Dr. Nickie Baird Selected as VMX Speaker of the Year

June 22, 2018

Dr. Nickie Baird

Congratulations to Dr. Nickie Baird, Purdue Veterinary Medicine professor of large animal surgery, who has been selected as one of five VMX 2018 Speakers of the Year. Dr. Baird and the other honorees were chosen by veterinary professionals from around the world through attendee feedback associated with the 2018 VMX Veterinary Meeting and Expo held February 3-7 in Orlando, Fla. The annual convention is presented by the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC). A statement on the NAVC website said, “The NAVC is proud to honor our Speakers of the Year…With a field of 350+ exceptional and nationally renowned veterinary speakers presenting more than 1,200 different sessions, it’s quite an honor to be voted as a top speaker by event attendees.”

Dr. Baird was recognized as the Large Animal Speaker of the Year. The announcement on the NAVC website included this statement of commendation, “A huge congratulations to those who wowed attendees with their incredible topics and talks at VMX 2018.” The other honorees are:

Small Animal – Audrey Cook, associate professor, Texas A&M University
Exotics – Shane Boylan, staff veterinarian, South Carolina Aquarium
Nurse/Technician – Megan Brashear, specialty technician trainer, VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists
Practice Management – Betsy Choder, attorney, VetCounsel, LLC

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.