During 2024, the College of Veterinary Medicine had the honor of recognizing two faculty members who were appointed to named professorships. The positions were established through generous gifts from alumni and friends.
Named Professorship in Comparative Oncology
The Purdue University Board of Trustees ratified the appointment of Dr. Michael Childress, a faculty member in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, as the Evan and Sue Ann Werling Professor of Comparative Oncology at its meeting June 7. Dr. Childress has served on the College of Veterinary Medicine faculty since 2009. His research focuses on developing new therapies and identifying novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers for canine lymphomas.
Dr. Childress is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and is a member of the Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society, American Veterinary Medical Association, Veterinary Cancer Society, Purdue Institute for Cancer Research and Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.
A 2004 DVM graduate of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Childress completed a rotating internship at Kansas State University and an oncology internship at the University of Georgia before coming to Purdue University for a three-year residency in comparative oncology. He completed the program and earned his MS degree in 2009. His honors and awards include the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Excellence in Service Award, Purdue Veterinary Medicine Excellence in Research Award and the Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department Award for Excellence in Resident Mentoring.
The Evan and Sue Ann Werling Professorship of Comparative Oncology was established in conjunction with a $10 million gift from the Werlings, an Indiana couple with a passion for improving the lives of animals and people. They connected with the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 when their dog Brandi was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Their gift also created the Evan and Sue Ann Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center to advance cancer research benefiting pets and humans and supported an endowment to provide funding for promising cancer research and clinical trials. Evan, a CPA and international entrepreneur with a love for career mentoring, passed away in 2023.
Named Comparative Pathology Professorship
A faculty member in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology (CPB) now holds a professorship named for an accomplished veterinary pathologist and Purdue alumnus. Associate Professor Abigail Cox was appointed to the Dr. William O. Iverson Professorship in Comparative Pathology effective July 1, and she was formally recognized August 15 during the annual CPB Departmental retreat held at the Beck Agricultural Center.
PVM Dean Emeritus Willie Reed honored Dr. Cox during the event by presenting her with a commemorative plaque that included an inscription, which read, “…in recognition of her exceptional achievements in biomedical research, unwavering dedication to teaching, and steadfast support of graduate student mentoring.”
Dr. Cox earned her undergraduate degree in biology at Washington University in St. Louis before coming to Purdue University where she earned her DVM degree in 2008. She then completed a residency in anatomic pathology and earned her Master of Science degree in 2011. She went on to pursue graduate study, receiving her PhD at Purdue in 2016. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, Dr. Cox also serves as director of the college’s Histology Research Laboratory, and is the head of the Pathology Section of the Comparative Pathobiology Department. Her research interests include evaluating medical device biocompatibility as well as developing quantitative analyses of a variety of histologic preparations. In particular, she has an interest in developing comparative animal models that investigate the biology and biomechanics of the larynx.
Dr. Cox also teaches general pathology in the veterinary curriculum and has a special interest in stimulating curiosity about veterinary pathology in young scientists and enjoys highlighting the impact veterinary pathology has on biomedical engineering, drug development, veterinary diagnostics, and overall disease research.
The professorship’s namesake, Dr. William (Bill) Iverson, earned his Purdue DVM degree in 1974 and went on to a long and successful career in veterinary pathology. “We did a national search to find someone who would fit the criteria for this named professorship,” Dr. Reed explained as he recognized Dr. Cox. “And we looked around and found that the person was already here on the faculty. So I wanted to acknowledge Dr. Cox for all the work she has done.” Dr. Reed then told Dr. Cox, “What Dr. Iverson wanted is a pathologist who would be a Principal Investigator – a pathologist who would serve as major professor for graduate students and would train more pathologists, and you fit that bill. And so I am very pleased that you were awarded this professorship.”
