Lisanework Ayalew (supervisor is Suresh Tikoo), Isha Katyal (supervisor Janet Hill), Jennifer Town (supervisor Tim Dumonceaux), Teenus Paramel Jayaprakash (supervisor Janet Hill), Matheus Costa (supervisor Janet Hill)
Lisanework Ayalew (supervisor is Suresh Tikoo), Isha Katyal (supervisor Janet Hill), Jennifer Town (supervisor Tim Dumonceaux), Teenus Paramel Jayaprakash (supervisor Janet Hill), Matheus Costa (supervisor Janet Hill)

Around the WCVM: April 2013

Here's a roundup of news briefs covering recent activities and achievements of faculty, staff, students, alumni and others who are linked to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

• More than 30 researchers participated in the WCVM's Graduate Student Poster Days that took place at the college on March 13 and 14. As the finale of the two-day event, six graduate students received cash awards in three categories for their research posters.

Animal Physiology and Clinical Applications: Jesus Palomino, whose supervisor is Dr. Gregg Adams of the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, received first place while Gili Schvartz received second. Schvartz's supervisor is Dr. Katharina Lohmann of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.

Immunology and Microbiology: Jennifer Town received first place while Anatoliy Trokhymchuk's poster was selected for second prize. Town's supervisor is Dr. Tim Dumonceaux (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and Trokhymchuk's work is supervised by Dr. Cheryl Waldner of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.

Cell/Tissue Pathobiology: First place went to Rui Zhang, whose research work is supervised by Dr. Vikram Misra of the Department of Veterinary Microbiology. Khanh Le, whose supervisor is Dr. Baljit Singh of the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, received second place.

health sciences research awards

• A number of WCVM graduate students went on to have outstanding results at the U of S College of Medicine's 20th Annual Life and Health Sciences Research Day on March 15.

The event's People's Choice Award went to Isha Katyal, whose supervisor is Dr. Janet Hill of the WCVM's Department of Veterinary Microbiology.

Microbiology (General): Teenus Paramel Jayaprakash, whose supervisor is Dr. Janet Hill, placed second while Jennifer Town, who is supervised by Dr. Tim Dumonceaux (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) placed third.

Microbiology (Virology, Infectious Diseases, Molecular Biology): Lisanework Ayalew, whose supervisor is Dr. Suresh Tikoo (Department of Veterinary Microbiology), placed second while third place went to Matheus Costa, whose work is supervised by Dr. Janet Hill.

Environmental Toxicology: David Saunders, whose work is supervised by Dr. John Giesy of the WCVM's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, received first for his research poster.

Reproductive Biology: Jesus Palomino, who is supervised by Dr. Gregg Adams of the WCVM's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, received first for his research work.

• WCVM graduate student Yadu Balachandran received a Winter School Fellowship from the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). The fellowship supported his attendance at the EAACI's 11th Immunology Winter School that targeted basic research in allergy and clinical immunology.

Balachandran, a PhD candidate in the WCVM's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, has focused his research on lung inflammation. He was the only Canadian student selected to attend the four-day meeting which was held in Pichl, Austria, in late January.

The EAACI is an international medical association that is active in the field of allergy and clinical immunology. The winter school provides a unique learning and collaborating opportunity for young scientists who are active in clinical immunology and allergy research.

• Dr. Stacy Anderson, a PhD candidate in the WCVM's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, recently passed the American College of Veterinary Surgeons' large animal board examination — earning the designation of ACVS diplomate. A former WCVM graduate student, Dr. Rhea Plesman, also became a diplomate when she passed the ACVS's small animal board examination.

• Dr. Chad Paetsch received a Dr. Jack Walther Food Animal Incentive Award at the 85th annual Western Veterinary Conference which was held in Las Vegas, Nev., from February 17 to 21.

The prestigious award, which includes expense-paid travel to the annual conference and a stipend of $1,000, is presented annually to five outstanding young veterinarians. It's aimed at graduates who are pursuing post-graduate training in a food animal production field.

Paetsch is currently working on a Master of Science degree in epidemiology in the WCVM's Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences under Dr. Murray Jelinski's supervision. His research interests include feedlot production medicine, particularly lameness in feedlot cattle.

• The Italian Equine Veterinary Association (SIVE) recently invited Dr. Claire Card to speak at the XIX SIVE-FEEVA (Federation of European Equine Veterinarians Association) Congress in Arezzo, Italy, from February 1 to 3. She presented several lectures focusing on equine reproduction and participated in an interactive case discussion.

Card, a theriogenology professor in the WCVM's Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, is currently president of the American College of Theriogenologists.

• Associate professor Dr. Daniel MacPhee of the WCVM's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences was a presenter at the Western Perinatal Research Meeting (WPRM) held in Banff, Alta., from February 14 to 16.

His presentation, "Poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase-1 (Parp-1) induces trophoblast syncytialization," took place during one of several sessions that provided updates from various disciplines within perinatal research.

MacPhee was also invited to join the WPRM Scientific Committee, an advisory group that helps to oversee the operation and funding of these research meetings.

• The scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology has bestowed second runner-up honours on a research paper co-authored by the WCVM's Drs. John Giesy and Chang Hong, a former post doctorate student in the University of Saskatchewan's Toxicology Centre.

The paper, "Predicting water quality criteria for protecting aquatic life from physico-chemical properties of metals," describes one of several research projects involving Giesy as well as scientists from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES).

Giesy, who is a professor in the WCVM's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences as well as the university's Canada Research Chair in Environmental Toxicology, began his collaborations with CRAES as a result of his work with Hong at the U of S Toxicology Centre.

After completing her work at the U of S, Hong returned to China where she became influential in CRAES, the government research institute responsible for assessing water quality and establishing standards and criteria. Giesy visited the institute at her invitation and has since collaborated with its scientists on several research projects.

Environmental Science and Technology also reported that another of Giesy's papers is the most cited paper published in the journal over the last 45 years. The paper received 82,897 citations and is ranked number one in total citations in the Environmental Engineering and Environmental Sciences categories.
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