Dean's Messages: College of Veterinary Medicine

From the Dean: Clinical Skills Lab Update

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 CDT

Behind the undistinguished façade of the Surgery and Obstetrics Laboratory, workers are busily building a distinctive feature of our new curriculum: a Clinical Skills Learning Center (CSLC).

By August, when the Class of 2013 arrives, more than 1,200 square feet of remodeled space will house stations for students to practice setting up anesthesia machines, intubating manikins, performing clinical pathology tests, and positioning animals for radiographs, among other activities.

The CSLC will provide an important vehicle for the integration of basic science and clinical training that lies at the heart of the new Illinois Integrated Veterinary Professional Curriculum, debuting this fall.

Under the new curriculum, students will participate in clinical rotations in all four years of the program, starting on the first day of the first year. The CSLC will also be used by students in all four years. In the first year, for example, while taking the cardiovascular physiology course, students may learn to use an ECG and listen to simulated heart sounds in the CSLC. In years 2 and 3 students will take their comprehensive milestone examinations in the CSLC to assess clinical competency.

By design the CSLC allows students to build competence and confidence through self-directed learning and to practice on non-living models in a safe, low-stress environment. Two veterinary technicians will assist student learning. Instructional DVDs, Web sites, and teaching modules with case scenarios will be available during hours when the center is not staffed.

I look forward to offering tours of the new space during the annual Fall Conference for Veterinarians, slated for September 10 and 11 this year. Meanwhile, if you want to know how you can play a role in making this new student learning center a reality, please contact me at dean@vetmed.illinois.edu.

From the Dean: Faculty-Staff Campaign Helps Support the College

Thu, 07 May 2009 08:00:00 CDT

The work of the College makes a difference in countless lives. In April and May we are asking our faculty and staff members to support that work by making a gift to a College program.

Some may choose to support a scholarship that relieves the financial burdens of a veterinary student. Others may donate to the Wildlife Medical Clinic, the CARE Pet Loss Helpline, a hospital fund to assist with the expenses of patient care, or a departmental fund that promotes graduate education or research.

There are dozens of funds to choose from, and each one, ultimately, has an impact on the life of a person or animal. A complete list of funds is here: vetmed.illinois.edu/advancement/urhere/funds.html.

Last year during the first annual "You Are Here" faculty-staff campaign, conducted as part of the university-wide "Brilliant Futures" fund-raising initiative, many within our College community chose to make a contribution. For our alumni and friends across the country, this campaign provides an opportunity to show your support and gratitude for the outstanding work done by our faculty and staff.

On behalf of the College, thank you to everyone who contributes by working at and giving to the College. If you would like more information, please contact me at dean@vetmed.illinois.edu.--Herb

From the Dean: Previewing the New Veterinary Curriculum

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:00:00 CDT

llinois is where it’s at for prospective veterinary students.

Next week we will host more than 300 college students at the annual American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association national symposium. Last month 63 faculty, students, and alumni interviewed more than 300 prospective Illinois veterinary students to determine which would be invited to enroll this fall.

At this writing we anticipate offering the incoming Class of 2013 a creative new framework for the core curriculum in the DVM program when they arrive in August.

Our faculty deserve tremendous recognition for devising the new Illinois Integrated Veterinary Professional Curriculum, which integrates clinical and basic sciences throughout the four-year program (see diagram bleow). Unlike the prevailing model for veterinary education, this new curriculum allows veterinary students to tap into their passion for working with animal patients from Day 1 of the program. It grounds all instruction in clinical relevance.

It also gives students more control of their own education, with self-directed online modules, greater availability of elective courses, peer teaching, opportunities to develop mastery in a new Clinical Skills Learning Center, comprehensive milestone examinations in the second and third years to assess progress, and an eight-week “professional development” period before graduation.

We await the May University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting for final approval of the curricular change. If you have questions or comments, please contact me at dean@vetmed.illinois.edu--Herb

From the Dean: Meet the Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine Team

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:00:00 CST

Atop our College’s list of resolutions for 2009 is launching our Chicago primary care teaching facility. We’ve found the right place. And now we’ve found the right people. It is my pleasure to introduce to you the members of the Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine (CCVM) team.

Dr. Rosemary LoGiudice (DVM IL ’81) will serve as interim director overseeing all the CCVM operations and programs. As the “public face” of the CCVM, Dr. LoGiudice will be involved in a number of public engagement, recruitment and scholarly collaboration initiatives. Previously the owner of Country Care Animal Hospital in Manhattan, Ill., Dr. LoGiudice has most recently served as the director of membership and field service for AVMA.

Drs. Kelley Morgan (DVM IL ’05), Tracey Davis Hlede (DVM IL ’06), and Jason Doukas (DVM IL ’08) will all serve as clinical instructors, providing primary care clinical services and working with veterinary students on primary care rotations. In addition, Dr. Hlede (pictured above) will develop a recruiting program focused on underrepresented minorities and Dr. Morgan will pursue board certification in behavior medicine.

Rosemary Burke, formerly the assistant director of patient access services at UI Medical Center in Chicago, will serve as the associate director of business and client services. Kelsie Dolezal, RVT, CVT, RALAT, will be the lead veterinary technician. To get the latest updates on the Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine, visit vetmed.illinois.edu/chicago. --Herb

From the Dean: Making Brilliant Futures Possible

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:00:00 CST

We made our list. We checked it twice (or more). Later this month we’ll send our list in our Veterinary Report publication to every alumnus and current donor.

As the semester and the year draw to a close, it’s time to publicly thank all the individual and organizational donors from the previous fiscal year, as well as our alumni association board members, mentors, and hospital volunteers. Please review our “honor roll” when you receive your copy of Veterinary Report to be sure you are listed correctly.

With your help, our College is making “brilliant futures” possible for animals and their owners and for new generations of veterinary and biomedical scientists. -- Herb

PS. Visit our online giving page to read more about holiday and end-of-year giving.

From the Dean: Measuring Progress, Looking Ahead

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:00:00 CST

Your College is entering a critical phase of challenge and opportunity. We have much to celebrate: in early 2009, we will open the University of Illinois Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine. We are also preparing a revolutionary new veterinary curriculum. Both these initiatives bring unprecedented opportunity for recognition and reward for our College. I invite you to read an overview of College achievements [link to state of college letter] in the past year and join me in congratulating our dedicated faculty, staff, and students on their efforts.

I extend my gratitude to alumni and friends who have supported our mission. As state dollars for higher education continue to dwindle, your gifts allow us to continue to provide teaching, research, and service with relevance for our society. With the dedication and support of our extended College family, we look forward to everything the future holds. –Herb

P.S. To find out more about our initiatives, attend our reception this Saturday, November 8, at the ISVMA convention in Lombard, Ill., or email me at dean@vetmed.illinois.edu.

Message from the Dean: Public Health Priorities

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:00:00 CDT

More than 100 veterinarians packed the room for the public health sessions preceding our annual Fall Conference last month. Topics ranged from raw diets to MRSAs and salmonella transmission.

Public health concerns like these grab news headlines daily. The AVMA calls the need to address disease prevention and health promotion in people, animals, and the environment a “new professional imperative” (www.avma.org/onehealth/).

Our College has embraced this opportunity by naming our One Medicine/One Health initiative among our top five strategic priorities. With leadership from the Community Health and Preventive Medicine section in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, this effort encompasses educational initiatives, research, and service to the state.

On the educational front, the first three students to enter the joint DVM/MPH program, begun in 2004, finished their DVM degree in May. They are now completing their public health master's degrees at the University's Chicago campus. Twenty-one second-, third- and fourth-year students are enrolled in the program, and the current first-year students will have an opportunity to apply in February.

Innovative public health electives, such as a 4-week senior clinical rotation and a course focusing on public policy at the interface of human, animal, and ecosystem health, round out the opportunities for Illinois students to experience this aspect of veterinary practice.

We are also partnering with the state’s public health department to evaluate its emergency response preparations for a food-borne disease outbreak and engaging in research focused on public health aspects of diseases ranging from blastomycosis to salmonella.

I urge veterinarians to heed the call to take a role in public health issues at the local level or beyond. Please contact me if you’d like to learn more about how our College is working to attain optimal health for people, animals, and our environment. — Herb

From the Dean: Meet the Class of 2012

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:00:00 CDT

From the Californian interested in our wildlife/exotics program to the New Jersey resident with a background in research to the bioengineer from Northwestern University, our Class of 2012 encompasses a diverse and accomplished group of individuals.

Of these 120 new students, 88 are Illinois residents and 98 are women. Three-quarters are between the ages of 22 and 25, and 6 percent are over 30 years old.

Their undergraduate institutions include Colorado State, Florida State, Iowa State, Michigan State, and Texas A & M. Illinois colleges attended include Augustana College, Eastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Almost one-third did their undergraduate studies here on the Urbana campus.

I am proud to welcome these future colleagues in the veterinary profession. I encourage alumni to get involved with students through mentoring activities, hosting students through primary care rotations in your practice, and supporting our scholarship programs.

For more information on these opportunities, write to me at dean@vetmed.illinois.edu.--Herb

From the Dean: 2008 Alumni & Special Service Awards

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:00:00 CDT

It is my pleasure to announce the recipients of the 2008 alumni and special service awards given by our College and its Veterinary Medical Alumni Association. This year?s honorees have truly made a difference in public health and food safety, in veterinary education, in agriculture, and in the veterinary profession in our state, in our nation, and around the world. There are three recipients of the Dr. Erwin Small Distinguished Alumni Award: ? Dr. Joseph Connor (DVM IL ?76, MS MN ?06), owner of Carthage (Ill.) Veterinary Service; ? Dr. Steve Sundlof (DVM IL ?80, MS IL ?76, PhD IL ?80), director, FDA Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition; ? Dr. John Van Vleet (DVM Cornell ?62, MS IL ?65, PhD IL ?67), professor of veterinary pathology; associate dean of students, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University The Special Service Award will be given to: ? Peter Weber (MS IL ?94), executive director, Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association Our College and our profession are greatly enriched by the achievements of these individuals. I hope you can join me at the award presentation during our Annual Fall Conference on September 11.--Herb

From the Dean: Doorway to Services

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:00:00 CDT

Need to access findings from the diagnostic lab in a hurry? Wonder who the expert on blastomycosis is in the teaching hospital? Or looking for information on the DVM program, earning online CE credits, or posting a position announcement?

We’ve put all these resources at the practitioners’ fingertips on a single Web page, the new Veterinarian’s Portal. Please check it out at http://www.vetmed.illinois.edu/4dvms/.

A key feature is the new Directory for Referring Veterinarians, a compendium of information about our clinical faculty, services, contact numbers, and more from the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. (If you prefer print, you can request a hard copy of this directory by calling Peggy Olsen at 217-265-6588 or writing to
pfolsen@illinois.edu.)

We hope you find this new resource useful. Please let me know how we can better serve you. Write to me at dean@vetmed.illinois.edu. – Herb