09-24-07

CVM This Week
September 24, 2007

CVM This Week is a weekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Please submit news and calendar items to Sue Kirchoff, editor, at kirch004@umn.edu before noon Friday. To view CVM This Week as a Web page and access back issues, go to            http://www.cvm.umn.edu/newsandevents/publications/cvmthisweek/home.html.

---

In this issue

• College news

• • AFSCME strike ends

  • Leman Swine Conference draws 800 attendees from 20 countries

  • Dr. Srirama Rao joins College as associate dean for research

  • Search for new dean continues

  • College announces affiliation with Davis Family Dairies

  • AHC to hold blood drive Sept. 25

  • Fall Raptor Release is Saturday

  • First Environment Roundtable set for Oct. 1

  • Building successful working relationships with leaders to be topic of Oct. 5 seminar

  • Interfaith Animal Blessing and Memorial Ceremony planned for Oct. 6

  • AVMA warns of potential new threat to pets

• Calendar

• Faculty and staff news

• • Faculty members lecture at ECVIM Congress in Budapest

  • Dr. Larissa Minnicucci and Dr. Katherine Waters are diplomates

  • Dr. Barbara Knust makes presentation at bovine practitioners conference

• Student news

• • Joseph Jude and Margaret McNulty successfully complete preliminary exams

• Research news

• • Clinical studies currently enrolling in the VMC

• Need a home

• • Razor and Shortcut, mixed breed dogs

  • Elliott, a 16-week-old yellow Lab

  • Male boxer

  • Frankie, a Weimaraner

• Help wanted

• Links

---

College news (top)

AFSCME strike ends
The University and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) were in negotiations late into the night on Thursday, and the parties exchanged proposals several times. In the end, AFSCME leaders decided to allow members to vote on the University's settlement offer. The AFSCME strike ended Friday, and striking employees began returning to work on Saturday.  More information is available at www1.umn.edu/ohr/er/negotiations/index.html

---

Leman Swine Conference draws 800 attendees from 20 countries
The College's annual Allen D. Leman Swine Conference is considered a "must-attend" for members of the swine industry. At this year's conference, held at RiverCentre in St. Paul Sept. 15-18, more than 800 practitioners, producers, academics, veterinary students, diagnosticians, and industry representatives from 20 countries had an opportunity to learn from 80 conference speakers. More than 50 scientific research abstracts were submitted and presented during the interactive poster session on Sept. 16.

The 2007 Allen D. Leman Swine conference was dedicated to the memory of  Dr. Carlos Pijoan. His leadership as a researcher, clinician, teacher,  mentor, and lifelong learner was recognized by renaming the Swine Disease Eradication Symposium as the Carlos Pijoan International Symposium on Swine Disease Eradication and by naming one of the conference keynote presentations the Pijoan Lecture. The inaugural Pijoan Lecture, "Area Spread of PRRS: End of Story?" was presented by Dr. Scott Dee.

Other highlights of the conference included a presentation by the Chinese delegation on the current highly virulent PRRS virus outbreak in their country; a presentation by the National Pork Board on preparing producers for a potential flu pandemic; and presentation of the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice award to Dr. Jim Lowe, Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd., in recognition of his contributions in the creation and dissemination of new knowledge for the betterment of the swine industry.

---

Dr. Srirama Rao joins College as associate dean for research

Dr. Srirama Rao has joined the College as associate dean for research. Dr. Rao was previously vice president and head of research in the division of vascular biology at the La Jolla Institute for Molecular Medicine in San Diego, California. He received his Ph.D. in immunology and allergy from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India, in 1989, after which he conducted post-doctoral studies in cell and molecular biology at Pharmacia-Experimental Medicine in La Jolla, Calif. He says he is looking forward to experiencing his first Minnesota winter. See the College's news release.

---

Search for new dean continues
The search for a new dean of the College is underway. The University has enlisted the assistance of a search firm, The Hollander Group, which was instrumental in helping to identify candidates for the College's associate dean for research position. Advertising has also been placed nationally and internationally.

For a PDF of the position description, go to    http://www.thehollandergroup.net/pos_desc_files/U%20MN%20CVM%20Dean%20(September%202007).pdf. The cochairs of the search committee are John Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D. dean, School of Public Health, and Jody P. Lulich, D.V.M., Ph.D., College of Veterinary Medicine. For a list of the search committee members, go to www.cvm.umn.edu/about/DeanSearch.html. 

---

College announces affiliation with Davis Family Dairies
Davis Family Dairies, LLC, and the College of Veterinary Medicine have announced an affiliation to design, construct, and operate a commercial, educational, and demonstration dairy facility in New Sweden Township in Nicollet County, Minnesota. See the news release.

AHC to hold blood drive Sept. 25
The Academic Health Center will hold a campus-wide blood drive Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 7 a.m.-5 p.m., at McNamara Alumni Center. Please schedule your appointment in advance at http://www.givebloodgivelife.org and search by zip code 55455. Donors must be at least 17, weigh at least 110 pounds, and present a photo ID at check-in. If you have traveled outside the United States in the past year or have questions about eligibility to donate, call the American Red Cross nurse at 651-291-3885 before scheduling. For other information call Jenny Meslow at meslo001@umn.edu or call 1-800-448-3543.

Fall Raptor Release is Saturday
The Raptor Center's annual Fall Raptor Release will be held at Lake Rebecca Park Reserve in Rockford, Minn., on Saturday, Sept. 29. Rehabilitated raptors will be returned to the wild, education eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons will be on exhibit, and children's activities and gift shop merchandise will be available. For more information, go to www.cvm.umn.edu/raptor/news/fallrelease.html.

First Environment Roundtable set for Monday, Oct. 1
The first Environment Roundtable hosted by the Institute on the Environment will be held on Monday, October 1, from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in 105 Cargill Building. Entitled "Saving the Planet...One Campus at a Time," the meeting will feature Jacqueline Johnson, Chancellor of University of Minnesota Morris, and Thomas Fisher, Dean of the College of Design, and be facilitated by Deborah Swackhamer, interim director of Institute on the Environment. The meeting is free and open to the public. Guests are welcome to bring their own lunch (refreshments and light snacks will be provided) or attend online via UMConnect at https://umconnect.umn.edu/IonE100107/ For more information, go to   http://www.environment.umn.edu/events/view_event.php?type=event&id=109

Building successful working relationships with leaders to be topic of Oct. 5 seminar
Dee Anne Bonebright, a consultant with the Organizational Effectiveness division of Human Resources, will discuss building successful working relationships at a professional development seminar scheduled for Friday, Oct. 5, at noon in 280 Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Building rapport with peers, your supervisor, and administration is important to a vital and successful career at the U, no matter what position you're in. In this session, participants will look at John Maxwell's nine key principles for building successful working relationships with leaders.

Interfaith Animal Blessing and Memorial Ceremony planned for Oct. 6
An interfaith animal blessing and memorial ceremony is planned for Saturday, Oct. 6, from 4:00-6:30 p.m. in the Nestle Purina Memories Garden. Sponsored by the Veterinary Medical Center's Social Work Services program, the interfaith ceremony will involve contributors from multiple faith communities and integrate Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Indigenous rituals. The event is free of charge.   See the College's media alert.

---

AVMA warns of potential new threat to pets
In a Sept. 14 news release, the American Veterinary Medical Association reported that Multiple brands of jerky treats manufactured in China have been making pets sick. Symptoms of illness have included vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. No deaths have been reported. Suspect cases should be reported to the FDA. For more information, go to http://www.avma.org/press/media_alerts/070914_jerky_treats.asp

---

Calendar (top)

Monday, September 24

New Employee Orientation
8:30 a.m.-noon
458 Veterinary Medical Center