The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) recognized two Purdue Veterinary Medicine graduate students, Dr. Kristen Hill-Thimmesch and Dr. Daniela Peña, at its annual meeting last month. Both are residents in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology and the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Peña, a microbiology resident who received the Brenda Love Best Student Bacteriology Poster Award for her diagnostic microbiology research on Salmonella, was featured in last week’s Vet Gazette. This week, we are spotlighting Dr. Hill-Thimmesch, who received the second place award as part of the 2021 Diagnostic Pathology Slide Seminar for her presentation titled, “Multiple Viral Agents in Racing Pigeons.” An award of up to $300 was given to the three residents delivering the best diagnostic slide seminar presentation.
Meet Dr. Kristen Hill-Thimmesch
Dr. Kristen Hill-Thimmesch joined the Department of Comparative Pathobiology in September 2017 as a poultry diagnostic medicine resident. Her residency was under the mentorship of Dr. Pat Wakenell, who is now professor emerita, Dr. Tsang-Long Lin, professor of veterinary pathology and head of the ADDL Avian and Aquatic Section, and Dr. Geoff Lossie, clinical assistant professor of pathology and avian diagnostician.
Upon completing her poultry residency, she was accepted as an anatomic pathology resident at Purdue and is following a program prescribed by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) that includes diagnostic pathology service in the ADDL, diagnostic research, and teaching assignments. Her anatomic pathology residency is under the mentorship of Dr. Abigail Cox, associate professor of veterinary anatomic pathology, Dr. Nobuko Wakamatsu-Utsuki, clinical associate professor and anatomic pathologist, and Dr. Lin.
In addition to her outstanding accomplishment at the AALVD Conference, Dr. Hill-Thimmesch also has passed the American College of Poultry Veterinarians (ACPV) certification exam and is now approved for diplomate status in the ACPV. Additionally, she has passed Phase I of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists exam and plans to take Phase II in August 2022. Before beginning her residencies, Dr. Hill-Thimmesch visited Purdue University as part of her fourth year clinical rotation as a poultry extern. She earned her DVM degree from Iowa State University with a focus on poultry health and medicine. Her career goal is to become a diplomate of both the ACPV and the ACVP and work in an animal disease diagnostic laboratory.
