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

A Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumna and beloved veterinarian, Dr Julie Anderson, of Rockville, Indiana, will be remembered at a celebration of life event to be hosted in her honor by West Central Veterinary Services Sunday, April 27. Dr. Anderson, a member of the Purdue DVM Class of 1978, passed away in December at the age of 71. She served as an associate veterinarian with West Central Veterinary Services, Clinic of Rockville.

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 confirmation 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.

West Central Veterinary Services will host the celebration of life event in Dr. Anderson’s honor Sunday, April 27 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Parke County 4-H Fairgrounds 4-H building. All are welcome to attend.

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

Recent Stories

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Honors PVM Clinician Paulo Gomes as a Top Co-Author

Dr. Paulo Gomes, clinical associate professor of dermatology in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, recently was recognized for co-authoring one of the most widely read articles of 2025 in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. The publication is an online, open access, international, peer-reviewed journal.

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

This week a big Paws Up goes to Gabriel Harris, who is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences.

More Time Together

From the moment Brian met Blackie as a playful puppy at a rescue, their bond was undeniable. Over the years, Blackie became more than a pet. That is why, when Brian found Blackie unresponsive in his yard one evening, he refused to give up. Brian drove Blackie an hour and a half to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital’s Emergency and Critical Care team.

USDA Funding Fuels Purdue Veterinary Medicine Research Seeking Answers to Costly Cattle Production Mystery

A four-year, $650,000 New Investigator Award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) will support research led by Dr. Viju V. Pillai, a faculty member in Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology and pathologist at the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL), aimed at solving a persistent and costly mystery in cattle production. Dr. Pillai’s team wants to answer the question of why so many pregnancies fail before they are even recognized? The project will focus on the earliest stages of fetal–maternal communication and on a little-understood family of proteins called trophoblast Kunitz domain proteins (TKDPs), whose functions in pregnancy remain largely unknown.

In Memory: Dr. Ronald P. Miller (PU DVM ’63)

The Purdue Veterinary Medicine community is saddened by the passing of Dr. Ronald P. Miller, of Indianapolis, a member of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s first graduating class, the Class of 1963. Dr. Miller died February 17, 2026, at the age of 89.

Popular Veterinary Nursing Symposium Features Day of Learning and Networking

Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s annual Veterinary Nursing Symposium brought more than 150 veterinary professionals to Lynn Hall recently to gain practical knowledge and insights about a diverse range of topics covering both small and large animals. Veterinary nurses (technicians and technologists), veterinary assistants and veterinary nursing (technology) students participated in the all day lifelong learning program Sunday, March 23. The attendees came from across Indiana as well as Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

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

Today we are highlighting Dr. Heather Bornheim, who is a farm animal medicine and surgery clinician in the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital.

CPB’s Aryal Lab Members Recognized at 140th Annual Indiana Academy of Science Meeting

Two members of Research Associate Professor Uma Aryal’s lab in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology recently received noteworthy recognition during the 140th Indiana Academy of Science conference hosted in Indianapolis. According to the Indiana Academy of Science, since 1885, its annual conferences have served as the only multidisciplinary scientific meetings that take place in the state. The event on March 22 attracted hundreds of senior and junior scientists from Indiana and across the Midwest.