Graduate students honored for research efforts

Five of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s top graduate students were honored March 15 for their research accomplishments during Phil Zeta Research Emphasis Day.

The five graduate student recipients were selected on the basis of nomination letters from college faculty, along with curriculum vitae reviewed by a committee of four faculty departmental representatives, each of whom had been a recipient of a research award in the past.

The graduate student awards and their 2013 recipients are:

Katherine Saylor with Dr. Ammon Peck.

Katherine Saylor with Dr. Ammon Peck.

Charles F. Simpson Memorial Scholarship Award: Katherine Saylor
CVM graduate students pursuing either their master’s or Ph.D. degrees or having completed their graduate studies in the past year are eligible for this award, which includes $500. Saylor has been enrolled for her Ph.D. in the department of physiologiocal sciences since the fall of 2010. She is also simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree in public health, focusing on environmental and global health. Her dissertation work encompasses the investigation of tick-borne pathogens in Lone Star ticks and deer populations in Florida. Her work with these ticks has resulted in the largest investigation of pathogen prevalence conducted thus far in the state of Florida.  She has published and presented two abstracts at an international scientific meeting and will present two more this fall.  Her major professor, Dr. Rick Alleman, says he expects her dissertation research to result in 4 first author publications.

Dr. Laura Cuddy and Dr. Ammon Peck.

Dr. Laura Cuddy and Dr. Ammon Peck.

CVM Excellence in Clinical Science Research Award: Dr. Laura Cuddy
This award recognizes excellent scholarship of a CVM graduate student either nearing completion or having completed a master’s or Ph.D. degree within the past year that involves a research topic having significant clinical relevance.  The award includes $100. Cuddy received her veterinary degree from the University College of Dublin.  She came to UF to pursue a combined M.S.  and clinical residency in small animal surgery. Her thesis research, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Dan Lewis, involved her being the lead investigator on a pair of complex biomechanical studies: 1) evaluating the kinematics and contact mechanics of normal dog elbows; and 2) a corollary study evaluating a potential surgical technique, proximal ulnar rotational osteotomy, designed to treat dogs with fragmented medial coronoid process.  This research produced two first author publications for the journal, Veterinary Surgery.  Since that time she received the Best Resident Research presentation award at the annual Veterinary Orthopedic Society meeting and has eight additional publications submitted, accepted or in print derived from her clinical research from her residency.

Dr. Ammon Peck with Poonam Jaiswal.

Dr. Ammon Peck with Poonam Jaiswal.

CVM Excellence in Basic Science Research Award: Poonam Jaiswal
This award recognizes excellent scholarship of a CVM graduate student either nearing completion or having completed a master’s or Ph.D. degree within the past year that involves a research topic in basic science. The award includes $100. Jaiswal is a Ph.D. student in the department of physiological sciences graduate program who earned her master’s in biotechnology from Texas A & M University prior to commencing graduate study at UF under the supervision of Dr. Paul Davenport. Her dissertation research is related to basic science of respiration and neural mechanisms of respiratory control following high cervical spinal cord injury.  She is specifically studying the control and recovery of intercostal muscle function after cervical spinal cord hemisection. Jaiswal is testing the hypothesis that repeated respiratory loading via airway obstruction will recruit and rehabilitate these muscles by driving co-activation of injured and uninjured sides at the spinal cord level. Her poster presentation on this research earned her the award for graduate student best poster award at the International Society for the Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology. Her basic science studies will be submitted to the Journal of Applied Physiology for publication and has provided a significant advance in cardiorespiratory physiology in spinal surgery.

Dr. Ammon Peck with Hsiu-Wen Irene Isai

Dr. Ammon Peck with Hsiu-Wen Irene Isai


CVM Excellence in Doctoral Studies Award: Hsiu-Wen Irene Tsai
This award is given in recognizition of excellent scholarship of a CVM graduate student either nearing completion or having completed the Ph.D.  within the past year. The award includes $100.
Tsai a student in department of physiological sciences graduate program who earned her master of science degree from Taiwan’s National Chang-Kung University. She is pursuing hwe Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Paul Davenport. Her dissertation research entails the effect of airway obstruction on activation of neurons in the brainstem of rats.  Her experiments involve three different conditions to identify the occlusion activated neurons.  She is the first to demonstrate that respiratory occlusion activates vagal afferent sensitive neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius that produce glycine as an inhibitory neurotransmitter.  This research advances understanding of the role of the central neural mechanism responsible for respiratory load compensation and provides an opportunity to develop new therapeutic approaches for patients with respiratory obstructive disease. The results of this study are also in press in the journal, Biological Psychology. Besides this research, Tsai has performed experiments on the use of high frequency oscillation of the lung to increase the concentration of human and animal exhaled biomarkers using total exhaled protein as her measure of exhaled molecule concentration.  Her research has provided significant advances in respiratory physiology.

Dr. Ammon Peck with Dr. Jay Coisman

Dr. Ammon Peck with Dr. Jay Coisman

CVM Excellence in Master’s Studies Award: Dr. Jay Coisman
This award recognizes excellent scholarship of a CVM graduate student either nearing completion or having completed the master of science degree within the past year. The award includes $100. Coisman will complete his master’s degree this spring . He is currently a small animal surgery resident, a UF CVM alumnus (’04) and a Major in the U.S. Army. Following graduation from the UF CVM, Coisman served in the Army as a Veterinary Corps Officer. He completed an internship at the Army’s prestigious Dog Center in San Antonio, Texas, then was appointed to command the Moody Air Force Base Veterinary Treatment Facility in Valdosta, Ga. He returned to UF to complete his training as a veterinary surgeon.  Coisman’s thesis research, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Brad Case, involves evaluation of a single incision laparoscopic surgery port for feline  laparoscopic and laparoscopic assisted surgery.  His work reflects his dedication to moving minimally invasive surgery forward in animals ranging from dolphins to cats.  Besides performing his master’s research, he ran the hospital’s soft tissue surgery service as a chief resident, wrote grants, completed multiple prospective studies and presented abstracts at meetings.  His grant, master’s project and three publications have all come within the last year and half.

 

 

 

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