Summer Break Signals Start of Summer Research for Purdue Veterinary Scholars

Purdue veterinary summer research scholars and their faculty mentors, along with a couple of canine companions, gathered for a group photo at the site of their welcome picnic in West Lafayette’s Happy Hollow Park May 29.

A feast of classic Indiana picnic food marked the traditional kick-off for the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program. The annual program provides an opportunity for Purdue veterinary students as well as undergraduate students from Purdue and other universities to experience what it is like to conduct clinical and basic science research as they work with a faculty mentor to carry out a summer research project.

A welcome picnic for the program participants was held May 29 at Happy Hollow Park in West Lafayette. The students and faculty mentors enjoyed the opportunity to relax, visit and savor traditional Indiana picnic fare including pork barbecue, chicken and macaroni and cheese.

This year a total of ten Purdue veterinary students are participating in the program along with one international veterinary student from France and eight undergraduate students, five of whom are Purdue students. The other three undergraduate students are from Wabash College, Fort Valley State University and Liberty University. The veterinary and undergraduate students are being mentored by 19 faculty members from the Departments of Basic Medical Sciences (BMS), Comparative Pathobiology (CPB), and Veterinary Clinical Sciences (VCS).

The 11-week Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program, which began May 27 and runs through August 5, includes weekly seminars on a variety of topics and extracurricular activities, such as a visit to a local pharmaceutical company and a meeting with University of Illinois veterinary scholars. For the DVM students, the program will conclude with a trip to the Boehringer Ingelheim National Veterinary Scholars Symposium, which will be held August 7-9 in Spokane, Washington.

The 2025 Purdue Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program is co-directed by Dr. Eli Asem, Professor of Physiology in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, and Dr. Susan Mendrysa, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs and Interim Head of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences. This year’s program participants are:

DVM Students

Levi Barnes, Class of 2028
Grace Bronnenberg, Class of 2028
Jaeguk (Jay) Byun, Class of 2027
Fionna Freeman, Class of 2028
Emily Godollei-Jacob, Class of 2028
Will Kendall, Class of 2028
Grace Palmer, Class of 2028
Nasir Roberts, Class of 2028
Caitlin Wager, Class of 2027
Elisabeth Wolf, Class of 2028

International Veterinary Student

Lucie Ganachaud, VetAgro, Sup, France

Undergraduate Students

Haley Harmeson, Purdue University
Lucas Hendershot, Purdue University
Oliver Johnson, Purdue University
NaLaya Lee, Fort Valley State University
Sarah Nelson, Liberty University
Emily Rastovski, Purdue University
Brayden Spurlock, Wabash College
McKinley Underhill, Purdue University

Mentors

François-René Bertin, Associate Professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine, VCS
Wendy Beauvais, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, CPB
Meaghan Broman, Assistant Professor of Diagnostic Pathology, CPB
Sriveny Dangoudoubiyam, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, CPB; Parasitology Section Head, ADDL
Amanda Darbyshire, Assistant Director of Clinical Medicine, Office of the Executive Vice President for Research; Clinical Assistant Professor, CPB
Kari Ekenstedt, Associate Professor of Anatomy and Genetics, BMS
Marxa Figueiredo, Associate Professor of Basic Medical Sciences (BMS)
Christopher Fulkerson, Clinical Associate Professor of Veterinary Medical Oncology, VCS; Section Head, Medical Oncology
Sun Young Kim, Associate Professor of Small Animal Surgery, VCS
Leanne Nieforth, Assistant Professor, Human-Animal Bond, CPB
Shinae Park, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, VCS
Christopher Rice, Assistant Professor of Parasitology, CPB; Section Head, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics
Andrea Pires dos Santos, Associate Professor of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, CPB; Director, Cytology Resource Center; Section Head, Clinical Pathology
Rachel Soltys, Clinical Assistant Professor, CPB; Bacteriology Section Head, ADDL
Sandra Taylor, Professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine, VCS; Chief of Staff, Equine and Farm Animal Hospitals
Michelle Tucker, Assistant Professor of Large Animal Surgery, VCS
William Whitehouse, Assistant Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine, VCS
Ranjie Xu, Assistant Professor of Basic Medical Sciences, BMS

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

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