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College of Veterinary Medicine Advance Newsletter

Helping Future Veterinary Students: The Class of 2019 Gives Back

Student are performing a simulated surgery.
When the WSU’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine class of 2019 was thinking about how they wanted to give back, the choice seemed obvious: The Clinical Simulation Center . “Our class wanted to support such a great program that we are lucky to have at our school,” says 2019 class president, Lida Gehlen. “The simulation center is a great resource that taught us new skills and helped us hone skills that we are now using in our careers.” » More ...

Where have all the frogs gone?

3D Illustration Esther Ng
It happened again that morning. During their rounds, zookeepers found another tank of dead blue poison dart frogs. The tiny azure amphibians, native to South American rainforests, had been enjoying a successful breeding program at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Now, inexplicably, they were dying from a mysterious skin disease and the cause remained elusive. » More ...

A Veterinary Couple’s Commitment to End Rabies

Rachel Clark standing in the middle of about 3 dozen children
John and Rachel Clark are driven to prevent rabies in Africa, a disease that kills tens of thousands of children worldwide each year. So driven, in fact, for the past two years they have packed up their now 4- and 8-year-old children to host canine rabies vaccination clinics in Malawi, East Africa, where John was born and raised. “I saw an article about Rabies Free Africa in the HuffPost featuring Dr. Guy Palmer,” says John. “I sent a note to Rachel that said, ‘This is what I want to do!’” » More ...

Volunteers Matter: Using innovative education to train tomorrow’s veterinary students

Mike Burdette talking with students.
On a crisp fall morning, volunteers from 10 states came to WSU to participate in something unique to the College of Veterinary Medicine: The Diagnostic Challenges. During one week in October and a second week in November, 60 volunteers helped 130 second-year veterinary students hone their diagnostic and communications skills. Mike Burdette (’73 DVM) began volunteering eight years ago after reading about the program in the college’s Advance newsletter and from recent graduates who shared how much they learned during their own Diagnostic Challenges. » More ...

A Neuroscientist’s Quest to Prevent Hearing Loss

Alli Coffin standing outside in front of a building and trees
When Allison Coffin was a kid, she wanted to swim with sharks. But while in college she learned something that changed the course of her career: fish have ears. “I went to college to study marine biology, and while there I learned that some fish can produce sound and talk to each other,” says WSU neuroscience professor Alli Coffin. » More ...

Supporting Equine Veterinary Students for 52 Years

Haley Primley standing near a fence outside the veterinary teaching hospital
In 1968, the very first Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Scholarship was awarded to veterinary student Arthur “Rocky” Crate (’69 DVM) in the amount of $200. He wrote, “I feel very proud, and very humble, to be so highly honored. No other scholarship would have given me the pleasure and the satisfaction that yours has given me, not only because of my love for horses, but because I hold your association, and the work which you are doing, in very high regard.” » More ...

Top Ten Senior: Neuroscience Student Shi Min Tan

Shi Min Tan on stairwell
It was a shock to to win Top Ten Senior. There are a lot of amazing people here! I was fortunate to be able to do research in the neuroscience department. I started out as a freshman without really knowing where I was going with it but by my senior year, I had my own project that became part of my honor’s thesis. » More ...