Seventeen students are spending the summer conducting research as part of the Veterinary Summer Scholars Program

Seventeen students are participating in the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Summer Scholars Program, an introduction to biomedical research through research-driven activities. The LSU Vet Med Veterinary Summer Scholars Program is funded by the Boehringer-Ingelheim, the Kenneth F. Burns Trust, LSU Vet Med Equine Health & Sports Performance, the LSU Vet Med Dean’s Office, and a faculty member’s laboratory. The program culminates in an international 2026 Veterinary Scholars Symposium is coordinated by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges at North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine from August 6-8, 2026.

What is the Summer Scholars Program?

The Summer Scholars Program serves to further students’ learning and experiences in research beyond the required classroom and clinical training. The program is competitive and based on proposals submitted by first- and second-year veterinary students. It encourages innovative studies in human and animal diseases and lends further understanding to veterinary careers in biomedical research. 

Each student will receive a $6,500 stipend and participate in the 2026 Veterinary Scholars Symposium. This conference brings together scientists from academia, the pharmaceutical industry, and research leadership in one setting and allows the students to present their research, learn more about research careers and opportunities, and network with students and research scientists from other veterinary schools.

To participate in the Summer Scholars program, the students developed their own research plan proposals with the guidance of a faculty member, and a faculty committee selected the participants based on the proposals. All first- and second-year veterinary students throughout the country and abroad had the opportunity to submit proposals. The program is coordinated by Britta Leise, DVM (LSU 2002), Ph.D., DACVS, associate dean of staff and faculty advancement and associate professor of equine surgery.

The participants are as follows:

Saige Annison (Class of 2028), from Baton Rouge, La., is working on "Mechanistic insights into laminitis: Macrophage-driven regulation of mTOR activity in equine epithelial cells." Funding provided by LSU. Mentored by Britta Leise, DVM (LSU 2002), Ph.D., DACVS, interim head of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and assistant dean for staff and faculty advancement.

Kristi Bell (Class of 2029), from DeQuincy, La., is working on "Investigating the intrinsic drivers of prostate cancer cells that dictates cell dormancy." Funding provided by LSU and Boehringer Ingelheim. Mentored by Shang Su, Ph.D., assistant professor of cancer biology in Comparative Biomedical Sciences.

Kaylee Bergman (Class of 2029), from Butte, Mont., is working on " Integrated Proteomic, Immune, and Biomarker Responses to Xenogeneic Bone Grafts With Autologous Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells for Craniofacial Reconstruction." Funding provided by LSU. Mentored by Mandi Lopez, DVM, Ph.D., DACVS, professor of veterinary surgery in Veterinary Clinical Sciences and director of the Laboratory for Equine andComparative Orthopedic Research.

Gabrielle Bourgeois (Class of 2028), from Mandeville, La., is working on "Safety and Tolerability of intravenous and rectal administration of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in healthy dogs." Funding provided by LSU and Boehringer Ingelheim. Mentored by Agostino Buono, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, assistant professor of small animal internal medicine in Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Eunice Bravo (Class of 2029), from Aarecibo, Puerto, Rico, is working on "Repurposing natural compounds to enhance equine immunity against pathogens." Funding provided by the faculty member’s lab. Mentored by Basel Abuaita, Ph.D., assistant professor of infectious diseases in Pathobiological Sciences.

Yulitza Carrasquillo-Sanchez (Class of 2028), Caguas, Puerto Rico, is working on "Impact of e-cigarette aerosol flavors and cooling agents on pulmonary responses in male mice." Funding provided by LSU and Boehringer Ingelheim. Mentored by Alexandra Noël, Ph.D., associate professor of Comparative Biomedical Sciences and director of the Inhalation Laboratory.

Yadhiel Diaz-Rosario (Class of 2028), from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, is working on "Effects of electroacupuncture on borborygmi, duodenal motility and GI transit time in clinically normal horses." Funding provided by LSU Vet Med Equine Health & Sports Performance. Mentored by Jonuel Cruz-Sanabria, DVM, MS (LSU 2015, 2021), DACVS, assistant professor of equine surgery in Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Taylor Dickson (Class of 2028), Stamps, Ark. is working on "Evaluation of racetrack fatalities." Funding provided by LSU Vet Med Equine Health & Sports Performance. Mentored by Frank Andrews, DVM, DACVIM, professor of equine medicine and director of EHSP.

Emanuel Echevarria-Bonet (Class of 2029) is working on "Metabolic Control of Equine Macrophage Effector Function: The Role of Alpha-Ketoglutarate Restriction in Immunity Against Abortigenic Salmonella." Funding provided by LSU and Boehringer-Ingelheim. Mentored by Basel Abuaita, Ph.D., assistant professor of infectious diseases in Pathobiological Sciences.

Palmer Lee (Class of 2029), from Lexington, Ky., is working on "Comparative Auditory Brainstem Response in Mice by Genetic Strain: CNTNAP2 Knockout and C57BL/6." Funding provided by LSU. Mentored by Charles Lee, Ph.D., William L. Jenkins Professor and professor of cognitive and neural systems in Comparative Biomedical Sciences.

Javier Lugo-Arroyo (Class of 2029), San Juan, Puerto Rico, is working on "Evaluation of topical ozone therapy against common bacterial isolates from post-celiotomy surgical site infections in horses." Funding provided by LSU and Boehringer-Ingelheim. Mentored by Francisco Morales, DVM, Ph.D., assistant professor of equine surgery in Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Kaitlyn Morgan (Class of 2029), from Lebanon, Penn., is working on "Development of a swinepox-virus vector for vaccination against emerging group A porcine Rotaviruses." Funding provided by the Kenneth F. Burns Trust. Mentored by Mariano Carossino, DVM, Ph.D., DACVM, DACVP, associate professor of veterinary pathology in Pathobiological Sciences.

Jordan Navarro (Class of 2028), from Frisco, Texas, is working on "Utilizing polymetric antioxidant-loaded nanoparticles as delivery systems to mitigate photo-oxidative stress of human retinal pigmented epithelial cells in vitro." Funding provided by LSU and Boehringer-Ingelheim. Mentored by Renee Carter, DVM (LSU 2000), DACVO, Paula & Milton Shepherd Professor in Veterinary Medicine and professor of veterinary ophthalmology in Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Hallie Palms (Class of 2029), from Greenville, S.C., is working on "Neurologic effects of parenteral diphenhydramine in horses with and without cervical vertebral myelopathy." Funding provided by LSU. Mentored by Jeremy Redmond, DVM, DACVIM, assistant professor of equine medicine in Veterinary Clinical Sciences and director of clinical skills.

Marcela Roman (Class of 2029), from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, is working on "Evaluation of Clinical and Immunologic Effects of Aluminum Adjuvant During Intralymphatic Immunotherapy in Dogs with Atopic Dermatitis." Funding provided by LSU and Boehringer-Ingelheim. Mentored by Neokolis Apostolopoulos, DVM, Ph.D., DECVD, assistant professor of veterinary dermatology in Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Bryan Rosales-Candelaria (Class of 2028), from Camuy, Puerto Rico, is working on "Accuracy of a handheld multiparameter monitor to evaluate heart rate and body temperature in anesthetized domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) compared with a standard six-lead electrocardiogram and subcutaneous implantable temperature-monitoring transponders." Funding provided by LSU and Boehringer-Ingelheim. Mentored by Thomas Tully, DVM, MS (LSU 1986, 1991), DABVP, DECZM, professor of zoological medicine in Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Hannah Shaw (Class of 2029), from Little Rock, Ark. is working on "Investigating the role of deubiquitination on heroin seeking in rats." Funding provided by Kenneth F. Burns Trust. Mentored by Ethan Anderson, Ph.D., assistant professor of Comparative Biomedical Sciences.

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.