New Cohort Begins Yearlong Advanced Clinical Training

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The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine welcomed a new class of interns to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital in June. Ten veterinarians are beginning rotating small animal medicine and surgery internships, while two more will rotate in large animal medicine and surgery, and three additional veterinarians are beginning specialty internships focused in a specific service.

The clinical internship program is designed to provide advanced training to qualify each doctor for an approved residency program leading to board certification in a recognized veterinary specialty. The new cohort began Wednesday, June 15, with the doctors undergoing an intensive two-week orientation before beginning work in the clinics this week.

Also beginning this month is Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s new Wasson Veterinary Pharmacy Resident, Elizabeth Carman, PharmD. This year-long residency in veterinary clinical pharmacy practice, named in honor of the donors who contributed significant funding to support the position, is offered by the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Pharmacy.

Please help extend a warm welcome to these newest members of the Purdue Veterinary Medicine team!

Large Animal Medicine and Surgery Interns

• Dr. Emily Hess – DVM, Purdue University (PU DVM 2022)
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Hess’ interests include neurology, neonatology, and endocrinology. Her long-term goal is to remain in academia to teach veterinary students, conduct research, and see clinical cases.
• Dr. Claire Read – DVM, Cornell University
  Interesting Fact: Upon graduating veterinary school, Dr. Read completed a year-long equine surgery and Medicine internship at Vermont Large Animal Clinic Equine Hospital in Milton, Vermont followed by a large animal surgery and sports medicine internship at Tufts University. Her professional interests include orthopedic surgery, regenerative medicine, lameness, and sports medicine.

Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Interns

• Dr. Joshua Burnette – DVM, Mississippi State University
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Burnette’s research interests are primarily focused on evaluating bacterial-host cell adhesion mechanisms in multi-drug resistant biofilm infections and the treatments available for these infections in both the veterinary and human patient.
• Dr. Samuel Chien – DVM, National Taiwan University
  Interesting Fact: After working as a general practitioner for a year in Taiwan,  Dr. Chien started his career journey in the United States, fulfilling the requirement of the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) at the University of Missouri.
• Dr. Kelly Hewitt – DVM, Iowa State University
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Hewitt has had a wide range of interests from swine virology and poultry medicine to anesthesia, behavior, and small animal nutrition.
• Dr. William Hillier – DVM, University of Georgia
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Hillier grew up shadowing his mother, who is a veterinarian, and knew from a very young age that he wanted to become a veterinarian, too. His main career interest is in small animal emergency and critical care.
• Dr. Kate Korchek – DVM, Texas A&M University
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Korchek’s favorite part of veterinary medicine is being able to foster the special bond between humans and animals. Her professional interests primarily involve orthopedic and soft-tissue surgery and she hopes to one day focus on surgical procedures and developments in promoting bone and tissue healing.
• Dr. Sarena Krojanker – DVM, University of Missouri-Columbia
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Krojanker has been fostering rescue cats and dogs throughout veterinary school and hopes to continue to do so in West Lafayette. Her special interests include internal medicine, nephrology/urology, and extracorporeal therapies.
• Dr. Leann Shaw – MS, Lincoln Memorial University; DVM, University of Tennessee
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Shaw’s experience in both small animal general practice and at a specialty referral led to her passion for neurology and orthopedic surgery. Specifically, she enjoys learning about seizure management, IVDD, fracture repair options, and cranial cruciate repair procedures.
• Dr. Anushri Srinath – DVM, Karnataka Veterinary Sciences University
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Srinath worked in private practice for two years before completing the PAVE clinical training at the University of Missouri to obtain licensure in the U.S. She enjoys small animal neurology and neurosurgery.
• Dr. Ryan Swanson – DVM, Kansas State University
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Swanson is interested in small animal oncology and plans on applying for an oncology residency following his internship with the future goal of working in academia to perform clinical trials with novel cancer therapies and leave his print on veterinary oncology. 
• Dr. Grace Wei-Qi Woo – DVM, University of California, Davis
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Woo was born and raised in San Jose, California, where she worked primarily with small animals and exotics. Her current interests include neurology and oncology.

Cardiology Specialty Intern

• Dr. Kiersten Forsyth – DVM, Oregon State University
  Interesting Fact: After graduation, Dr. Forsyth completed a one-year internship at Seattle Veterinary Specialists, a cardiology internship at Southwest Florida Veterinary Specialists, and a clinical trials research fellowship at Texas A&M with the Dog Aging Project in addition to gaining experience working as an emergency veterinarian in Portland, Oregon.

Small Animal Internal Medicine and Neurology Specialty Intern

• Dr. Joshuah Klutzke – DVM, Kansas State University
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Klutzke completed his rotating small animal medicine and surgery internship at Purdue this year and will be continuing on with a specialty internship in his interest area of internal medicine.

Small Animal Surgery Specialty Intern

• Dr. Makensie Anderson – DVM, Oregon State University
  Interesting Fact: After completing veterinary school, Dr. Anderson was commissioned into the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and brings experience with companion animals, military working dogs and horses, deployment and emergency medicine, and tactical operations.

Wasson Veterinary Pharmacy Resident

• Dr. Elizabeth Carman | PharmD, Medical University of South Carolina
  Interesting Fact: Dr. Carman decided to pursue veterinary pharmacy to combine her two passions of animals and pharmacy based on her experience volunteering at the aquarium in Charleston, South Carolina.

Writer(s): Allison Gardner | pvmnews@purdue.edu