The 2021 PVM Research Day included the inaugural presentation of a new award designed to recognize faculty mentors. The Purdue Veterinary Research Scholars Summer Program provides an opportunity for DVM students and pre-vet undergraduate students to gain research experience under guidance of a faculty mentor. The success of the program depends greatly on the involvement and effort of the mentors. The Boehringer Ingelheim Summer Research Mentorship Award was established to recognize a faculty mentor who has demonstrated a special effort.
This year, Dr. Deepti Pillai, clinical assistant professor of diagnostic microbiology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, is the recipient of the inaugural 2020 mentorship award. Dr. Pillai worked with veterinary student Gabrielle Miller, of the DVM Class of 2023, on a research project titled, “Insights into the Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence in Salmonella spp. in Snake Samples through the Genomic Approach.” Gabrielle presented her research at the annual Conference for Research Workers in Animal Diseases, an international conference, and received the Biosafety and Biosecurity Award from the Animal Health Institute and Joseph J. Garbarino Foundation for her presentation. “We thank Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health (BIAH) for sponsoring this award,” said Dr. Harm HogenEsch, PVM associate dean for research. “BIAH has been a longtime sponsor of the Purdue Veterinary Research Scholars Summer Program.”