PVM Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Receives AAVMC Presidential Award

March 13, 2020

AAVMC Presidential Award for Meritorious Service recipients join together for a group photo
Dr. Kathy Salisbury (2nd from right), PVM associate dean for academic affairs, was honored at the 2020 AAVMC Annual Conference as one of several recipients of the AAVMC Presidential Award for Meritorious Service.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s own Dr. Kathy Salisbury, associate dean for academic affairs, was honored as a recipient of the Association of American Veterinary Medical College’s (AAVMC) Presidential Award for Meritorious Service at the organization’s 2020 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.  The award is presented periodically by the AAVMC to recognize distinguished service and professional achievement. Several individuals who have made special contributions to the AAVMC received the award during a conference session held on Friday, March 6.

Dr. Salisbury was one of 12 members of the Competency Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) Working Group to receive the award.  The CBVE has developed a framework that is currently serving as a model of instructional excellence in veterinary medical colleges and schools across the country and around the world. The award was presented to each member of the CBVE Group in recognition of the historic work they have accomplished in the field of academic veterinary medicine.

Karen and Darcy stand holding their award plaques alongside Tony and Martin on the stage at AAVMC
Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumna Karen Cornell (far left) and Professor Emeritus Darcy Shaw, of the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island (2nd from left), who each received the AAVMC Presidential Award for Meritorious Service as co-directors of the AAVMC Leadership Academy, are pictured with Dr. Tony Rumschlag (PU DVM ’85), representing Leadership Academy sponsor Elanco, and AAVMC President Martin Lairmore.

In addition to her role as associate dean for academic affairs, Dr. Salisbury is a professor of small animal surgery and in 2018 was named as a Purdue University 150th Anniversary Professor in conjunction with the University’s Sesquicentennial.  Dr. Salisbury earned her DVM degree at Michigan State University and completed her specialty training as a surgery resident at Purdue before joining the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences faculty.  In 2010, she was appointed to the position of associate dean for academic affairs after serving five years as assistant dean.

Joining Dr. Salisbury as an AAVMC Presidential Award for Meritorious Service recipient at the 2020 AAVMC Conference was another veterinary medical specialist with Purdue University ties.  Dr. Karen Cornell (PU DVM ’88, PhD ‘93) received the award for her work as a co-director of the AAVMC Leadership Academy, which offers a unique growth opportunity for emerging leaders in academic veterinary medicine. After earning her DVM degree at Purdue, Dr. Cornell worked in private practice for two years before returning to the College to complete an internship and small animal surgery residency and earn her PhD. Since 2016, Dr. Cornell has served on the faculty of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, where she is currently associate dean for professional programs and the Earline and A.P. Wiley Endowed Veterinary Chair. Dr. Cornell returned to her alma mater last year to serve as keynote speaker for PVM’s 60th Anniversary Kick-Off Celebration, which was held March 1, 2019.

Writer(s): Maya Sanaba, PVM Communications Intern, and Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

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

The Wellness Committee would like to extend a heartfelt Paws Up to Laurie Marsh, who is a supervisor for the Emergency Critical Care & Small Animal Reception team.

Purdue VBMA Club Hosts Picture-perfect Activity

When veterinary students in the Purdue Chapter of the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) were looking for a new event to host as a student organization, an intriguing idea came to mind that was easy to “picture” as a perfect success!  So the club set out to plan the activity in order to meet an important need of the club members while also providing a fun chance for the students to get keepsake images of their furry study buddies.

PVM Faculty Legends Honored at 25th Annual Healing Oasis Wellness Center Conference 

The theme “Knowledge – Like a Precious Metal, is PRICELESS,” proved especially appropriate for the 25th anniversary of the annual Healing Oasis Wellness Center Conference spearheaded by a Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumnus, Dr. Pedro Rivera.  That’s because the conference, held at the end of 2025 at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois, gave special recognition to legendary Purdue Veterinary Medicine educators Kathy Salisbury and Ron Hullinger.

How the Brain Recognizes What It’s Seen Before and Why It Matters for Autism Research

When you walk into a familiar place — your kitchen, a classroom, or your neighborhood — your brain instantly starts matching what you see with memories of past experiences. A new study from Purdue University reveals a key piece of how that recognition process works, and why it may be disrupted in conditions such as Fragile X syndrome, a leading inherited cause of autism.

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

Today we are recognizing Chloe Morris, RVT, who is a veterinary technologist in Anesthesiology in the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital.

Partnership to make Purdue Veterinary Nursing Distance Learning program available to employees at more than 1,000 general practice veterinary hospitals

Already Purdue’s largest online program, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Nursing Distance Learning program is partnering with National Veterinary Associates General Practice to offer the VNDL program to technicians at NVA’s more than 1,000 general practice veterinary hospitals.

PVM Distinguished Professor Suresh Mittal to Speak at Purdue’s Westwood Lecture Series

The Westwood Lecture Series is part of Purdue President Mung Chiang’s efforts aimed at enhancing the intellectual vibrancy of the Purdue West Lafayette campus, and the next featured speaker is Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Professor of Virology, Dr. Suresh Mittal. His presentation entitled, “Universal Influenza Vaccine — An Aspiration or Reality?” is scheduled for January 28, and registration for the lecture is now open.

PVM Concludes 2024 with Recognition of Service Anniversaries and Award-winning Staff

As 2024 came to a close at Purdue University, the College of Veterinary Medicine continued a long-standing tradition of celebrating staff service anniversaries and recognizing staff and faculty accomplishments at the Staff Service Recognition Ceremony. Held in Lynn 1136 on Wednesday, December 18, the ceremony honored more than 70 PVM personnel.