Published 5/9/25
Story contact: Nicholas Childress, CVMMarCom@missouri.edu
CVM Research Day was a celebration of the groundbreaking work happening across the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. As we recognize the outstanding presentations from this year’s event, we extend our congratulations to the following award recipients whose research exemplifies excellence and innovation within our college.
Overall awards
- Best oral presentation: Jessica Cayton, mentor Timothy Domeier
Dystrophin deficiency increases the prevalence of atrial ectopic electrical activity - Best Poster: Elizabeth Hinton, mentor Leslie Lyons
Establishing and maintaining a novel domestic cat breed through genomics and pedigree analysis
Talks
Staff, undergrad, interns, first-year residents and graduate students
- First place: Shannon Draper, mentor Darla Tharp
Coronary and cerebral pathophysyiological adaptations in intact vs. ovariectomized pigs with heart failure - Second place: Albert D’Agostino, mentors Elizabeth Giuliano and Rebecca Whiting
The effects of age on the canine tear proteome
Veterinary professional students
- First place: Julia Melaragno, mentor Celeste Morris
Prevalence, clinical signs and hematologic parameters of bovine hemotrophic mycoplasma infection on a Missouri dairy - Second place: Jayla Brown, mentor Katrina Knott
Diet composition analysis based on stomach contents of flathead catfish in Northern Missouri reservoirs
Second- and third-year residents and graduate students
- First place: Samantha Norris, mentor Daniel Davis
Optimization of a cre-dependent mouse model for Baker-Gordon Syndrome - Second place: Jaylon Vaughn, mentor Deborah Anderson
Interactions between Amblyomma americanum ticks and endosymbiotic Rickettsia bellii
Advanced graduate students and post-docs
- First place: Sawrab Roy, mentor Wenjun Ma
Understanding underlying mechanisms of two antiviral compounds inhibiting RVFV MP-12 replication - Second place: Dennis Pérez-López, mentors Chris Lorson and Monique Lorson
A dual cargo AAV9 vector reduces mutant NEFL with wild type NF-L protein and improves CMT2E disease pathology
Posters
Staff, undergrad, interns, first-year residents and graduate students
- First place: Audrey Shively, mentors Chris Lorson and Monique Lorson
Characterization of a novel mouse model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2E: neflE397K for therapeutic development - Second place: Isabella Bartner, mentor Leslie Lyons
Methods to support DNA variant discovered by precision/genomic medicine by pathogenicity in the domestic cat - Third place: Maxwell Jeffrey, mentor Rajiv Mohan
Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) is linked to corneal myofibroblast contractile activity
Veterinary professional students
- First place: Jessica Goldner, mentors David Kline and Kevin Cummings
Orexin activates neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus - Second place: Jordan Altug, mentor Chris Baines
Effects of in silico-identified ligands of the mitochondrial protein C1QBP on cell death in fibroblasts - Third place: Scott Miller, mentor Amy Molitoris
Fighting fate (feline aortic thromboembolism): A retrospective look at treatment and outcomes
Second- and third-year residents and graduate students
- First place: Amy Keilholz, mentor Nicole Nichols
Impact of TRKB receptor modulation on tongue exercise-induced plasticity in an inducible rodent model of hypoglossal (XII) motor neuron death - Second place: Grace Oti, mentor Nicole Nichols
Therapeutic potential of tongue exercise on tongue force/strength during Swallowing in a rodent model of hypoglossal (XII) motor neuron loss
Advanced graduate students and post-docs
- First place: Rajnish Kumar, mentor Rajiv Mohan
Artificial intelligence derived model for grading mustard gas induced corneal injury - Second place: Gangadhar Vadla, mentors Chris Lorson and Monique Lorson
Examining how IGHMBP2 patient mutations alter IGHMBP2 biochemical activity and Disease severity