MU College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Carolyn Henry, DVM, MS, DACVIM, and Interim Associate Dean for Academic and Academic Affairs Leah Cohn, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, welcomed faculty, staff, students, donors and friends to the college’s Honors and Awards Reception Tuesday evening. Awards were presented to recognize scholastic achievement, clinical proficiency, community service and leadership. A complete list of award winners can be found here.
The Dadd Award honors excellence in veterinary medicine teaching as judged by peers. George Dadd was a veterinarian and physician born and trained in England. He promoted the earliest formal veterinary medical education in the United States. Dadd equated veterinary medicine to human medicine, sought the best students for veterinary medicine, and pioneered the clinical use of anesthesia in animals. The 2022 Dadd Award recipient is Martha Scharf, DVM, DABVP-Equine, an assistant teaching professor in equine ambulatory medicine.
Faculty members also nominate the recipient of the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence. The award is presented to a faculty member or graduate student whose research related to veterinary medicine holds the promise of national recognition. This year’s winner is Alexander Franz, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology.
Zoetis also sponsors the student-selected Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award. The student body votes for an outstanding teacher whose ability, dedication, character and leadership contributes to the advancement of the profession. Christopher Baines, PhD, associate professor of biomedical sciences, was selected as the 2022 honoree. It was one of three awards presented to Baines during the evening.
Students in each academic class select an outstanding teacher to receive a Golden Aesculapius Teaching Award. Baines is the recipient of the first-year students’ award. The second-year class named Tamara Hancock, DVM, MS, DACVP, PhD, the coordinator for curriculum and student outcomes and an assistant teaching professor, as their Golden Aesculapius winner. Third-year students honored Elizabeth Giuliano, DVM, MS, DACVO, professor and section chief of the Comparative Ophthalmology Service. The graduating class of 2022 named Kelly Varner, DVM, DACVAA, a clinical instructor of anesthesiology, as their recipient of the 2022 Golden Aesculapius.
Members of the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) who are VM1s and VM2s select a faculty member who has made immense contributions to their education and progression through the veterinary curriculum for the SAVMA Teaching Award for Basic Sciences. Baines is the 2022 honoree.
The SAVMA Teaching Award for Clinical Sciences is awarded by third- and fourth-year students based on dedication to student education, progression toward clinical competency and development of professional abilities. Laura Nafe, DVM, MS, DACVIM–Small Animal Internal Medicine, an assistant teaching professor of veterinary internal medicine, is this year’s winner.
Each year the graduating class honors a veterinary technician who had an impact on their clinical experience. Danielle Hurd, RVT, an orthopedic surgery technician in the Veterinary Health Center, received the Technician Award.
The Resident Teaching Award, voted on by the graduating class, is given to the resident who has had the greatest impact on their clinical experience in terms of teaching and spending extra time to help students learn. The recipient of the 2022 Resident Teaching Award is Jennifer Howard, DVM. Howard, a graduate of the CVM, is now a resident in small animal internal medicine.
The Elmer and Virginia Florman Scholarship is presented to a first-year student in good academic standing who graduated from a Missouri High School. The award is given to one student for four years, paying all costs associated with attendance to the College of Veterinary Medicine. The 2022 recipient of the Elmer and Virginia Florman Scholarship is Claire McDonald.
The Breanna Marie Killian Memorial Scholarship is a new award that has been established in memory of Breanna Marie Killian, a member of the College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2024, who passed away during her second year in the college. This award is given to a VM2, VM3 or VM4 who is in good academic standing and embodies the qualities Breanna possessed. Preference is given to students who are interested in zoo veterinary medicine or working with exotic animals. The recipient of the Breanna Marie Killian Memorial Scholarship for 2022 is Nicole Scarberry.
Hannah Whittom was announced as the recipient of the Army Health Professions Scholarship. This scholarship is given to 30 students across the country who are in health-related fields and will be serving as an active-duty officer in the Veterinary Corps after graduation. The scholarship includes payment for three full years of schooling, as well as a monthly stipend.
Two additional awards were recently announced that were not included in the honors program. Milan Piva is a 2022 recipient of the Aurora Pharmaceutical Award for Veterinary Student Scholarships. This award honors 21 third-year veterinary students across the country who will receive scholarship funds to assist their education. The recipients are selected based on a combination of academic achievement, related work experience, community and university involvement, goals, an essay and letters of reference. The second award recognizes first-year student Emily Milbourn. The U.S. Department of Agriculture named Milbourn as a recipient of the Adel A. Malak Scholarship, which honors students who have completed less than two years of study in veterinary medicine and are in good academic standing. It includes an internship program through the Food Safety and Inspection Service, a public health agency in the USDA.
By Nick Childress
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