LSU Vet Med announces Phi Zeta Research Emphasis Day Award Recipients

 

On March 1, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine hosted its annual Phi Zeta Research Emphasis Day—a day established to promote research in schools of veterinary medicine, to recognize research conducted by veterinary students, House Officers (residents and interns), graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty, and to encourage veterinary students to pursue careers in research. 

Phi Zeta is the national veterinary honor society, which recognizes and furthers scholarship and research in matters pertaining to the welfare and diseases of animals. The importance of this day to LSU Vet Med is underlined by the fact that the Veterinary Teaching Hospital is closed except for emergencies to allow all students and House Officers to participate.

Phi Zeta Day provides an opportunity for national experts to speak to students on current research in various fields and to present a picture of global veterinary research. This year’s speaker was Karin Allenspach DVM. Karin Allenspach received her veterinary degree from the University of Zurich. She did an internship in small animal emergency medicine and critical care at Tufts University and a residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and is a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She was awarded a PhD in veterinary immunology from the University of Bern, Switzerland for her work on canine chronic enteropathies. She is currently employed as Professor in Internal Medicine and Translational Health at Iowa State University, Ames, USA and is a PI of the SMART Translational medicine Lab at ISU, which focuses on the development and culture of adult stem-cell-derived organoids from various species. Her latest efforts have resulted in the founding of a start-up company (3D Health Solutions, Inc.) with the goal of commercializing assays for drug screening based on organoid method

Veterinary, undergraduate, and graduate students, House Officers, faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and staff presented current biomedical research that is relevant to diseases of man and animals. Students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty presented a total of 71 posters that were judged by a panel of scientists for monetary prizes in four categories: (1) Dissertation (PhD) students; (2) Post-doctoral researchers; (3) Basic research by Master’s students and House Officers (veterinarians pursuing advanced training in veterinary medical specialties); (4) Basic research by DVM and non-DVM students; (5) Clinical research: Case Report by House Officers and DVM students; and (6) Clinical research by DVM students; Clinical research by Master’s students, House Officers, and non-DVM undergraduate students.

Veterinary students who participate in LSU Vet Med’s Summer Scholars Program enter their research projects for consideration on Phi Zeta Emphasis Day. Each year, veterinary students apply to participate in the Summer Scholars Program, in which they develop research proposals with the guidance of a faculty member and conduct research throughout the summer.

Winners in the PhD category were as follows:

First place went to Katy Venable, PhD student in Comparative Biomedical Sciences. Her project was entitled “Blueberry Supplementation for Depression and Anxiety in a Rural Louisiana Population: Behavioral Outcomes and Inflammatory Cytokines” and her faculty mentor was Charles Lee, PhD, associate professor in CBS. 

Second place went to Kalie Beckers, PhD student in Veterinary Clincal Sciences. Her project was entitled “Metagenetic Analysis of the Pregnant Microbiome in Horses” Her faculty mentor was Jenny Sones, DVM (LSU 2008), PhD, DACT, associate professor of theriogenology. 

There was a tie for third place, which went to Amit Sharma. Sharma is a PhD student in Pathobiological Sciences, and her project was entitled “Activation of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Regulator IRE1a Compromises Immunity to MRSA Lung Infection.” Her faculty mentor was Basel Abuaita, PhD, assistant professor in PBS.

There was a tie for fourth place, which went to Thao Vo and Ivan Martinez, PhD students in Comparative Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiological Sciences, respectively. Vo had two projects that each received the same number of points; those projects were entitled ““Repetitive exposure to ozone exaggerates inflammatory response in mice with preexisting muco-obstructive lung disease” and “Mafb promoter activity may define the alveolar macrophage dichotomy.” Her faculty mentor was Yogesh Saini, BVSc, MS, PhD, associate professor in CBS. Martinez’s project was entitled “Viral-induced Small non-coding RNAs modulate the innate immune response to respiratory pneumovirus infection in phagocytes and epithelial cells.” His faculty mentor was Antonietta Guerrero-Plata, associate professor in PBS.           

Winners in the Post-doctoral category were as follows:

First place went to Come Thieulant PhD, post-doctoral researcher in Pathobiological Sciences. His project was entitled “Differential Pulmonary Tropism, Accelerated Viral Replication, Neurodissemination, and Pulmonary Host Responses in K18-hACE2 Mice Infected with the SARS-CoV-2 MA10 Strain,” and his faculty mentor was Udeni Balasuriya, BVSc, PhD, associate dean for diagnostic operations.

Winners in the Basic Research student competition for Master’s students and House Officers were as follows:

First place went to Alaine Mitchell, undergraduate student in LSU Biological Sciences, and her project was entitled “Changes in the Antiviral Response by Tobacco Smoke.” Her faculty mentor was Antonieta Guerrero-Plata, BSc, MSc, PhD, associate professor in PBS.

Second place went to Erinn Mills, DVM, ophthalmology intern in Veterinary Clinical Sciences, and her project was entitled “Calibration of the Tono-Vera® Vet in rabbit and porcine eyes.” Her faculty mentor was Andrew Lewin, BVM&S, assistant professor of veterinary ophthalmology in VCS.

Third place went to Hannah Gafen, DVM, ophthalmology intern, and her project was entitled “Evaluation of the bovine bacterial ocular surface microbiome in the context of ocular squamous cell carcinoma” Her faculty mentor was Andrew Lewin, BVM&S, assistant professor of veterinary ophthalmology in VCS.

Winners in the Basic Research student competition for undergraduate and DVM students:

First place went to Angela Fang, DVM Class of 2025, and her project was entitled “Porcine Model of Costochondral Graft for Temporomandibular Joint Replacement.” Her faculty mentor was Mandi Lopez, DVM, PhD, DACVS, professor in VCS.

Second place went to Kaitlyn Perkins, DVM Class of 2024, and her project was entitled “High-Throughput Screening of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Activity in Human and Canine Osteosarcoma Cells.” Her faculty mentor was Sita Withers, BVSc, PhD, DACVIM, assistant professor of veterinary medical oncology in VCS.

Third place went to Madison Davis, DVM Class of 2024, and her project was entitled, “Louisiana Surveillance of Bovine Parasite Resistance and Comparison of Fecal Diagnostic Tests.” Her faculty mentor was Adriano Vatta, BVSc, MSc, PhD, associate professor in PBS.

Fourth place went to Kirsten Rico, DVM Class of 2024, and her project was entitled “Elucidating the Mechanisms of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Killing of S. aureus Small Colony Variants.” Her faculty mentor was William Beavers, PhD, assistant professor in PBS.

Fifth place went to John Tuminello, DVM Class of 2025, and his project was entitled “Survey for Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the LSU Lakes.” His faculty mentor was Javier Nevarez, DVM (LSU 2000), PhD, (LSU 2007), DACZM, DECZM, professor in zoological medicine in VCS.

Winners in the Clinical Case Reports competition House Officer were as follows:

There was a tie for first place, which went to Connor Pyne, DVM, small animal surgery intern, and Jeongha Lee, DVM, anatomic pathology resident. Dr. Pyne’s project was entitled “Effect of varying angles for needle insertion on small intestinal leakage at injection sites: An ex-vivo study,” and his faculty mentor was Karanvir Aulakh, BVSC&AH, DACVS, associate professor of small animal surgery. Dr. Lee’s project was entitled “Fatal Gastric Amoebiasis in a Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus),” and her faculty mentor was Mariano Carossino, DVM, PhD, DACVM, DACVP, assistant professor of veterinary pathology in PBS.

Second place went to Lauren Guarneri, DVM, anatomic pathology resident, and her project was entitled, “Sepsis and Necrotizing Hepatitis, Splenitis and Myositis in a Domestic Goat (Capra hircus) Caused by Bacillus cereus.” Her faculty mentor was Fabio Del Piero, DVM, PhD, DACVP, professor of anatomic pathology in PBS.

Winners in the Clinical Research student competition for DVM students:

First Place went to Amy Bitter, DVM Class of 2025, and her project was entitled, “Determining the Effects of Short Term Artificial UVB Lighting on Plasma 25-OHD3 Concentrations in Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius).” Her faculty mentor was Mark Mitchell, DVM, PhD (LSU 2001), DECZM, professor of zoological medicine in VCS.

Second Place went to Nicole Akers, DVM Class of 2025, and her project was entitled, “Effects of Prokinetic Drugs on Liquid Phase Gastric Emptying in Dogs with Clonidine-delayed Gastric Emptying.” Her faculty mentor was Frederic Gaschen, Dr.med.vet., Dr.habil., DACVIM, DECVIM, professor of companion animal medicine in VCS.

Winners in the Clinical Research student competition for Master’s students, House Officers and non-DVM Undergraduates:  

There was a tie for first place, which went to Amanda James, DVM, and Twila Booke, DVM, both anesthesiology interns. Dr. James’ project was entitled “Treating Hypotension in Isoflurane- Anesthetized New Zealand White Rabbits: An Evaluation Study Among Dopamine, Dobutamine, and Norepinephrine.” Dr. Booke’s project was entitled, “Evaluating Agreement Between Invasive and Oscillometric Arterial Blood Pressure Measurement in Normotensive and Hypotensive New Zealand White Rabbits Under General Anesthesia.” Their faculty mentor was Patricia Queiroz-Williams, DVM, professor of veterinary anesthesia in VCS.

Phi Zeta would like to take this opportunity to thank the poster judges:

• Basel Abuaita, PhD, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, Pathobiological Sciences (PBS);
• Frank Andrews, DVM, DACVIM, Head, Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department; Director, Equine Health Studies Program; Professor of Equine Medicine, Veterinary Clinical Sciences (VCS);
• Karanvir Aulakh, BVSc & AH, DACVS, Associate Professor of Small Animal Surgery, VCS;
• Renee Carter, DVM (LSU 2000), DACVO, Professor of Veterinary Ophthalmology, VCS;
• Ann Chapman, DVM, (LSU 2001), MS (LSU 2006), DACVIM (Large Animal), Associate Professor of Equine Medicine, VCS;
• Shannon Dehghanpir, DVM (LSU 2013), DACVP, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology, VCS;
• Fabio Del Piero, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Professor of Anatomic Pathology, PBS;
• Levent Dirikolu, DVM, MVSc, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology, Comparative Biomedical Sciences (CBS);
• Ji-Ming Feng, PhD, Associate Professor, CBS ;
• Joseph Francis, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, Professor, CBS;
• Alberto Gines, DVM, DECVS, Assistant Professor of Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery, VCS;
• Antonieta Guerrera-Plata, BSc, MSc, PhD, Associate Professor, PBS;
• Lorrie Hale-Mitchell, DVM, CVA, CVFT, CVCH, CVTNP, CTCVMP, Assistant Professor of Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation;
• John Hawke, PhD (LSU 1996), Professor, PBS;
• Ky Hoang, DVM, PhD, Assistant Professor (Research), PBS;
• Weishan Huang, PhD, Associate Professor, PBS Duane Jeansonne, PhD, Assistant Professor (Research), PBS;
• Tomislav Jelesijevic, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVP, Assistant Professor, CBS;
• Samithamby Jeyaseelan, DVM, PhD, Professor, PBS;
• Charles Lee, PhD, Associate Professor, CBS;
• Britta Leise, MS, DVM (LSU 2002), PhD, DACVS, Associate Dean for Student and Faculty Advancement; Associate Professor of Equine Surgery, VCS;
• Andrew Lewin, BVM&S, DACVO, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Ophthalmology, VCS;
• José Cesar Menk P. Lima, MV, DACVP, Assistant Professor of Anatomic Pathology;
• Colin Mitchell, BVMS, MS, DACVS, Director, Large Animal Services, Veterinary Teaching Hospital; Professor of Equine Surgery, VCS;
• Alexandra Noël, PhD, Assistant Professor, CBS;
• Olalaken Michael Ogundele, PhD, Assistant Professor, CBS;
• Michelle Osborn, PhD, Associate Professor, CBS;
• Patricia Queiroz-Williams, DVM, Professor of Anesthesiology, VCS;
• Jeremy Redmond, DVM, DACVIM, Assistant Professor of Equine Medicine, VCS;
• M. Ryan Smith, DVM (LSU 2009), DACECC, Assistant Professor of Emergency and Critical Care, VCS;
• Brent Stanfield, PhD, Assistant Professor (Research), PBS;
• Rhett Stout, DVM (LSU 1994), PhD (LSU 2003), DACLAM, Interim Director, Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine; Associate Professor, PBS;
• Thomas Tully, DVM (LSU 1986), DABVP, DECZIM, Professor of Zoological Medicine, VCS;
• Gianluca Vegianni, BSc, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor (Research), PBS;
• Nancy Welborn, DVM (LSU 1990), Associate Professor of Community Practice, VCS;
• Nanny Wenzlow, Dr.med.vet, PhD, DACVP, MRCVS, Assistant Professor of Forensic Pathology, PBS ;
• Sita Withers, BVSc, PhD, DACVIM, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Medical Oncology, VCS;
• Shaomian Yao, PhD, Associate Professor, CBS; and
• Masami Yoshimura, BSc, MSc, DSc, Associate Professor, CBS.

This day would not be possible without the support of Zoetis, VWR, and Fisher Scientific.

Phi Zeta Research Emphasis Day is sponsored by the Tau Chapter of the Society of Phi Zeta, which was established on March 30, 1977, with Dr. C.W. Titkemeyer as Chapter President. Phi Zeta is the abbreviation of the Greek word Philozoi, which means “love of animals.” 

The 2023 Phi Zeta Committee members are as follows:

• Andrea Johnston, DVM, DACVIM, Assistant Professor of Small Animal Medicine, VCS;
• Jeanette Cremer, Dr.med.vet, DVM, DACVAA, Associate Professor of Veterinary Anesthesiology, VCS;
• Emi Sasaki, DVM, DACVP, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Pathology, PBS;
• Ann Chapman, DVM, (LSU 2001), MS (LSU 2006), DACVIM (Large Animal), Associate Professor of Equine Medicine, VCS;
• Jenny Sones, DVM (LSU 2008), PhD, DACT, Associate Professor of Theriogenology, VCS ;
• Colin Mitchell, BVMS, MS, DACVS, Director, Large Animal Services, Veterinary Teaching Hospital; Professor of Equine Surgery, VCS;
• Fabio Del Piero, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Professor, Pathobiological Sciences (PBS);
• Cherie Pucheu-Haston, DVM (LSU 1992), PhD, DACVD, Professor of Veterinary Dermatology, VCS;
• Oliver A. Garden, BVetMed, PhD, FHEA, FCPP, FRCVS, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA, Kenneth Burns Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine and Dean;
• Tammy Dugas, PhD, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education
• Ginger Guttner, MMC, APR, Communications Manager;
• Nadin Khalil, Computer Analyst; and
• Thomas Rooney, Assistant Dean of Strategic Communications

About LSU Vet Med: Bettering lives through education, public service, and discovery

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 33 veterinary schools in the U.S. and the only one in Louisiana. LSU Vet Med is dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of animals and people through superior education, transformational research, and compassionate care. We teach. We heal. We discover. We protect.