In Memory: Dr. Dereck Klopfenstein (PU DVM ’97)

August 30, 2019

The Purdue Veterinary Medicine family is deeply saddened to learn that Dr. Dereck Alan Klopfenstein (PU DVM ’97), of Goshen, Ind., died August 25 of injuries sustained when he was struck by a car while doing a training ride for his upcoming Ironman triathlon.  He was 49.

The accident occurred near Wakarusa August 8. Dr. Klopfenstein suffered massive brain damage after a vehicle struck the back of his bicycle.  Reports indicated he was wearing a helmet at the time, but it came off during the crash.  He was airlifted to the South Bend Memorial Trauma Center, where he remained until his passing.

A graduate of Goshen College, Dr. Klopfenstein earned his Purdue DVM degree in 1997 and then worked for three years as a veterinarian in Wisconsin.  In 1999, he and his father established Dairy Veterinary Management Services in Goshen.  He is remembered for his intellect and reasoning process, his deep relationships and conversations, his wit and storytelling, and his physical achievements.

Visitation will be held at College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall from 1:00 – 8:00 p.m., Saturday, August 31, with a memorial service in the sanctuary at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, September 1.

Memorial gifts may be given to Heifer International, P.O. Box 8058, Little Rock, AR 72203, or to the estate via PayPal at klop4@comcast.net, to be distributed to the 529 College Savings Plans that Dr. Klopfenstein had set up for his three children – a daughter who is a sophomore in college and two sons in high school.  Gifts may also be given through Yoder-Culp Funeral Home.  Click here to view the complete obituary.

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

Recent Stories

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

This week, we are proud to recognize Lorraine Fox, who is a business assistant with the Veterinary Medicine Procurement Center.

PVM Interview Days Move College Closer to Admitting the DVM Class of 2030

After a total of three afternoons dedicated to conducting in-person interviews with 226 prospective veterinary students, the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine is close to completing the process of admitting 84 members of the incoming first-year DVM class – the Class of 2030.  The students invited for the interview days were selected from a total pool of 1,930 applicants from across the country as well as countries abroad.

Experts to Gather at Purdue for Conference Addressing the Public Health Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance

The ongoing challenges posed by multi-drug resistant infections will be the focus of a multidisciplinary conference taking place in three weeks at Purdue University.  The Fourth Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance is set for February 25–26, 2026 at Purdue’s Stewart Center in West Lafayette. Registration is still open for the event, which will bring together scientists and scholars from human and veterinary medicine, public health, research, and industry to address the determinants, dynamics and deterrence of drug resistance.

PVM’s Upcoming Coppoc One Health Lecture to Focus on Dogs as Sentinels of Environmental Exposure

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine brings a leading One Health scholar to campus each year to address vital health issues from a One Health perspective as part of the Coppoc One Health Lecture series.  This year’s presentation, scheduled for February 26 in Lynn Hall Room 2026, is on the engaging topic, “One Health at Home: Dogs as Sentinels of Environmental Exposure.” The speaker will be Audrey Ruple, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVPM, MRCVS, the Dorothy A. and Richard G. Metcalf Professor of Veterinary Medical Informatics at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.

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

Today we are happy to acknowledge our Student Success Center Team.

One Health: A ‘digital twin’ model for predicting cancer outcomes

The striking similarities between invasive bladder cancer in dogs and humans have fueled research advances for more than three decades. Most of that work has looked at separate aspects of the disease — risk factors, early detection, symptoms, treatment and gene expression. But a new project at Purdue University that combines many types of available data in a “digital twin” model of bladder cancer may prove powerful enough to predict patient outcomes, starting with the probability of metastasis.

Purdue Professor Emeritus Bill Blevins Wins Lifetime Achievement Award at ACVR Annual Meeting

The American College of Veterinary Radiology (ACVR) gave its esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024 to Purdue Professor Emeritus Bill Blevins, who is well known to countless Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumni for the expertise he taught them about all things Diagnostic Imaging during his long Purdue career.