Congratulations are in order for Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumni and faculty who are American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Diplomates and have been honored as 2026 ACVIM Recognition Award Recipients. Each year, the ACVIM Recognition Awards give the specialty college an opportunity to honor outstanding specialists who have pushed boundaries, elevated standards, and inspired generations of veterinary specialists. This year’s honorees include the following diplomates who serve or have served on the faculty and/or as residents at Purdue:
- Dr. Christopher Fulkerson, interim associate dean of hospital operations and clinical associate professor of veterinary medical oncology, received The William R. Fenner Early Career Award for Outstanding Service. This award, named in honor of Dr. William Fenner’s outstanding and dedicated service, is presented to a diplomate exemplifying exceptional service in the ACVIM and/or their specialty in a volunteer capacity within the first 15 years following board-certification.
Dr. Fulkerson earned his Purdue DVM degree in 2010 and then completed a small animal internship at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Afterward, he returned to Purdue, completing an Oncology Residency in 2014 before joining the Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty as clinical assistant professor of veterinary medical oncology in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. In 2015, he became board certified by the ACVIM in the Specialty of Oncology. He was promoted to clinical associate professor in 2021 and the following year was appointed as the head of the Medical Oncology Section. He was named as interim associate dean for hospital operations by Dean Bret Marsh in September of 2025 and received a promotion to full clinical professor this year, effective July 1.
With 23 peer reviewed publications, Dr. Fulkerson has made significant contributions to the discovery mission of the Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center (WCORC) as a collaborator and a lead investigator. Additionally, he is a member of the Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research and has presented his research at ACVIM and Veterinary Cancer Society meetings. He also serves as the oncology representative on the ACVIM Certification Council.
- Dr. Janice Kritchevsky, professor emerita, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, received the Specialty Lifetime Achievement Award for Large Animal Internal Medicine. The award recognizes prominent leaders by specialty and celebrates those who have made significant contributions in cardiology, large animal internal medicine, neurology, nutrition, oncology, or small animal internal medicine. The award was presented to Dr. Kritchevsky by Dr. Sandra Taylor, Purdue professor of large animal internal medicine, in her role as president of the Large Animal Internal Medicine Specialty.
Dr. Kritchevsky retired as professor of large animal internal medicine in the Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department in 2024. She earned her VMD degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine before coming to Purdue to complete a clinical residency in large animal medicine. After joining the Purdue faculty, she served as a member of the large animal medicine section and Chief of Staff of the Large Animal Hospital, which was replaced by the new Brunner Equine and Farm Animal Hospitals. As a diplomate of the ACVIM, Dr. Kritchevsky treated all large animal species. Her research interests included equine endocrine disease, with a particular interest in thyroid and pituitary disorders. Dr. Kritchevsky also developed and led the PetSafe program, a community service that was designed to meet the short-term housing needs of pets as a result of emergencies.
- Dr. Ruthanne Chun, who completed her Purdue Residency in Oncology between 1992 and 1995, received the Specialty Lifetime Achievement Award for Oncology. Dr. Chun now serves as clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, where she also was the associate dean for clinical affairs and hospital director for ten years.
The ACVIM Recognition Award recipients were announced earlier this month in conjunction with the 2026 ACVIM Forum, which was held in Seattle June 11-13. The award recipients are selected by a rotating committee of ACVIM Diplomates annually based on peer nominations and the honorees’ outstanding contributions to the field.
Congratulations to all of the 2026 ACVIM Recognition Award Recipients. A full listing can be found here.
