Skip to main content

PVM Clinical Pathologist Elected to Viticus Group (WVC) Board of Directors

portrait of man wearing a dark suit jacket, a black shirt, and a pink and black striped tie

Dr. Craig Thompson, clinical associate professor of clinical pathology in Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology, now is a member of the Board of Directors of Viticus Group – formerly WVC. Dr. Thompson was elected to the board when votes were cast in the board election held in conjunction with the 2026 WVC Annual Conference (formally known as the Western Veterinary Conference) earlier this month in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For Dr. Thompson, a board certified clinical pathologist, serving on the Viticus Group Board of Directors represents a logical next step in his career as a veterinary educator.  A 1998 DVM graduate of Oklahoma State University, Dr. Thompson went on to complete a small animal rotating internship at the University of Tennessee, followed by a clinical pathology residency at Texas A&M University. He joined the Purdue faculty in 2003, and focuses on teaching and collaborating with veterinary technician students, DVM students, interns, residents, and fellow board-certified specialists on the faculty. His professional interests include diagnostic clinical pathology, histology and electron microscopy.

Since 2005, Dr. Thompson also has served as a continuing education speaker, addressing audiences ranging from small groups of people in private practice to international conferences with hundreds of attendees in multiple countries on three continents.  Dr. Thompson’s first speaking experience at WVC in Las Vegas was in 2017. Since then, he’s returned to WVC as a speaker on five different occasions. 

“Being elected to the Board of Directors for the Viticus Group will be an excellent opportunity to continue my commitment to education,” Dr. Thompson said. “I continue to have a strong passion for continuing education, and as a new board member I hope to utilize my experience as an educator and speaker to help shape the cutting edge of veterinary continuing education and positively impact thousands of veterinary professionals and their patients.” 

Dr. Thompson also emphasized that this summer, Viticus Group will expand its reach to Nashville, Tennessee, where it will launch an additional veterinary CE conference, WVC Nashville, and open new education centers, mirroring its Las Vegas service lines and offerings. “I’m excited to join the board at this momentous time, and look forward to influencing the success of these plans and their positive impact on the veterinary profession.”

Dr. Thompson will serve a five year term on the board and joins a fellow Purdue alumnus, Dr. Adam Miller of the DVM Class of 2007, who was elected as a director in 2024.  Together, they are following in the footsteps of other Purdue alumni who previously served on the board including Dr. Miguel Ortiz (PU DVM 2009), and two former presidents of the WVC – Dr. Debbie White (PU DVM 1994) and Dr. W. Mark Hilton (PU DVM 1983).  Dr. Hilton, Purdue professor emeritus of veterinary clinical sciences, also currently serves as the Viticus Group Food Animal Education Manager. 

Congratulations Dr. Craig Thompson on being elected as a new Viticus Group board member!

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.