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Fifteen Florida Veterinary Scholars participate in national symposium in August

Fifteen University of Florida veterinary students from all five academic departments were among the 900 people who convened for the 2021 National Veterinary Scholar Symposium, hosted virtually by Iowa State University August 4-6. The annual symposium highlights the essential role of scientific research in veterinary medicine and provides veterinary medical students who have conducted original research through the summer scholars programs an opportunity to formally present their research in a professional environment.

The massive virtual gathering of students, faculty, university and business representatives heard from a prestigious cast of keynote speakers and attended a variety of informational and networking sessions – all centered around the essential role of veterinary medical research.

Students participating in the program presented the results of research conducted through summer research projects developed jointly by the student and a faculty mentor. This work is typically conducted over an 8-12 week period over the summer, with the results then being shared at the end of the summer during the national research symposium. Some projects UF students were involved in were completed but others remain active, with students to be included on pending publications, said Dr. Heather Walden, Florida Veterinary Scholars Program coordinator.

“We always have great students, and this year was no exception,” she said.

Participating students and their projects, which were presented in poster sessions, included:

• Alyssa Alvarez: “The effects of liquid storage and cryopreservation on the morphometry of the West Indian manatee spermatozoa”
• Alexandra Bergen: “Validation of a primary thyroid cell line to study feline hyperthyroidism”
• Phillip Billings: “The use of mefenoxam to treat cutaneous and gastrointestinal pythiosis in dogs: A retrospective study”
• Daniel Bonce: “Retrospective evaluation of whole-body CT findings and prognostic outcomes in canine trauma patients”
• Ellis Chase: “The prevalence of endoparasites of the Cuban tree frog and Greenhouse frog in Florida
• Cristina Chinchaya: “Optimizing gene editing approaches in Doberman Pinscher fibroblasts by targeting PDK4 and DCM”
• Cambrie Dalton: “Minimally invasive repair of acetabular fractures in dogs: An ex-vivo feasibility study”
• Mackenzie Dorr: “Transferability of IncN and Incl plasmids among field straings of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli”
• Cristina Gabaldon: “Surgical approaches to the canine liver hilus: A comparison of five techniques and evaluating diaphragmotomy”
• Seryna Mamane: “Comparison of moisture analysis methods using canned dog food”
• Tenley Porcher: “The impacts of COVID-19 on high-quality, high-volume, spay-neuter clinics”
• Mateo Rodriguez: “Role of polyamine inhibitors in pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma cancers with SDHB mutation”
• Olivia Smith: “The role of invG in Salmonella enterica adherence to and invasion of human intestinal epithelial cells”
• Monica Suero: “Analysis and culture results of free-catch urine samples in dogs”
• Dillon Tartaglia: “Temporal relationship of fever and positivity on nasal and blood PCR in a 2016 outbreak of EHM in California”

The event was sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the National Institutes of Health, with the American Veterinary Medical Association sponsoring production of the 370-page abstract booklet. The Florida Veterinary Medical Association funded a scholar and a faculty mentor, and the college provided funding to cover several student stipends and symposium registration. The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges collaborated with Iowa State University in the presentation.