THE MONTHLY MULE MEMO
OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS
SPRING AND NEW BEGINNINGS
Greetings!
Spring is here, bringing with it a sense of fresh starts and new beginnings. During this season, we get to celebrate those new beginnings. Regardless of our affiliation with a central campus on a conventional schedule, we have our own new beginnings and transitions to celebrate. Congratulations to our Class of 2024 as they celebrate commencement on May 10. Some will take a break or a well-needed vacation; others might be seeing patients the following Monday. Either way, congratulations to them on their new beginning. And while the IP4 to IP5 transition and the IP9 to IP10 transition may not seem like much, we technically view them academically as transitions from VM1 to VM2 and from VM2 to VM3. So celebrate that! You might be interested to hear that our Class of 2028 has been accepted and confirmed with all deposits, and the class is currently full and filled rather quickly. We’re excited about them preparing to join us in August. I can sense the excitement and energy around this time, and I hope for all of us, it comes with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.
Associate Dean Snider
MONTHLY NAVLE PREP QUESTION
A second-lactation Holstein cow has a two-day history of anorexia and decreased production of milk one week after calving. The cow has a heart rate of 90 beats/min and is approximately 5 percent dehydrated. The abdomen is distended on the right side when viewed from behind. A “ping” is heard with simultaneous occultation and percussion of the right side extending from the middle of the paralumbar fossa to the ninth rib. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
(A) Abomasal volvulus
(B) Cecal distention
(C) Dilated small intestine
(D) Gas in the uterus
(E) Pneumoperitoneum
APRIL PAWSOME AWARD
Please join us in congratulating Brittany Mezzancella as the April 2024 PAWsome Award Winner. Brittany is one of our very hard workers in Biomedical Sciences.
CLUB CORNER
CHRISTIAN VETERINARY FELLOWSHIP
Christian Veterinary Fellowship is more than just a club here at Mizzou. It is a family of people who meet weekly to gather in fellowship and remind one another of God’s Word. As we go through this crazy thing called Vet School, it is a true blessing to be able to surround yourself with others who constantly lift you up and encourage you each and every day.
Along with weekly Bible studies, CVF prioritizes fellowship in community, professional development, outreach, and community service. This year we were able to host several events including a fellowship night, Christmas Party, and Easter celebration. A group of us even got to travel down to Nashville, Tennessee, to participate in a CVM (Christian Veterinary Missions) CE conference. We were able to learn from professionals in the field and be witness to how they walk by faith in their career.
Another major part of CVF, is our annual summer mission trip. We will make our way down to Sanders, Arizona, to the Navajo Nation this July to help serve the people and provide them with veterinary services, all while sharing the good news of the gospel. We were fortunate enough to have several successful fundraisers to help pay for the cost of this trip and would like to thank everyone who has contributed to supporting this cause.
We are so excited to get to use our passion for Veterinary Medicine and sharing the gospel this summer.
-Hailey Mann, CVF President
FROM CVM COUNSELING….
May has been designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, with a goal to raise awareness and educate the public about mental health concerns, reduce stigma, improve help-seeking, and promote strategies to improve mental health. In addition to confidential counseling through CVM Counseling Services (https://cvm.missouri.edu/student-resources/cvm-counseling- services) CVM students and house officers also have access to TAO, an online tool kit of evidence-based strategies to support well-being. You may register online at https://us.taoconnect.org/register using your MU email address. Topics include stress/anxiety, relationships and communication, depression, sleep, and substance use, among others. Information about additional health and well being resources at MU is available at https://wellbeing.missouri.edu. Dr. Sanford-Martens will also be offering an upcoming seminar titled “Managing Relationships in Vet Med: The Importance of Healthy Relationships, Challenges Along the Way, and Practical Skills to Help” during the SAVMA meeting on Monday, May 6 at 5 PM.
Kerry M. Karaffa, Ph.D.
“Mental health problems don’t define who you are.
They are something you experience. You walk in the
rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain.”
-Matt Haig
JELLYBEAN GUESSING GAME WINNERS
Thank you to all staff who participated in the jellybean guessing game.
We have collected the guesses and named a winner for each location.
Each jar contained the following amounts of jellybeans:
- Diagnostic Lab (Yellow Lid): 231
- Connaway (Red Lid): 268
- Vet Health Center (Green Lid): 277
- Discovery Ridge (Royal Blue Lid): 250
- Dean’s Office (Light Blue Lid): 239
Congratulations to the following winners in our jellybean guessing game!
- VHC – Laura Gibson
- Dean‘s Office – Jennifer Hamilton
- Connaway – Patricia Norton
- Discovery Ridge – Ryan Thruston
- DLab – Emily Grither
A MONTHLY BOOK SUGGESTION FROM DR. SNIDER‘S BOOKSHELVES
I recommend Rats, Lice, and History by Hans Zinsser this month. Published in 1935, it is one of the oldest books that has been continuously in print. While fading in popularity, it is an outstanding book, especially if you are interested in infectious diseases. It has been required reading of many a PhD or DVM/PhD candidate for oral qualifiers and has been cited as inspiration for the successful careers of many leading scientists. The nonfiction narrative is essentially a highly literate and biographical treatment of the disease called typhus. Now considered a minor footnote of zoonotic diseases, it used to be a prevalent zoonotic and non-zoonotic disease that plagued the world, especially around World War 1 and the inter-war period.
The writing style is witty, wordy, and wise. A central theme of the book is that infectious diseases have played major roles in world history and world events such as mass migrations, overthrows of governmental systems, and so forth. I hope you enjoy this book.
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS
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Timothy A. Snider Lisa McCubbins Lisa Thompson Jennifer Hamilton
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Stephanie McClaren Manda Riley Kathy Seay Doug Tindall |
Kerry Karaffa Tiffany Sanford-Martens |