PVM Alumnus Honored with American Association of Avian Pathologists Award

June 30, 2023

Dean Reed and Dr. Becerra stand together smiling in front of the stage as Dr. Becerra holds up his award plaque — PVM Dean Willie Reed with the Reed Rumsey Award recipient, Dr. Roel Becerra (PU DVM 2022)

Dr. Roel Becerra, of the Purdue DVM Class of 2022, has received the Reed Rumsey Award for Advancement of Avian Medicine from the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP). The award, which recognizes outstanding veterinary students, graduate students, or residents or interns involved in basic and/or clinical research, was presented June 13 during the annual AAAP meeting in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dr. Becerra currently is a PhD student at the University of Georgia studying poultry diseases. As part of the AAAP meeting, Dr. Becerra gave a presentation on his basic research, entitled, “Protection Efficacy of Recombinant HVT-ND-ILT and the Live Attenuated Tissue Culture Origin (TCO) Vaccines Against Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILTV) when Administered Individually or in Combination.”

The Reed Rumsey Award is named in memory of a highly respected scholar who held leadership roles in the AAAP in the late 1970s and bequeathed $25,000 to the association for the establishment of a student award program for the advancement of avian medicine. The AAAP annually selects outstanding students to receive the award.

Click here for more information about the Reed Rumsey Award.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | 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.