic, she enjoyed keeping up to date on veterinary literature, training and working her cattle dogs and spending time with her sheep. She also is remembered as someone who especially liked the Marvel movie series.

View a complete obituary here.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

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

This week we express our gratitude to Jennifer Danaher, who is department secretary for Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

‘Purdue Pursuits’: A PVM angle on Purdue’s teaching and learning reading groups

Crafting meaningful and engaging course experiences has been at the top of Dielson Vieira’s mind ever since he joined the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s faculty in 2024. As a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Vieira is already adept at applying innovative teaching practices to classroom environments, but that doesn’t stop him from seeking out new ideas, approaches and perspectives — insights he gains through outlets like Purdue’s teaching and learning reading groups.

Top tier biology journal publishes PVM study that unlocks secrets of a drug-resistant fungal pathogen, which causes serious infections in humans

Though the name “Candida auris” is far from a household term, public health experts know it well because the multi-drug-resistant fungal pathogen, which causes serious human infections, has been classified as an urgent threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Antibiotic Threats Report (2019). Dr. Shankar Thangamani, Associate Professor of Microbiology and University Faculty Scholar in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology, is researching C. auris, aided by a 2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). New research findings, just published in Nature Microbiology, show how C. auris adapts and evades the immune system.

In Print: ‘Translational Research Methods for Tauopathies’

A just-published 300-page volume edited by Jessica Fortin, Purdue assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Basic Medical Sciences, provides a significant new resource for researchers studying a group of neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies. “Translational Research Methods for Tauopathies” provides detailed protocols intentionally selected to serve as a basis for research laboratories seeking to further treatments for such debilitating neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

It’s Almost Here!

Though the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference is almost upon us, there’s still time to register and take advantage of this time-honored College of Veterinary Medicine fall tradition that combines excellent continuing education with fun opportunities for reconnecting with colleagues and classmates, networking, and learning about the latest veterinary trends and products. The 2026 Purdue Veterinary Conference takes place September 23–26 on the Purdue University campus. The annual event has something for everyone, from veterinarians to veterinary technicians, faculty, staff and students.