Surgical Equipment Donation Enhances Learning for Purdue Veterinary Students

February 16, 2018

Purdue veterinary student Mandy Haq, of the DVM Class of 2019, uses an electrosurgical unit recently donated by Logansport Memorial Hospital, as she is helped by Dr. Kenneth Brand, a surgery resident, during the Junior Surgery lab.
Purdue veterinary student Mandy Haq, of the DVM Class of 2019, uses an electrosurgical unit recently donated by Logansport Memorial Hospital, as she is helped by Dr. Kenneth Brand, a surgery resident, during the Junior Surgery Lab.

Thanks to a connection between Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) and an orthopedic surgeon at Logansport Memorial Hospital in Logansport, Ind., third-year Purdue veterinary students now have more opportunities to learn first-hand about using electrosurgical equipment in surgery. The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine recently took possession of several electrosurgical units that were donated by the Logansport Memorial Hospital.

The story dates back to January 2017, when Dr. James Davis brought his dog Storm, a sweet 12-year-old Labrador Retriever, to the VTH for treatment of laryngeal paralysis. That’s when he met Dr. Sarah Malek, PVM assistant professor of small animal surgery. Dr. Malek performed the surgical procedure to correct the problem and Storm recovered successfully. During the course of the treatment and the visits to the VTH, Dr. Davis became interested in the correlation between veterinary orthopedic surgery and the work he does as a human orthopedic surgeon at Logansport Memorial Hospital.

Third-year Purdue veterinary students work under the guidance of faculty and residents in the Junior Surgery lab, performing neuter surgeries needed to make shelter animals more adoptable.
Third-year Purdue veterinary students work under the guidance of faculty and residents in the Junior Surgery Lab, performing neuter surgeries needed to make shelter animals more adoptable.

Dr. Malek said over time, the connection between Dr. Davis and the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine has grown, given Dr. Davis’ interest and experience in training surgery residents in the past. “As both an orthopedic surgeon and a true animal lover, Dr. Davis has a genuine interest in our college’s educational programs,” said Dr. Malek. “He and I are currently working on creating learning opportunities for our surgery residents to be able to observe orthopedic surgeries in a human hospital setting in conjunction with their training at Purdue in small animal orthopedic surgery.”

Dr. Davis’ interest in the College’s teaching programs also recently resulted in donation of a large batch of bandaging and casting materials that will be used for the third-year veterinary students to learn and practice bandaging and casting skills in the small animal surgery laboratories. In addition, he made possible another contribution to the College when he offered the donation of electrosurgical units that were in excellent condition, but no longer needed at Logansport Memorial. “The Logansport hospital was replacing the units with new models, and that’s when Dr. Davis asked if I would have any use for the units in our labs,” Dr. Malek explained. “I had mentioned during our past conversations how we are always looking for a way to complete our collection of electrosurgical units in the surgery laboratories where our students can get hands-on experience using this technology.”

These six ConMed Sabre 2400 Electrosurgical Units were donated to the College of Veterinary Medicine for use in the small animal surgery laboratories through the efforts of Dr. James Davis at Logansport Memorial Hospital. The hospital was replacing the units with brand new equipment.
These six ConMed Sabre 2400 Electrosurgical Units were donated to the College of Veterinary Medicine for use in the small animal surgery laboratories through the efforts of Dr. James Davis at Logansport Memorial Hospital. The hospital was replacing the units with brand new equipment.

Thanks to Dr. Davis facilitating the transportation in early January, a total of six units were delivered and are now operational in the Junior Surgery Lab. Dr. Malek said the lab already had a number of electrosurgical units, but more were needed to meet the demand, given the number of student groups that operate during the labs, and in the past cost had been a limiting factor in trying to add more units. The newly donated units are compatible with the hand pieces already being used at Purdue, and are currently being utilized in the Junior Surgery Lab as the students perform spay and neuter surgeries free of charge for shelter dogs and cats that need the procedures in order to be successfully put up for adoption.

“Electrosurgery is an essential part of cutting tissue, controlling and preventing bleeding during procedures in both human and animal surgeries,” Dr. Malek explained. “It’s important for our students to have exposure to this equipment as over time the technology and equipment have become very user-friendly, safe for patients and cost effective for even non-referral practices. By having more opportunities to become familiar and experienced with this tool, our students will be better-prepared to enter veterinary practice.”

Dr. Malek also said that in the VTH, students participating in clinical rotations have only limited opportunities to use the electrosurgical units on their own. “We so appreciate Dr. Davis’ thoughtfulness and generosity in making this donation possible and furthering the learning opportunities for our students at Purdue.”

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

Recent Stories

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Honors PVM Clinician Paulo Gomes as a Top Co-Author

Dr. Paulo Gomes, clinical associate professor of dermatology in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, recently was recognized for co-authoring one of the most widely read articles of 2025 in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. The publication is an online, open access, international, peer-reviewed journal.

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week a big Paws Up goes to Gabriel Harris, who is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences.

More Time Together

From the moment Brian met Blackie as a playful puppy at a rescue, their bond was undeniable. Over the years, Blackie became more than a pet. That is why, when Brian found Blackie unresponsive in his yard one evening, he refused to give up. Brian drove Blackie an hour and a half to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital’s Emergency and Critical Care team.

USDA Funding Fuels Purdue Veterinary Medicine Research Seeking Answers to Costly Cattle Production Mystery

A four-year, $650,000 New Investigator Award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) will support research led by Dr. Viju V. Pillai, a faculty member in Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology and pathologist at the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL), aimed at solving a persistent and costly mystery in cattle production.  Dr. Pillai’s team wants to answer the question of why so many pregnancies fail before they are even recognized? The project will focus on the earliest stages of fetal–maternal communication and on a little-understood family of proteins called trophoblast Kunitz domain proteins (TKDPs), whose functions in pregnancy remain largely unknown.

In Memory: Dr. Ronald P. Miller (PU DVM ’63)

The Purdue Veterinary Medicine community is saddened by the passing of Dr. Ronald P. Miller, of Indianapolis, a member of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s first graduating class, the Class of 1963.  Dr. Miller died February 17, 2026, at the age of 89.

In Memory – Dr. Julie Anderson (PU DVM ’78)

A Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumna and beloved veterinarian, Dr Julie Anderson, of Rockville, Indiana, will be remembered at a celebration of life open house to be hosted in her honor by West Central Veterinary Services Sunday, April 27. Dr. Anderson, a member of the Purdue DVM Class of 1978, passed away in December at the age of 71.

Popular Veterinary Nursing Symposium Features Day of Learning and Networking

Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s annual Veterinary Nursing Symposium brought more than 150 veterinary professionals to Lynn Hall recently to gain practical knowledge and insights about a diverse range of topics covering both small and large animals. Veterinary nurses (technicians and technologists), veterinary assistants and veterinary nursing (technology) students participated in the all day lifelong learning program Sunday, March 23. The attendees came from across Indiana as well as Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Today we are highlighting Dr. Heather Bornheim, who is a farm animal medicine and surgery clinician in the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital.

CPB’s Aryal Lab Members Recognized at 140th Annual Indiana Academy of Science Meeting

Two members of Research Associate Professor Uma Aryal’s lab in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology recently received noteworthy recognition during the 140th Indiana Academy of Science conference hosted in Indianapolis. According to the Indiana Academy of Science, since 1885, its annual conferences have served as the only multidisciplinary scientific meetings that take place in the state. The event on March 22 attracted hundreds of senior and junior scientists from Indiana and across the Midwest.