The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented in September at the Alumni and Friends Celebration, which will be held in the Purdue Memorial Union as part of the 2023 Purdue Veterinary Conference. Dr. W. Mark Hilton, clinical professor emeritus of veterinary clinical sciences and member of the DVM Class of 1983, will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award. The Distinguished Veterinary Nursing Alumni Award will be presented to Pam Phegley, BS, RVT (PU AAS ’83; BS 2001), PVM clinical rotation/mentorship coordinator.
The Alumni and Friends Celebration will be held Wednesday evening, September 20, in the Purdue Memorial Union North Ballroom, and is open to all faculty, staff, and students as well as conference attendees. A reception with hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar begins at 5:30 p.m. The program will start at 6:00 p.m.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award was established in 1978 by members of the DVM Class of 1967 as a memorial tribute to their classmate, Dr. David Mullis, who was honored posthumously as the first award recipient. Dr. Hilton earned his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences at Purdue University in 1980 before enrolling in the College of Veterinary Medicine. After earning his DVM degree in 1983, he joined the DeWitt Veterinary Clinic in Iowa where he spent 15 years as a partner in the predominantly food animal practice. He then returned to Purdue University in 1998 to teach beef production medicine. Through the years, Dr. Hilton rose through the academic ranks, while educating students on food animal ambulatory calls. After retiring from the university in 2016, Dr. Hilton joined Elanco Animal Health as a technical consultant providing beef cattle veterinarians with production medicine support.
Ms. Phegley received her Associate in Applied Science degree from what was then called the Purdue Veterinary Technology program in 1983, and later completed the additional study to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in veterinary technology in 2001. Ms. Phegley began her career at Purdue as chief technologist of small animal medicine in the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. As one who was interacting with students on a regular basis, she opted to pursue her passion for teaching by then serving for 21 years as clinical coordinator of the Veterinary Nursing Program. Most recently, Ms. Phegley has transitioned to the role of clinical mentorship coordinator in the Veterinary Nursing Distance Learning program.
Through her dedicated 39-year career at Purdue, Ms. Phegley’s skills as a veterinary nurse and educator have been recognized with numerous awards. She also is an ambassador for Purdue University through membership in the Indiana Veterinary Technician Association and active involvement with the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. When she is not teaching, she fills in at the Veterinary Hospital serving patients.
In addition to award presentations, the Alumni and Friends Celebration will include recognition of reunion classes. Alumni classes celebrating milestone anniversaries, from five years to 60 years, will be given the opportunity to stand and be applauded. In addition, members of the Silver and Golden Anniversary DVM classes will receive individual recognition. The DVM Class of 1997 will be honored on the occasion of its 25th Reunion and the DVM Class of 1973 will be recognized as the 50th Anniversary class.
The Alumni and Friends Celebration will be just one of the highlights of the Purdue Veterinary Conference, which kicks-off with the Elanco Human-Animal Bond Lecture, Tuesday evening, September 19, at 5:30 p.m. in Fowler Hall in the Stewart Center. The program will feature special remarks by Dr. Alan Beck on the occasion of his retirement as the Dorothy N. McAllister Professor of Animal Ecology and director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond. The lecture is free and open to the public.
The conference also will feature two keynote presentations, the Wellness Keynote Wednesday, September 20, at 1:10 p.m., and the Diversity Keynote Thursday, September 21, at 11:15 a.m. Also on that Thursday, Dr. Jerome Adams will present the Stockton Lecture on public health at 4:30 p.m. Dr. Adams was the 20th U.S. Surgeon General before joining Purdue University as a member of the President’s Coronavirus Task Force.
The Purdue Veterinary Conference provides continuing education tracks on Diagnostic Imaging, Equine, Exotics, Emergency Preparedness, Practice Management and Communication, Ruminant, Shelter Medicine, Small Animal, Swine, and Veterinary Nursing, as well as industry presentations and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) modules. The conference will conclude Saturday, September 23, 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.
Register by September 1 to take advantage of our early bird pricing! Click here for more information about the 2023 Purdue Veterinary Conference and click here to sign-up for the Dog Jog.