Purdue Veterinary Medicine Graduate Inducted into National Academies of Practice

man wearing a suit jacket, glasses and a tie

A member of Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s DVM Class of 2009, Dr. Miguel Ortiz is one of ten veterinarians recently inducted into the National Academies of Practice (NAP) as professional members and veterinary fellows. The Class of 2026 inductees include veterinary faculty, entrepreneurs, and the current AVMA president.

According to an article published April 1 by the AVMA, Dr. Ortiz is among six veterinarians added as new professional members of the NAP in the veterinary medicine category. Dr. Ortiz is the founder and medical director of Pittsburgh Animal Wellness, which provides veterinary consultation, education, and clinical relief services throughout western Pennsylvania.

Born and raised in Guatemala, Dr. Ortiz moved to the U.S. where he earned his undergraduate degree at Purdue University in Animal Sciences before enrolling in the College of Veterinary Medicine and earning his DVM degree. He also holds a master’s in international development from the University of Pennsylvania.

A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Dr. Ortiz has served as a primary care veterinary clinician at various veterinary practices, animal shelters, and telehealth consultation services. In 2024, he was elected to the board of directors of the Western Veterinary Conference, now Viticus Group. He also formerly served as secretary-treasurer of the Multicultural VMA.

The NAP is an interdisciplinary organization of health care professions established in 1981. Today it represents ten interdisciplinary academies including medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy and nursing. In addition to the veterinarians added as new professional members, four veterinarians were inducted as fellows of the Veterinary Medicine Academy during the organization’s annual meeting March 12-14 in Indianapolis.

The complete AVMA news story is available here.

Writer(s): PVM News | 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.