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Message from Dean Markel Welcome to the UW School of Veterinary Medicine’s alumni e-newsletter! Periodically, I’ll keep in touch to let you know what’s happening at your alma mater. In this issue: What’s New at the School? Alumni Updates In Memoriam News You Can Use Faculty & Staff News Awards & Honors UW Veterinary Care Updates Clinical Trials Continuing Education Opportunities In addition, I’d like to remind you that I send a monthly message to all SVM students, faculty, and staff to keep them apprised of happenings in the school and at the hospital. If you’d like to know what’s going on in a little greater detail, I encourage you to view my November message.  WHAT’S NEW AT THE SCHOOL?Professional SVM Clothing Available for Order from VBMA If you’re looking to spice up your everyday work uniform while showing off your alma mater, the student chapter of the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) has the solution for you. VBMA has partnered with Ad Madison, a local promotional products company, to offer alumni options for purchasing official UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine professional clothing. All items, which include woven shirts, polos and knits, workwear, and bags, can be ordered online. Contact vbma@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu with questions.  This holiday season, consider giving those animal lovers on your list a gift that really benefits animals. For a suggested donation of $10 per card, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine will send a holiday greeting card to the recipient of your choice, including a message stating that a donation has been made in their name. A limited-edition poster that’s been signed and numbered by the artist is also available. All proceeds will benefit projects that improve animal health. Artwork for this year’s card and poster was donated by Marcia Sparks, an artist who lives in Columbia County. To order, visit the SVM’s holiday card web page. Share the Wonderful Campaign Coming to a Close
Although the university’s Share the Wonderful campaign has officially ended, the UW Foundation will continue to focus effort on gathering donations for the campus and for school/college annual funds through the end of the year. If you would like to support your alma mater, there is still plenty of time to make a gift before the end of the calendar year. You can learn more and donate at www.sharethewonderful.org. Please note that if you would like your gift to go to the SVM, you will need to specifically select the School of Veterinary Medicine Annual Fund. Thank you for your support!  SVM Plays Big Role at World Dairy Expo
At the World Dairy Expo, held October 2–6 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Dr. Sheila McGuirk and more than 60 student volunteers once again coordinated the biosecurity check-in of 2,500 head of cattle. This 52-hour, round-the-clock endeavor represents a significant service to the expo and the dairy industry. In addition, Dr. McGuirk was honored by the expo as Industry Person of the Year. ALUMNI UPDATESUpcoming Alumni ReceptionsBe sure to mark your calendars for these alumni receptions — they’re just around the corner! American Association of Equine Practitioners: December 3, 2012 • 6 to 8 p.m. Marriott Anaheim (Grand Ballroom, Salon J), Anaheim, California North American Veterinary Conference January 20, 2013 • 7 to 9 p.m. Orlando World Center Marriott (Washington Room), Orlando, Florida Western Veterinary Conference February 18, 2013 • 7:30 to 9 p.m. Location TBD, Las Vegas, Nevada Dean Markel is hoping to see all of you at the NAVC and WVC receptions. If you are interested in attending any of the receptions, please contact Kristi Thorson at kvthorson@vetmed.wisc.edu or 608-265-9692. In MemoriamDr. Melissa De Witt-Larson (1970–2012)Dr. Melissa De Witt-Larson DVM’98 passed away on October 15, 2012, at age 42, after being diagnosed with stomach cancer in August of 2010. You can learn more about Dr. De Witt-Larson at www.melissadvm.com.  NEWS YOU CAN USEUpdated Feline Vaccine Guidelines The 2012 updated Feline Vaccine Guidelines from the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) have some new recommendations that may be of interest.
Most other feline vaccine recommendations remain the same as in previous feline guidelines. The complete 2012 updated guidelines will be posted soon on the AAFP website. If you have questions about feline or canine vaccines or vaccination programs, contact Dr. R.D. Schultz at 608-263-9888 or schultzr@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu.  FACULTY & STAFF NEWSDuncan Releases Book on New Approaches to MS Treatments A new volume co-edited by Ian Duncan, professor of neurology at the SVM, describes cutting-edge research on potential treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating disease that afflicts as many as 350,000 people in the United States and more than 10,000 in Wisconsin. In Myelin Repair and Neuroprotection in Multiple Sclerosis (Springer, 2012) — the first book to be published on the topic — Duncan, co-editor Robin Franklin, and an assemblage of other experts tread new ground, highlighting recent advances in experimental approaches that are on the cusp of being translated into clinical use for treatment of MS. Read more here. AWARDS & HONORSSVM Faculty, Former Deans Honored at WVMA The UW School of Veterinary Medicine was well represented at the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association’s annual convention, held October 11–14 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. Former SVM Dean Daryl Buss MS’74, PhD’75 received the Presidential Award for his many valuable contributions to organized veterinary medicine in Wisconsin throughout his career. Buss’s predecessor, former Dean Barney Easterday MS’58, PhD’61, was recognized for 50 consecutive years of membership in the WVMA. In addition, Chris Snyder, clinical assistant professor of veterinary dentistry and oral surgery, received the Meritorious Service Award in recognition of his efforts as an instrumental leader for the WVMA’s small animal wetlabs. More information about these awards can be found on the WVMA website. Academic Excellence
Recent findings from the Academic Analytics 2010 Database show that the Comparative Biomedical Sciences graduate program at the SVM is a top-ranked program. Both locally and on the national level, the program received top scores. Academic Analytics gathers and aggregates metrics on the research productivity of nearly 400 institutions nationally into a comparative database. For details, see the announcement on the SVM news web page. UW VETERINARY CARE UPDATESAdvanced Hemodialysis Therapy Available at UW Veterinary Care The experts at UW Veterinary Care would like to remind referring veterinarians that they are now providing a new, advanced therapy for patients with acute kidney failure. Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT), which is available only in a limited number of facilities throughout the country, is a form of hemodialysis (blood purification) that is used most often in patients with kidney injury or failure. Unlike conventional hemodialysis, which is intermittent, CRRT is used continuously until kidney function improves. This new therapy offers patients with an otherwise terminal disease a chance at recovery. For more information, contact Dr. Kelly Monaghan at kmonaghan@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu or 608-263-7600.  UW Veterinary Care and its patients are benefiting from some new imaging equipment upgrades. Thanks to generous donations, the hospital now has a wonderful, refurbished fluoroscopy unit. The small animal radiograph machine has also been replaced with a refurbished unit. Both improvements will help the hospital to provide rapid and highly detailed patient imaging and diagnostics.  Put a little hope in people’s stockings this holiday season with a bright red Hope Against Cancer wristband from UW Veterinary Care. Any animal lover will appreciate the added bonus that this gift provides: a donation to the Cancer Treatment Center. Wristbands can be purchased for $5 in the lobby of the Small Animal Hospital or by mail (postage is $4.85 for flat-rate priority mail) by contacting Laura Olson in the school’s Office for Advancement at 608-890-0203 or lmolson@vetmed.wisc.edu. CLINICAL TRIALSChronic Kidney Disease in Cats UW Veterinary Care recently began a new clinical trial for cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD), one of the most common diseases in aging cats. In human patients, it is known to be associated with oxidative stress, which correlates with reduction in kidney function and may also contribute to CKD progression. The new trial is investigating urinary F2-Isoprostanes (F2-IsoP), a specific and reliable biomarker of oxidative stress in the kidney, to assess the degree of oxidative stress in cats with CKD of varying stages. The results of this study may provide additional prognostic information in cats with CKD, and may allow for future therapeutic trials with antioxidants to slow the rate of disease progression. For more information, visit the UWVC website. To determine if a patient is eligible for this study, please contact Dr. Kelly Monaghan, Dr. Will Whitehouse, or Dr. Stephanie Wan at (608) 263-7600. You may also pose questions or schedule an appointment by sending an e-mail to saim@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu. Other Clinical Trials In addition to the CKD study, UWVC is currently enrolling patients in clinical trials in oncology, emergency services and critical care, ophthalmology, small animal internal medicine, and orthopedic surgery. For more information, visit the UWVC website. CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIESThe UW School of Veterinary Medicine Office of Continuing Education is offering several upcoming courses. For more information, check their website or call Karl Olson at (608) 263-5206 or olsonk@vetmed.wisc.edu. SVM Employment Fair and Practice Management Conference Saturday, January 12 at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine Help yourself build a thriving veterinary medical practice by attending our second annual Practice Management Conference. Members of the Health Service team at Schenck SC, a regional CPA and business consulting firm, will present best practices for enhancing profitability and ensuring the long-term success of your practice. Topics presented will include how employees make the practice, workplace fraud, and enhancing your cash flow. Registrants will have the unique opportunity to participate in the second annual Veterinary Medical Employment Fair. If you anticipate that your organization will be hiring veterinarians in 2013, please register to reserve a table at the fair. Current DVM students in their final semester of the program will be attending and eager to connect with professionals about employment opportunities. Basic Ultrasound December 1 or 2 at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine This program will offer the small animal clinician an entry-level introduction to diagnostic ultrasound, including scanning routine, basic measurements, image optimization and purchasing guidelines. Continuing Education via Distance Learning In addition to in-person continuing education courses, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine offers continuing education on a wide variety of topics through its distance learning site. If you have specific requests for information, we’d love to hear them. Just hit “Reply” and let us know what’s on your mind.
Mark D. Markel, Dean School of Veterinary Medicine University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni@vetmed.wisc.edu  Find us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter |
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