Healing Hands - College of Veterinary Medicine - Kansas State

28 Pages·2006·3.17 MB·English

K-State recruits the world’s
most comprehensive team
of beef cattle experts
Also in this issue:
Biosecurity Institute To
Provide New Capabilities
CVM Researchers Take On
Deadly Swine Outbreak
COLLEGE OF
VETERINARY MEDICINE
ADMINISTRATION
Contents Dean
Dr. Ralph Richardson
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Dr. Ronnie Elmore
4 Taking Research to the Next Level 4 Associate Dean, Research
Dr. Lisa Freeman
The university’s new Biosecurity Research
Institute allows for new research capabilites Head, Anatomy and Physiology
Dr. Frank Blecha
6 The Weight of Responsibility
Head, Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology
Students Michael and Miranda Thomassen learn Dr. M.M. Chengappa
about family life as well as veterinary medicine
Director, Veterinary Medical
Teaching Hospital
10 Teaming Up Against Dr. Roger Fingland
A Deadly Viral Disease
Interm Head, Clinical Sciences
Professors in Diagnostic Medicine & Pathobiology Dr. Bonnie Rush
investigate a porcine circovirus outbreak
Director, DiagnosticLaboratory
Dr. Gary Anderson
13 MidWest Veterinary Specialty Hospital
Director, Continuing Education
K-State opens satellite teaching hospital offering
Dr. Linda Johnson
referral specialty care to veterinarians in Nebraska
Director, Veterinary Medical Library
Prof. Gayle Willard
14 A Renewed Commitment
Healing Hands
to Agricultural Practices
is published by the Office of Development
In a bold move, the CVM recruits the country’s top
and Alumni Affairs in the College of Veterinary
beef veterinarians from academia and industry Medicine at Kansas State University.
6 Editor, Designer
18 Annual Conference Recap
Brennan Engle
A photo collage and overview of the 68th Annual
Contributing Writer,
Conference for Veterinarians held in June 2006
Graphic Design
Sarah Erskine
20 No Such Word as ‘Can’t’
Photography
Practicing veterinary medicine from a wheelchair
Brennan Engle
hasn’t kept Dr. Joe Fakler from living his dream Dave Adams
10 Sarah Erskine
23 Class News/In Memoriam
Director of Development
Chris Gruber
24 Alumni Recognition Awards
Assistant Director of Development
25 College News Marty Kramer
Marketing/Development Officer
26 Development Update
Patrice Scott
27 Veterinary Medical Alumni Pet Trust Coordinator
Association News Sharon Greene
Alumni Affairs Coordinator
Cheri Ubel
Development Associate
Michelle Conrad
20 14
MAILING ADDRESS
Dean’s Office
College of Veterinary Medicine
Kansas State University
101 Trotter Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-5601
TELEPHONE WEB ADDRESS
[phone] www.vet.k-state.edu
About the cover:the College of Veterinary Medicine’s
newly assembled food animal veterinarians at the
K-State Beef Cattle Research Center. Dr. Matt Miesner
is not pictured as he had not arrived at K-State yet
2 when the photo was taken.
HealingHands Cover photography by Dave Adams.
E
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Dean Richardson N E
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pictured in the NN
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College of Veteri- Y B
B
nary Medicine’s O
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new Centennial PH
Plaza, an out-
door area where
alumni, students,
faculty and
friends of the
college have Message
been honored
with personal-
ized granite
bricks and
from the
plaques.
Dean
Dear Friends of the College, this year passed a bill rescinding debt for K-State vet-
This is a time of great opportunity for the College erinary students who practice in rural Kansas. Five
of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. entering students each year will receive up to $80,000
In fact, I cannot imagine a more exciting time for our of educational loans with $20,000 being forgiven for
profession! each year spent supporting farmers and ranchers in
In August, we became an integral player in the for- Kansas counties with populations of 35,000 or less.
mation of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor Collectively, these programs give us great strength and
initiative. This is an organization dedicated to increas- opportunities for growth.
ing collaboration between area veterinary schools, In another strategic and important move, we
animal health and nutrition companies, and research opened our satellite teaching hospital called MidWest-
institutions in the area bounded by Manhattan, Kan., VET in Omaha, Neb. That site assures access to
St. Joseph, Mo., and Columbia, Mo. This region con- teaching cases for our students while offering more
tains the highest concentration of animal health and convenient specialty care for our referring veterinari-
nutrition companies in the world. Collectively, these ans, clients and small animal patients in Nebraska.
companies provide one third of the global animal Students will have access to an exemplary specialty
health and nutrition needs. As a university and a vet- practice, a world class humane society, a busy emer-
erinary school, we are thinking beyond our own walls gency clinic, and many other opportunities provided
and partnering with these companies and other insti- in a metropolitan setting.
tutions to harness the amazing potential that is Simply put, the future has never been brighter for
around us. veterinary medicine in general, and Kansas State Uni-
K-State will have more than a collaborative rela- versity in particular. From clinical practice to public
tionship with companies and research institutes in the health, from food safety and security to comparative
Animal Health Corridor. Thanks to the Kansas Bio- medicine, from rural America to large cities, and from
sciences Authority and the City of Olathe, our univer- teaching to research and outreach, the opportunities
sity will soon occupy 40 acres of land where we hope have never been greater.
to strengthen our college’s programs such as public I invite each person who cares about K-State and
health, comparative medicine, animal health, and the profession of veterinary medicine to remain
food safety and security. engaged and help us grow.
A key component for our future success is our new
Biosecurity Research Institute. Terms like biosecurity
inherently involve the animals that make up the coun- Sincerely,
try’s food supply. We have recently assembled what
may be the most renowned group of faculty related to
food animal medicine, particularly beef production.
They have come from academe and industry and have
relevance to the “real world.” They are an invaluable
resource as consultants to our alumni and teachers to Ralph C. Richardson, DVM
our students. Also to that end, the Kansas Legislature Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine
Summer2006 3
Taking Research
to the Next Level
PHOTO BY BRENNAN ENGLE
Researchers from the College of Veterinary Medicine to play
crucial role in K-State’s new Level Three Biosafety Research Center
Kansas State University is home to a new Biosecurity fall of 2004 and was completed this summer. The building,
Research Institute (BRI) located immediately north of which consists of 113,000 square feet, is scheduled to be
the College of Veterinary Medicine campus. This operational by January 2007.
biosafety level three facility will provide K-State scientists a “This facility will give us an opportunity to work with
secure location to study pathogens that infectious agents that we have not been
threaten animal and plant-based agricultural able to work on in the past,” explained Dr.
systems, and to develop intervention strate- David Franz, director of the NABC. “It will
gies to minimize impacts on the nation’s food allow us to work with these agents in
supply. plants or animals and study the introduc-
It will be the only biocontainment facility in tion of those agents and develop ways to
the United States to integrate plant pathology, reduce the likelihood of them coming out
food safety, entomology, veterinary medicine in food products.”
and molecular biology. The center willalso Dr. Ron Trewyn, research vice provost,
allow for the development of rapid and accu- said the BRI will be a place where scientists
rate diagnostic tools to successfully manage with different skills can collaborate on dis-
and prevent disease outbreaks. Researchers eases that cross over between humans, ani-
from veterinary medicine will play an integral mals and plants. “There is a lot of concern
role in the research conducted in the BRI. now because so many of the animal dis-
Organizationally, the BRI falls under the eases are zoonotic, meaning they can
umbrella of K-State’s National Agricultural PHOTO BY BRENNAN ENGLE spread to people. This requires inter-disci-
Biosecurity Center (NABC), an institution created in 2002 plinary and multi-disciplinary approaches where you have
dedicated to protecting the nation’s agricultural infrastruc- teams of scientists with a variety of expertise involved,” Dr.
ture through programs that plan for natural or intentional Trewyn said. “Having a research facility where all those
threats. The NABC reports directly to the office of K-State’s types of things can be worked on will allow our faculty to
research vice provost. broaden their research activities and programs substantially.”
Construction on the $54 million BRI facility began in the Biosafety refers to the precautions necessary to ensure that
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HealingHands
PHOTOS BY DAVE ADAMS
agents of concern remain within the containment space and at their respective colleges.
those handling the agents are safe.Biosafety measuresthat K-State has a record of national leadership in the areas of
will be incorporated into the building involve three impor- food safety and security. The establishment of the NABC in
tant components: facilities (suites and special air-handling 2002,as a response in part to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is
capabilities); equipment (biosafety cabinets and other protec- a statement of the university’s commitment to maintain that
tive technologies within the laboratory suites); and proce- leadership.
dures (the way research is done inside the suites). Dr. Trewyn said the need for a biocontainment facility on
According to Dr. Franz, viruses which require more cau- campus was identified by administrators in the late 1990s,
tion can be researched within the biosecurity center. “We can long before the nation became concerned about such issues
work with many bacterial diseases right now, but it’s the viral on 9/11. “We were able to identify more than 130 faculty
diseases that in many cases require a biosafety level three members on campus that had research programs related to
containment facility,” Dr. Franz said. “In the context of viral food animals, food crops and food safety,” he said. In 1999,
diseases of animals, I would also expect we’ll draw some top- K-State launched a Homeland Defense Food Safety, Security
notch scientists because of this facility.” and Emergency Preparedness Program. Also that year,
The building will have special air handling systems that fil- K-State President Jon Wefald presented testimony to the U.S.
ter the air, preventing release of materials from the research Senate’s Emerging Threats Subcommittee on the agricultural
space. All waste will be processed to destroy even the biological weapons threat.
strongest microorganisms. Researchers will be required to It is anticipated that the BRI will provide laboratory surge
complete training programs to work in the facility. They capacity needs for federal and state agencies in the event of
must also wear personal protective equipment and follow an agroterrorism attack in the U.S. or the unintentional
research protocols which minimize the potential for expo- introduction of foreign plant or animal diseases.
sure.The range of research diseases could include avian The facility was funded through a variety of sources
influenza, brucellosis, soybean rust, salmonella and E. coli. including $38.5 million in revenue bonds (with the State of
The BRI will be staffed witha core group of technicians, Kansas making payments for the first five years), $14.2 mil-
but scientists with appointments in departments across lion from the federal government, $300,000 from the City of
campus will work there and still keep their offices and labs Manhattan and about $500,000 from private funds.
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Summer2006
Veterinary students Michael
The and Miranda Thomassen
juggle marriage and a baby
Weight
while taking on their fourth
year of veterinary school
of
Responsibility
By Sarah Erskine
PHOTO BY BRENNAN ENGLE
Most veterinarians know veteri- A Chance Meeting ness – they saw each other every day,
nary school is one of the most Though both are from Nebraska, the attended the same classes and studied
stressful times in a person’s Thomassens had not met until they for the same tests. “We could really
life, emotionally, mentally and finan- started veterinary school at K-State. relate to what each other was going
cially. Add in planning a wedding and Michael caught Miranda’s eye during through,” Michael said. “Studying can
starting a family during that time, and the second day of orientation for first- get pretty discouraging and frustrating
the stress is unimaginable for most. year veterinary students. That evening, because you feel like you are getting
Michael and Miranda Thomassen are the classmates met for a social gather- nowhere sometimes. It’s easy to just give
two unique students who have done just ing organized for the new students to up, but we help each other get through
that. Married a year ago, the couple are get acquainted. Miranda’s roommate another half hour or hour.”
starting their fourth year in veterinary and Michael’s roommate struck up a “It really helped us bond in the
school with a newborn baby. conversation, leaving Michael and beginning,” added Miranda. “We were
Many of their classmates barely have Miranda to start their own. “I’m not the never in competition with each other,
time for a social life, let alone starting a type to go up and talk to girls, I’m a we work well together. We just helped
family. The Thomassens are going pretty shy guy,” Michael said. “She was each other push through those tough
through the same stresses, but they also so easy to talk to, and we just clicked.” times.”
now have to worry about diapers, bot- This initial meeting led to late nights
tles and daycare. Late nights of studying of studying together. Their first date Wedding Bells
are now combined with late night feed- was in October 2003. They credit the Michael proposed to Miranda after
ings. success of their relationship to together- dating only seven months. “People
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HealingHands
always say, ‘When you meet the right EN their rotation schedules for their up-
S
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person, you know it,’” Michael said. AA coming fourth year and started plan-
M
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“We come from similar families and A TH ning again. The baby was due mid-July.
D
faiths, and it just felt right.” He asked AN “We lucked out,” Miranda said. “We
R
MI
permission from Miranda’s parents and D had already set up our schedules so we
N
proposed in May at the end of their EL A had three weeks off together in August
A
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C
first year of veterinary school. MI that we planned to use to take a vaca-
Y
S
Before they were married, Michael RTE tion. I just moved another rotation
U
and Miranda spent summers in Nebras- CO around so I would have six total weeks
O
ka, but in different cities. Michael HOT off when the baby was born.”
P
worked at a local ranch in Atkinson, Fourth-year students are required to
and Miranda worked at a veterinary complete 14 rotations. Eleven of those
clinic in Omaha. Both said it was tough are core rotations and three are elec-
being apart after spending time togeth- tives. Some of the core rotations are
er, studying daily. “It may look like I small animal surgery, anesthesiology,
have this rough exterior, but I don’t,” radiology and food animal medicine.
Michael said. “If it wasn’t for free night Miranda and Michael shared the same
and weekend minutes on our cell supplemental equine rotation during
Miranda and Michael on their wedding day,
phones, it would have been much hard- the summer.
July 30, 2005.
er.” “It also worked out that once the
They set the date of July 30, 2005, for they worried about finances, time and baby was born we were on alternate
their wedding. This allowed them a the logistics of taking care of a child vacation rotations, so we didn’t have to
year to plan most of the wedding dur- while both trying to finish school. After worry about finding daycare until
ing breaks and finish preparations at reassuring phone calls from their fami- October,” Michael explained.
the beginning of the summer. “There lies, they made some adjustments to Miranda was in her supplemental
was never going to
be a convenient time NE
KI
for us to plan, so we H ERS
A
just went for it,” AR
Y S
Miranda said. “I uti- O B
OT
lized my breaks and H
P
had help from family
to get it all done.”
The wedding was
held in Omaha with
approximately 250
guests in attendance.
Afterward, Michael
and Miranda honey-
mooned in Chicago.
An Unexpected
Surprise
Once the wedding
and honeymoon
were over, they set-
tled into their third
year of veterinary
school. However,
around Thanksgiving
they received unex-
pected news. Miran-
Michael performs a vulva suture on a mare during the equine field service rotation. The Thomassens completed the
da learned she was
rotation together, just weeks before their baby was born.
pregnant. Initially,
7
Summer2006
equine and food animal rotations at the of a rotation,” he said. “I saw a dramatic Miranda added, “Now that Conner is
end of her pregnancy. She refused to change in one week. It was no longer here, it feels like there isn’t anything we
use it as an excuse not to participate getting home to prepare for the next can’t handle. We’ll take it slow, and
and remained as involved as she could day, it was getting home to spend time make it work.”
while she was pregnant. with Conner and Miranda and prepare The Thomassens are both excited to
“I don’t know how she did it,” for the next day.” be new parents, but they still have a
Michael said. “I came home and my feet Michael and Miranda went back to goal to graduate on time in 2007. “This
hurt. I was exhausted, and I wasn’t car- school on Aug. 21 for three weeks and has been a major goal in both of our
rying a baby. Miranda is a lives for so long,” Miranda
“Now that Connor is here, it feels like
very strong person.” said. “We’re looking forward
there isn’t anything we can’t handle.” to completing our rotations
It’s A Boy and receiving our degrees
- Miranda Thomassen
Miranda was induced on in May.”
the morning of July 19, There are other veteri-
2006. Conner Patrick Thomassen was then began their alternating schedules. nary students who have started families,
born almost 24 hours later at 11:10 Friends and family came into town to but generally, it is a rare occurrence.
p.m., weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces. He babysit while the Thomassens were at “The Thomassens’ situation is very
was a healthy 21 inches long. school for those three weeks. unique,” said Dr. Ronnie Elmore, asso-
The Thomassens did not know the ciate dean for academic affairs. “It
gender of the baby before it was born. Together, We Can demonstrates that our students are
“All we really wanted to know was that Since Conner was born, the concerns truly remarkable in what they are able
the baby was healthy and there were no have changed somewhat. “Seeing that to accomplish. Balancing life and
complications,” Michael said. we can really do this has helped calm family illustrates that Michael and
He immediately got a taste of what some of our initial worries,” Michael Miranda will be able to continue that
was to come shortly after Conner was said.“Now our main concern is spend- balance when they begin their
born. “I had to finish up the last week ing time as a family.” careers.”
NE
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Michael and Miranda check the vital signs of a horse at a farm near Manhattan. Miranda completed rotations in food animal medicine and
equine field service during her eighth month of pregnancy.
8
HealingHands
Students Receive Incentive to Practice in Rural Kansas
The Kansas State Legislature recently passed a bill that for each $20,000 in debt forgiveness.
will benefit veterinary students and rural Kansas commu- “Other states have passed legislation for a debt forgive-
nities. The bill, signed into law by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius ness program, but to my knowledge, Kansas is the first
on May 10, establishes the “Veterinary Training Program state to pass legislation and appropriate funds for this sort
for Rural Kansas” at the Kansas State University College of of program,” said Ralph Richardson, dean of the College
Veterinary Medicine. of Veterinary Medicine.
This program will provide opportunities and incentives Dr. David Andrus, a professor of marketing in the Col-
for students pursuing a DVM at K-State to practice veteri- lege of Business Administration, recently published an in-
nary medicine in rural Kansas communities and serve the depth study on the shortage of food supply veterinarians.
livestock industry. Andrus identifies 18 possible solutions to the problem
A maximum of five students can be enrolled in the pro- based on panel surveys conducted. The first solution in Dr.
gram each year, starting in their first year of veterinary Andrus’ report involves debt repayment and scholarship
college. Each student will receive $20,000 a year for up to programs for students going into food animal medicine.
four years to cover tuition and training expenses. In turn, “We are dedicated to supporting the livestock industry,”
the students will practice veterinary medicine full time in Dean Richardson said. “This legislative act removes educa-
a county in Kansas that has a population of 35,000 or less. tional debt as a stumbling block for those who wish to
A student must practice one year in the rural community make their homes in rural Kansas.”
New Intensive Care Unit Opens in VMTH
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The new Small Animal Intensive date the needs of clinicians, house offi- “This is so important because with
Care Unit at the Veterinary Medical cers and students who treat critically ill this added space, more students can be
Teaching Hospital (VMTH) is open and patients. directly involved when a critically ill
fully functional. The goal of functionality led to K- patient is being treated,” Dr. McMurphy
The new ICU is three times larger State creativity and ingenuity. Dr. Dave said.
than the former. The 1,600-square-foot Hodgson, a VMTH anesthesiologist, Another major improvement for the
facility boasts a bank of stainless steel designed a recessed water spigot that’s ICU is its location. The isolation unit is
cages for small and medium-size ani- tucked in the walls dividing the dog adjacent to the new ICU so the ICU
mals, four runs for large breed dogs, runs. Between the wall cages, three nar- staff can monitor patients in both areas
cabinetry along the back wall and a row columns of wall space were added simultaneously. A large barrier window
nurse’s station in the center of the ICU. for access to pipes. These pipes feed and pass through were added between
And, the facility has the latest technolo- into the hospital’s main supplies of oxy- the units. The change in location also
gy and patient monitoring equipment. gen and compressed air and its central allowed for installation of a separate
The ICU’s open floor plan emerged medical vacuum system. heating and cooling system.
after site visits to other veterinary hos- Behind the nurse’s station are two “Convenience, accessibility and orga-
pitals and receiving input from the emergency treatment areas each com- nization are essential when treating crit-
VMTH faculty and staff. Dr. Rose plete with a 5-foot-long treatment table ically ill patients,” said Dr. Roger Fing-
McMurphy, anesthesiology section and drop-down medical column. The land, VMTH director. “Drs. Hodgson
head, spearheaded the project. She said treatment tables can easily accommo- and McMurphy have designed the most
every inch of space was scrutinized to date a dog the size of a mastiff and are user-friendly and efficient facility I have
determine how it could best accommo- open on three sides. seen.”
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Summer2006
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A Deadly
K-State researchers
investigate how a n
for an emerging out
penetrated these operations remains a
mystery. “We have many layers of
methods to keep diseases out of these
farms,” Dr. Henry said. “It’s very strange
for this one to appear in herds where
we can find no animal movement or
biosecurity breaks that would have
allowed it to come in.”
Initially, Dr. Henry enlisted the help
of two faculty members from the
Department of Diagnostic Medicine
and Pathobiology at the CVM: Dr. Bob
Rowland, a nationally recognized mole-
cular virologist, and Dr. Jerome Niet-
feld, a pathologist.“K-State has some
unique researchers who have the skills
Dr. Bob Rowland sets up swine cells for the culturing of PCV2.
to research this disease,” Dr. Henry said.
To help swine producers come up
By Brennan Engle
with an answer for this problem,the
Ateam of researchers from the The “Kansas Cluster” researchers need to understand exactly
College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Steve Henry, CVM ’72, a swine what kind of “bug”they are dealing
(CVM), in conjunction with a expert from Abilene, Kan., who works with, something more complex than it
private practitioner, are tackling a puz- with swine producers across the coun- may sound.
zlingand deadly disease that has struck try, and adjunct professor at the CVM,
swine herds in northeast Kansas. The was one of the first to see the problem A Cofactor Effect
illness, known as porcine circovirus occur on four commercial farms known The strain of PCV2in question,
associated disease,appeared in Kansas as the “Kansas cluster.” Since then, six called PCV2321, seems to have origi-
in November2005. other area operationshave experienced nated in Europe in the late 1990s.It
It affects finishing pigs between 10 the disease, raising its prevalence to an then showed up in Canada in 2004.
and 16 weeks of age, causing a variety outbreak status. Since last year,it has occurred in most
of symptoms associated with a type 2 Dr. Henry said the producers are los- of the swine producing states in the
porcine circovirus(PCV2). The most ing as much as 20 to 40 percent of their U.S., stretching from North Carolina to
common clinical signs of this condition finishing pigs, resulting in an enormous Arizona. There is a slightly different
areextreme weight loss, rapid and economical loss. strain of circovirus,called PCV2422,
labored breathing, jaundice and diar- Because of his work with producers, thathas been around for many years, is
rhea.In severe cases, there can be dark Dr. Henry knowsthe history and move- present in most swine herds and by
skin lesions, immune suppression, neu- ment of pigs on most of the farms itself does notcause disease.
rologic deterioration and death. involved, but he admits how the disease Exactly how thePCV2321 genotype
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HealingHands