Veterinarian
Winter 2016
Scott-Ritchey Research Center Special Section Celebrating Dr. Dwight Wolfe
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T HE
PO S S I BI L I T I E S
A R E
E N DL E S S
Winter 2016
CONTENT From the Dean 05 Joe’s New ‘Leash’ on Life 06
A Jewel in the College’s Crown 13 Around the CVM 40
Understanding Diabetes 07
Alumni Notes 45
Eagles Participate in Research 08
In Memoriam 48
Celebrating Dr. Dwight Wolfe 10
Apocrypha 50
Dr. Dwight Wolfe
Scott-Richey Research Center
Eagles Fly in Colorado
EDITORIAL EDITOR
Janet L. McCoy
WRITERS Ed Brown Morgan McAbee ’16
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ross Heck
PHOTOGRAPHY Jeff Etheridge Melissa Humble FlipFlopFoto
ADVISORY BOARD ADMINISTRATION Dean Calvin Johnson
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Dr. Daniel Givens
RESEARCH
Dr. Frank Bartol
CLINICAL SCIENCES Dr. Jamie Bellah
DEVELOPMENT Diana Turner Jan Chamblin
TEACHING HOSPITAL Dr. Douglas Allen
SOCIAL MEDIA
Find us on Facebook and Twitter at AuburnVetMed and on YouTube at College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University; and Instagram at au_vet_med
AUBURN VETERINARIAN (USPS 014-919) is published four times annually, Volume 35, at 105 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5528. Periodicals postage paid at Auburn, AL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Auburn Veterinarian, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, 105 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5528. SUBMISSIONS: Mail to Auburn Veterinarian, 105 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849.
Copyright © Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be utilized or reproduced without prior written consent of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
From The Dean The veterinarian-client-patient relationship—simple in concept but so difficult to perfect. The VCPR, as it is called, is maintained as the legal basis for the practice of veterinary medicine. Most veterinarians will affirm that cultivation of the VCPR is an essential pathway to success in veterinary practice. Yet the VCPR can lead to so much more. Take, for example, the bond between veterinarians Ivan C. Fredrickson and Clarence E. Dee in Hollywood, Fla., and their client, Miss Eleanor Ritchey, a devoted animal advocate and heiress to a fortune of Quaker State Oil stock…and of course the 161 adopted dogs that Miss Ritchey sheltered on her South Florida homestead. Would anyone have predicted that this time-tested VCPR would culminate in an endowment that, when combined with a fund established by Kenneth A. Scott, would create a transformative research program, the Scott-Ritchey Research Center, in the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine? Probably not. The generosity of clients as a measure of their devotion to animals and their trusting relationship with their veterinarian can be humbling. A client may ask, “How can I help animals through my estate planning?” For many years, veterinarians have directed such potential donors toward Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, reflecting their conviction that our college’s faculty are doing great things for the health and wellbeing of animals. To perpetuate that tradition, I hope that you will use this issue of the Auburn Veterinarian to learn more about the Scott-Ritchey Research Center and its transformative work. Under 30+ years of visionary leadership of its directors—Drs. Hoerlein, Swaim, Baker, and Cox— and the motivation of its faculty, the Center has generated substantial momentum in addressing critical health issues facing companion animals, and by extension, human beings. That momentum and the strong interim leadership of Associate Dean Bartol will carry the Center as it recruits its next director through a search of national and international scope. Looking to the future, the Center is poised to elevate veterinary and comparative medicine through strategic growth in areas such as vaccine development, molecular therapy, cancer, and inherited neurologic diseases. Hundreds of students, now extending across two generations, have contributed substantially to the Center’s mission. Thousands have been indoctrinated through the Center’s work into the reality that research is the foundation of higher standards of medicine and surgery. Simply stated, an investment in excellent research is an investment in a bright future for veterinary medicine. I invite you to visit the College’s website to learn more about the Center. Who will be the next Eleanor Ritchey? And equally important, who will cultivate a relationship that introduces her or him to the Scott-Ritchey Research Center? With your assistance, these questions are well on the way to being answered—perhaps through your next conversation with a client or your next donation to the Scott Fund in memory of a pet. Thank you for your ongoing and loyal support of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center and the College of Veterinary Medicine…Because This is Auburn.
Calvin Johnson ‘86
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
5
Because of the technology and faculty expertise, procedures once considered complicated are now becoming routine. “Pacemaker implantation is not new to veterinary medicine, having been done for the last 30 years,” Jung said. “What is relatively new, and the first one at Auburn, was the use of the same type of pacemaker used in human cases, which we implanted in Joe.” During Joe’s recent checkup, tests showed the pacemaker was keeping his heart beating normally. “He’s really doing quite well and from this point on, Joe will only need to be seen on a yearly basis,” Jung said. For the Swifts, Joe is a loyal family member, and they had no hesitation to bring him from Mississippi for treatment. “We were shocked and frightened when they told us what they would have to do,” MaryAnn said. “We love that dog dearly, and we know he loves us.” Joe began experiencing fainting episodes and collapsing this past September, and after visits to a Mississippi veterinarian, they determined the next stop was Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The Swifts were impressed with the treatment and care Joe received, saying, “we cannot praise Auburn enough. They reassured us at all times and kept us informed about what would happen and why. Even if this only gave Joe another two years or so, it would be well worth it.”
Joe’s New ‘Leash’ on Life Older dogs with slowing hearts are getting a new “leash” on life at the College of Veterinary Medicine, where advanced technology and new treatment protocols have created an emerging cardiology program. Dr. SeungWoo Jung, assistant professor and clinician in the Cardiology Services of the Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital, recently placed one of the most advanced pacemaker systems used in humans in Joe, a seven-year-old bulldog owned by Wayne and MaryAnn Swift of Meridian, Miss.
6 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Pacemakers help monitor and control the heartbeat. A pacemaker will send an electrical impulse to the heart to keep the beating rhythm in sync and pumping correctly. The procedure is similar to the one done in humans. Under anesthesia, a pacemaker wire is threaded through a dog’s vessel in the neck to the correct place in the heart. A small incision, made in the back of the shoulder, then allows for insertion of the pacemaker under the skin and connection to the wire. In the past, Jung said, pacemakers for dogs were older human models, which only regulated the beating of the heart’s bottom chamber. Today’s human pacemaker regulates the heart’s top and bottom chambers. In the last two years, manufacturers have started donating human pacemakers, or offering them to the veterinary cardiology community at reduced costs. “We are able to offer the device at no additional cost to the owner,” Jung said. “Dogs are now able to get the most up-to-date pacemaker on the market.”
Feline Research Seeks to Better Understand Human Diabetes Dr. Emily Graff doesn’t think about cats the same way as most people. Although she sees them as loving companions, Dr. Graff views cats as a gateway to better understanding diabetes. A post-doctoral fellow at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Graff heads a research project focused on obesity and diabetes in cats in the hope that it will lead to new discoveries, and possible new treatments for human diabetes. Dr. Graff was one of several Auburn researchers presenting findings during the 9th Annual Boshell Research Day held in February. The conference brings together researchers and scientists studying diabetes and metabolic diseases to share information and present their research findings. Her research is under the umbrella of the Boshell Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Research Program based in the College of Veterinary Medicine, which collaboratively works with more than 40 faculty across Auburn University. Boshell is a research initiative that seeks to better understand and treat diabetes and metabolic diseases by uniting the efforts of researchers across the university.
70 percent of people with Type 2 Diabetes die from cardiovascular problems including hypertension and heart attacks that develop from insulin resistance and obesity. Doctors and scientists understand a great deal about what occurs in obesity and diabetes, but the question
Dr. Heather Gray-Edwards, and Jessica Cannon
of “why” is challenging. Dr. Graff and her research team hope that by understanding why cats tend not to develop cardiovascular disease from diabetes, they will be able to better understand and treat diabetes in humans. Collaborating with several researchers within the Department of Pathobiology and the Scott-Ritchey Research Center at the college, as well as scientists in the Harrison School of Pharmacy, Dr. Graff and her team have studied 12 cats, all male, neutered and within a month of age, for 18 months to see how the cats’ bodies changed as they gained weight and developed diabetes. Dr. Graff said that the project is a collaborative endeavor, not only because of the diverse fields that her research partners come from, but because it’s based at a veterinary college.
“Cats work very well for a translational model for humans, because just as in humans, cats develop diabetes naturally,” “Being in a veterinary school is important, because animals Dr. Graff said, adding that cats are a near perfect model are here consistently, and we can reference pre-existing to study. information as we conduct our own research,” Dr. Graff said. “If we weren’t here, I don’t think this research would A key difference, however, in human and feline diabetes is be possible.” that cats tend not to develop cardiovascular issues. About With the first phase of the project complete, Dr. Graff and her team have verified that cats serve well as a model for humans, and have uncovered many questions about diabetes in cats. Her next step is to understand why. “I look at this project as a gateway: by finding one piece of data, we answer one question, which leads to another,” Dr. Graff said. “That’s the point of research: that we’re always asking questions, and we’re always looking for the answers.” Dr. Emily Graff
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN 7
Eagles Participate in Colorado Wind Technology Research The Auburn eagles recently participated in research
While participating in the research, both of
with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National
Auburn’s eagles wore sophisticated GPS tracking
Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado to help
and logging devices as they do each time they fly
test new technology aimed at keeping birds of prey
in Jordan-Hare Stadium, which provided constant
safe from wind turbines.
monitoring of their location.
Golden Eagle Nova, War Eagle VII, and Spirit, a
“This was an opportunity for these birds to make
Bald Eagle, spent a week at NREL’s National Wind
an even bigger impact by providing data that may
Technology Center. Southeastern Raptor Center
protect their wild brethren worldwide,” said Hudson,
trainers Marianne Hudson and Andrew Hopkins
assistant director of education and raptor training.
and avian veterinarian Dr. Seth Oster, an assistant clinical professor, accompanied the eagles.
8 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Bird collisions with wind turbine blades are uncommon, but birds can fly at the turbine’s huge
blades, so anything that can be done to protect them is important for both the wind industry and the wildlife. Golden eagles, protected under federal law, are among the large birds that could interact with wind turbines in the wild. In 2009, the NREL partnered with Laufer Wind to test their radar system to detect nearby planes and automatically switch on and off aviation warning lights on the turbines to forewarn pilots. The capability is important because, otherwise, lights have to be on all the time after dark, creating a nuisance to surrounding communities, impeding wind development and negatively impacting wildlife. After success with that system, researchers from Laufer Wind and NREL turned their attention to testing the radar system’s capabilities to detect birds. Laufer Wind was able to piggyback on other research being conducted, shifting to include Auburn’s eagles to directly test the avian detection system. “They’re looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Jason Roadman, an engineer with NREL. “The radars process a gigabyte of data every minute; the trick is to discern the bytes of data that represent the bird. Learning the size, speed and flight characteristics of the eagle helps the radar determine what is and isn’t a bird.” The aim of the research is to be able to detect birds
distance, there is time to positively identity an eagle for the wind turbine to stop and protect the eagle from collision with rotating blades. “As a nation, we need more sources of clean energy, such as windpower. Providing technologies that enable wind energy projects and wildlife to co-exist is how IdentiFlight came to be,” said Tom Hiester, president of IdentiFlight. “Through the test with Auburn University, we can further understand eagles and build on our computer algorithms that use size, shape, color, and flight characteristics to identify species of concern.”
so that an alert can be sent to the wind power plant operator in time to shut down the blades. “The more eagle testing time in the air, the better your bird detection algorithms will be,” Roadman added. The test involved a radar made by Laufer Wind and a system called IdentiFlight developed by Renewable Energy Systems, a leading wind developer and construction company, through a partnership with Boulder Imaging. They have developed a system of cameras that detect raptors at up to 1,000 meters from a wind turbine. At this
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
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FACULTY NEWS
On Parakeets and Cattle
Celebrating the Wisdom of Dr. Dwight Wolfe You’d be hard pressed to find a man as sought after as Dr. Dwight Wolfe when it comes to cattle expertise. After 35-plus years teaching and mentoring more than 3,600 students and receiving numerous industry awards and honors, Dr. Wolfe has a well-deserved reputation as one of the nation’s foremost large animal veterinarians. And, while Dr. Wolfe has officially retired from the College of Veterinary Medicine, you can still find him around the food animal barns and the J.T. Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital, providing his wisdom and knowledge to clients, faculty and students. If you know Dr. Wolfe’s achievements, but not his personal history, you might be surprised to learn that he didn’t come from a farm background. “My father 10 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
worked for the railroad, and we moved constantly. I attended 13 schools before I graduated high school,” Dr. Wolfe said. “I’m a city boy, and originally I wanted to be an architect. Despite that, I became a veterinarian, and spent most of my career with cattle.” Dr. Wolfe’s first exposure to veterinary medicine came from taking Saturday calls with an ambulatory veterinarian in Memphis, Tenn. His first case was an in-field surgery on a horse that lasted over 15 hours, an experience which would influence him greatly in the future. By his own admission, Dr. Wolfe didn’t get off to a great start in his adult life. Studying to be an architect, he tried to manage a 40-hour work week, being a husband and father, and completing his college obligations. The results were unsatisfactory grades.
FACULTY NEWS “I remember telling my wife Karen around that time, ‘I wish I knew enough about something that someone would call and ask my opinion,’” Dr. Wolfe said. “It’s been many times over the years that she’s reminded me of that.” And even though he hung up his educator hat last November after 36 years teaching, Dr. Wolfe has excellent advice for students. Recognizing the need to continue his education has helped Dr. Wolfe to become the respected veterinarian and educator he is. He feels that some of today’s students are beginning to ignore those opportunities. “‘Why are you teaching me that? I don’t need to know that,’ is a common response I sometimes hear in the clinic,” Dr. Wolfe said. “I use the analogy of a parakeet veterinarian: if you want to be a parakeet veterinarian, you still have to know about a lot of other animals to get a license to be a parakeet veterinarian.” “I wanted to be an architect because I like to build things, but I had a lot of bad grades, and things weren’t going well,” Dr. Wolfe said. “When I got serious about school, and decided that I wanted to be a veterinarian and an equine surgeon, then I made good grades.” It wasn’t until 1973, more than 10 years after he graduated high school, that Dr. Wolfe received his B.S. in animal science. He then enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine, where he received his DVM in 1977. Reflecting on his graduating class, Dr. Wolfe is amazed at how much veterinary students have changed. There were only nine women in his graduating class. By contrast, the Class of 2015 graduated 90 women and 23 men, and gender isn’t the only change Dr. Wolfe has observed.
Dr. Wolfe advises students to be open to everything that faculty have to teach, because it comes not from arrogance or bias, but from years of hard-won experience. “Faculty and administrators are the gatekeepers of the profession; we decide who gets in, what they’re taught and who graduates. Students don’t know what they need to know. Faculty do,” Dr. Wolfe said. Though he remained committed to finishing his residency, his experience changed his views on becoming an equine surgeon. “During my residency, we did week-long shifts for emergency duty, and I did as many as five horse colic surgeries a day,” Dr. Wolfe said. “Eventually, the surgeons said, ‘They are sending horses here to be treated by qualified surgeons, so that’s what we need to do.’ That made emergency duty much simpler, and cured my desire to be an equine surgeon.” Dr. Wolfe completed his residency and accepted a faculty position at the college. He also began to concentrate almost exclusively on cattle, an industry and people that he came to love.
“When I first started, people came to vet school with a goal, usually based on a life experience,” Dr. Wolfe said. “Being a veterinarian is a people business, and animals are why we “It wasn’t unusual for graduates to be over thirty, because get together,” Dr. Wolfe said. “By and large, cattle owners are pretty they had families and work experience before coming to laid back, down-to-earth, easygoing people, and I enjoy working the school. You don’t see that as much anymore.” with people like that.” Dr. Wolfe feels that a starting job, be it in fast food or in a veterinary practice, allows students and faculty to understand how people “really work.” After graduation, Dr. Wolfe joined a five-man veterinary practice in east Tennessee, which at the time was considered a large practice. “There were five of us, but there should have been seven,” Dr. Wolfe said. “An 80-plus-hour work week wasn’t unusual at all.” After three years practicing, Dr. Wolfe decided he would complete a residency. It would allow him to spend more time with his children and enable him to gain knowledge he felt he desperately needed. Classmates of Dr. Wolfe’s from 1977 returned to Auburn for his retirement celebration.
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN 11
FACULTY NEWS In the cattle industry, each cow has a dollar value the owner can’t exceed in treatment. It requires creative solutions for treatment while keeping costs down. The challenges, and the people, have kept Dr. Wolfe engaged for more than 35 years. One man whom Dr. Wolfe acknowledges and thanks for his immeasurable influence on his career is the seventh dean of the college, Dr. J.T. Vaughan. “I ended up working part time in the clinic on weekends my first year,” Dr. Wolfe said. “On my first day, we walked through the barn assigning cases. There was a horse, which was Dr. Vaughan’s case. He looked at me and said, ‘We’ll handle this one,’ and he took me under his wing.” Dr. Vaughan taught Dr. Wolfe “a lot about veterinary medicine and a lot about life.” He learned many valuable lessons from the legendary surgeon, even when he wasn’t thrilled to do so. “In the late ’90s, life was good. I had just gotten promoted to full professor, had good research funding, had just signed a contract to write a textbook, and I was president of the American College of Theriogenologists. Dr. Vaughan decided to make me the large animal department head. We talked for two hours about why I didn’t want to do that. At the end he said, ‘I understand,’ and he put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘but Dwight, I’d consider this a personal favor.’ So I said, ‘Yes sir,’ and that settled it.” One of Dr. Vaughan’s most important lessons for Dr. Wolfe and others was to show respect for everyone, and Dr. Wolfe continues that value with colleagues
12 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
and students to show that, without respect, collaboration is impossible. “When a student makes a mistake, it’s very easy to say, ‘Well that person’s dumb!’ They’re not dumb. They wouldn’t be here if they were dumb,” Dr. Wolfe said. “Faculty have an obligation to help students get where Dean Johnson recognizing they want to go. Going Dr. Wolfe with the Bailey Distinguised Alumni Award. back to the parakeet: if a student comes to us, as large animal clinicians, and says they want to work on parakeets, then our job is to do everything we can to help them learn to treat parakeets.” Dr. Wolfe’s emphasis on communication extends beyond courtesy; to him it is explaining decisions even if it isn’t what the audience wants to hear. “One thing about Dr. Vaughan is that he could tell you no, and you’d understand why. I think that’s critical,” Dr. Wolfe said. It’s a testament to his character that a man who began his career as a college failure, and ranked at what he estimated was near the bottom of his veterinary class, now stands as one of the most highly regarded veterinarians in the field. In regards to his remarkable life, Dr. Wolfe remains humble and simply says, “I can’t imagine anything I could have done that would have been more satisfying to me than this.”
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER
A Jewel in the College’s Crown The Scott-Ritchey Research Center has a storied history and a bright future. From the founding trio and the fascinating story of how these unique individuals and their common commitment established this one-of-a-kind research Center, to stories of the people who began their academic pursuit of research and the research achievements made, Scott-Ritchey is truly a crown jewel for the College. Through this special section, former and current research faculty and staff recount the Center’s history and accomplishments. It was authored by Drs. Henry Baker, Steve Swaim, Bruce Smith, Doug Martin and Tatiana Samoylova.
About the Cover: Scott-Ritchey scientist Dr. Heather Gray-Edwards performs an MRI at Auburn University’s MRI Research Center on a cat monitored by Dr. Ashley Randal. Note the image of Dr. B.F. Hoerlein on the monitor to the left, who was a leader in advancing radiology, the imaging technology of his day, for veterinary medicine. He used money from the Scott Fund to purchase a rapid film changing instrument
“…the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow” ~Robert H. Goddard, rocket scientist
that allowed multiple radiographs to be taken at half-second intervals. This technology was rare for any veterinary college at that time and testimony to Dr. Hoerlein’s and the current Scott-Ritchey faculty’s dedication to state-of-the-art research methods.
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
13
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER
The Scott-Ritchey Research Center— One of a Kind The Scott-Ritchey Research Center is an integral
leading the Center. After her death in 2014,
part of Auburn University and the College of
Dr. Frank (Skip) Bartol, was named interim director
Veterinary Medicine. Nov. 18, 2015, marked the
until the naming of the next permanent director,
31st anniversary of the opening of the Center’s
for which a search has been launched by Dean
laboratory building. Many Auburn veterinarians
Calvin Johnson.
know the Center from personal experience as a student assistant or Summer Research Fellow. Companion animal owners may know of the Center because they received a letter telling them about a donation made to the Center’s work in memory of a beloved pet or had a pet’s life saved by a veterinarian using a technique invented by Center scientists. However you might know about the Center, this issue of the Auburn Veterinarian will bring you up to date about it and its future.
This issue is more than an update; it marks a milestone in the Center’s history and a map for the future. The Center is ready to expand under the leadership of a talented research scientist in the image of Dr. B.F. Hoerlein to lead the Center forward, employing exciting new technology that will enable advances in health for companion animals, as Dr. Hoerlein had envisioned and as his successors have been able to accomplish. Leading this one-of-a-kind center will be rewarding, but not
Seven years ago, the summer 2009 edition of the
without challenges that will be met largely with the
Auburn Veterinarian featured the Scott-Ritchey
help from those of us entrusted with its future.
Research Center. The seven years since have proven an extraordinary period in the life of the Center. The current economy impacted the Center’s endowment income, delaying the search for a director after the retirement of Dr. Henry Baker. Dr. Nancy Cox stepped up to the challenge of
To all our friends, we thank you for your continuing interest and support of the Center. We hope that you enjoy reading this issue as much as we have enjoyed reminding ourselves of the special Center that we work in and strive for every day.
War Eagle! The Scott-Ritchey family
14 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER
Mr. Kenneth A. Scott, a dog lover, hunting and fishing enthusiast, successful businessman and philanthropist, who planted the seed for the Scott-Ritchey Research Center.
Dr. Frank Hoerlein reading the third edition of his first-of-its-kind textbook on canine neurology.
Dr. Hoerlein’s Dream Historians often ascribe remarkable events that
Details of the genesis of the Scott-
are otherwise difficult to explain as coincidence or
Ritchey Research Center have been
happenstance. Others find deeper meaning, as was
told, but it is too fascinating a story
surely the case with the series of events starting
not to repeat. The research program
with Dr. B.F. Hoerlein’s dream of a companion
was conceived by Dr. B.F. Hoerlein in
animal research center, enabled by Kenneth Scott,
the mid-1950s when he was professor
a prosperous Great Lakes shipping company owner
and head of the Department of Small
and gun-dog enthusiast, facilitated by veterinarian
Animal Surgery and Medicine at
Dr. Ivan Fredrickson and given permanent financial
the College of Veterinary Medicine.
life by Eleanor Ritchey, a dog-loving, eccentric,
Dr. Hoerlen’s interest was canine
wealthy heiress of the Quaker State Oil Company.
neurology and his unique contribution
That is in essence the origins of the Scott-Ritchey
was pioneering innovative methods for
Research Center. To be sure, it is not all of the
surgical correction and care of dogs
story, which started in the 1950s. Through the
with paralyzing interverterbral disc
next half century, this unlikely intersection of
disease. In that era, Union Springs,
events has become an indelible reality. The Scott-
Ala. was the mecca of field trials, where
Ritchey Research Center symbolizes the shared
champion pointers and retrievers
wisdom of three uncommon founders, facilitated
performed for attendees of an annual
by a dedicated veterinary practitioner, fueled by
social and hunting extravaganza held
talented research scientists who remain committed
at the Maytag Plantation. Mr. Kenneth Allen Scott,
to improving the health and welfare of animals and
an avid field trial enthusiast, spent the fall season
their human companions. Today, the Center serves
at his home in Ethelsville, Ala., and brought his
companion animals and the people who love them
pointer dogs to Dr. Hoerlein’s Small Animal Clinic
Miss Eleanor Ritchey with some of the street dogs from Broward County, Fla., that she befriended and sheltered.
exactly as Dr. Hoerlein dreamed. Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
15
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER bution to this Scott Fund, hoping for a large gift of a few hundred dollars. Miss Ritchey did not make such a gift, but it was discovered at her death on October 14, 1968, that she bequeathed her entire estate to Dr. Hoerlein’s research program. Miss Ritchey was the granddaughter of Philip Bayer, co-founder of the Quaker State Oil Company, and was the sole heir to a fortune of Quaker State Oil stock. Her gift was reported to be worth $4.2 million, which at the time was the largest single gift to Auburn University and set a permanent fiscal foundation for the Center. Release of that Dr. Ivan Frederickson, center, with Dean J.T. Vaughan, right, and Scott-Ritchey Director Dr. Henry Baker, when Dr. Frederickson visited the Center in the early 1990s.
endowment for Dr. Hoerlein to construct the
of the veterinary college. Mr. Scott’s association with
program did not take place until 1981, because
Dr. Hoerlein started with his concern about heart
Miss Ritchey’s bequeath stipulated that none of
disease in one of his dogs, but evolved into financial
the estate would transfer to Auburn University
assistance for Dr. Hoerlein’s research to improve
until the last of the 160 stray dogs that she had
animal health. Mr. Scott became wealthy from his
sheltered on her 192-acre ranch in Jupiter, Fla.,
Great Lakes shipping company in Cleveland, Ohio;
had died of natural causes. Musketeer, the last of
and starting in 1955, he was able to offer substantial
Miss Ritchey’s beloved dogs, died June 4, 1984.
financial support for Dr. Hoerlein’s work, which was
When the move of the Small Animal Clinic from
especially significant because there were few sources
its location on main campus to the new Wire Road
of funding for companion animal research at that
veterinary campus was completed in 1970, space
time. Reflecting Mr. Scott’s business savvy, he offered
was reserved for a research building to house Scott-
to match any contributions to a “research fund” that
Ritchey laboratories. Thanks to a settlement made
Dr. Hoerlein might receive from his many veterinary
by trustees of the Ritchey bequeath, when the
graduates. Dr. Hoerlein cleverly suggested to alumni
remaining nine dogs were moved to a private kennel
that for a $5 donation to his research program
in 1981, a portion of the estate was released for
dedicated to improving the health of dogs and cats,
planning and construction of a laboratory building.
he would personally send a letter to the clients telling
The final phase of this building was dedicated Nov.
building, recruit a research team and create a
them of the gift to support small animal health made in memory of their client’s deceased pet. Although emulated numerous times, it originated in the fertile mind of Dr. Hoerlein and was a successful start to an enterprise the size and scope of which no one could have imagined at that time. Dr. Ivan Frederickson, a prominent veterinary practitioner in Hollywood, Fla., and a friend of Dr. Jimmy Greene, then head of the Department of Clinical Sciences, suggested to his client, Miss Eleanor Ritchey, that she might consider a contri16 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Tucker Frederickson, (son of Ivan) center, with Coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan and teammate Jimmy Sidle (No. 12, All-American QB in '63) during the 1964 season.
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER 18, 1984, five-and-a-half months after Musketeer’s
We had no idea that she was so
death. Although by this time Dr. Hoerlein’s health
wealthy, and my dad frequently
had forced his retirement, he was able to realize this
remarked that he was astonished
culmination of his dreams.
by her generous gift to Auburn. In
Although the Center is named for its two benefactors, its existence is due to the dedication of Dr. Benjamin Franklin Hoerlein, who used the gifts to create this special Center committed to advancing animal health through research, innovation and translation from laboratory results to clinical care. Of equal importance, this research Center also epitomizes One Health, the inseparable bond of good health shared by all living things. As told later in this issue, the Center is a pioneer in the reality of transferring discoveries in companion animal health into progress in human health. That is a gift from dogs and cats to people. Dr. Ivan Frederickson is appropriately credited with introducing Miss Ritchey to Auburn and the Hoerlein dream of a research program to better the lives of companion animals. In fact, Dr. Frederickson’s son Tucker (Ivan Charles Frederickson) was also critical to the Ritchey-Auburn connection. Tucker’s pivotal role in the history of the Center dates to his football days at South Broward High School. He recalls Miss Ritchey and her friendship with his dad this way: “I was a ‘kennel boy’ in my dad’s Hollywood Animal Hospital and had many occasions to meet Miss Ritchey when she came to the hospital in her new Cadillac to bring dogs to be treated or to pick up another stray that made its way to the hospital. The car was always stuffed with dogs. I remember Miss Ritchey as a somewhat quiet, but very polite lady, who thought that my dad was a ‘prince’. My father and Dr. Jimmy Greene from the veterinary school at Auburn were very good friends and it was through that friendship that my dad suggested to Miss Ritchey that she consider donating to the Scott Fund for Dr. Hoerlein’s research. Miss Ritchey loved my dad, but did not act on his suggestion until she left her fortune to Auburn.
addition to Miss Ritchey’s devotion to her dogs, she was a sports fan (her father was a professional baseball player). Whenever I played in Broward High School football games, Miss Ritchey was always in the stands. After high school, I wanted to play college football and attend vet school, so my coach suggested that I interview at the University of Georgia and Auburn. Wally Butts (UGA coach) scared the hell out of me, but Shug Jordan was kind and reassuring, so the decision to attend Auburn was an easy choice. I believe that without the close relationship between Miss Ritchey and my dad, her historical gift to Auburn and its foundation for the Hoerlein research center would never have happened.” As a post script, Nick Curry, a member of Miss Ritchey’s extended family, visited the Center in 1995 to witness for himself and the family what the Ritchey fortune, often ridiculed as “gone to the dogs,” had actually accomplished. This is his observation written on the last page of his two-volume history of the Bayer, Curry, Ritchey and Morck families: “It is the hope of this author that the memories of Mr. and Mrs. Philip J. Bayer, along with the beginnings of the Quaker State Corporation, will be preserved and perpetuated. In addition, it is hoped that the uniqueness and eccentricities of Eleanor Ritchey are truly appreciated as manifested today in the form of the one-of-a-kind Scott-Ritchey Research Center located at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. Hopefully, this treatise will serve as an introduction to all of the wonderful, great works that are currently being done there.”
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SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER
The Dream Comes True
numerous to be listed in this issue of Auburn Veterinarian, some of the most notable ones are described briefly below.
Neurological Diseases In addition to Dr. Hoerlein’s interest in interver-
During the three decades after Dr. Hoerlein
tebral disc disease, other neurological diseases and
assembled a research team and occupied Scott-
treatment methods were studied by the Center’s
Ritchey Laboratories, Center scientists have
founding faculty, including spinal trauma, decom-
more than honored the unspoken promise of Dr.
pressing injured spinal cords, new techniques for
Hoerlein to his benefactors that their investment
peripheral nerve anastomosis and grafting, electro-
would be rewarded by many important advances in
diagnostics and special radiography for nerve and
companion animal health. What was not spoken, or
muscle diseases. It is not possible to even summarize
even envisioned at that time, because it was not in
all of the pace-setting discoveries that were made by
vogue, was that the Center’s research would have a
Scott-Ritchey scientists in the early years, but the
profound influence on One Medicine. That idea is
first issue of Progress in Veterinary Neurology, the
disarmingly simple, all medical discoveries poten-
International Journal of Veterinary Neurology and
tially benefit all living things. For Scott-Ritchey
Neurosurgery (PVN) published in 1990 provides
faculty, the search for universal medical advances is
a glimpse. The first article, “Tribute to Benjamin
much more than a concept; it is what they do every
Franklin Hoerlein,” concludes with: “Today, Dr.
day. That effort includes the welfare of animals as
Hoerlein’s vision lives on, aided by the faculty and
well as the benefits that accrue to human health.
staff of the Scott-Ritchey Research unit, practiced by
Every research project conducted at the Center has
veterinarians in the field and supported by journals
animal and human health and welfare as the central
such as PVN—all dedicated to advancing the
focus. The resources of the Scott-Ritchey Research
specialty field of veterinary neurology.” This publi-
Center have been vital to the success of all of the
cation also recounts hallmark contributions to these
Center’s projects because state-of-the-art laboratories
fields and cites, in addition to Dr. Hoerlein, Auburn
and equipment allow cutting edge research to be
and Scott-Ritchey faculty including Drs. Oliver,
performed. This has led to high quality results and
Redding, Knecht, Braund and Vandevelde. Other
discoveries that lead the field. Finally, the human
articles in this inaugural issue were authored by
resources of the Center cannot be forgotten. The
prominent Auburn clinic neurologists including: Drs.
Center has and continues to provide a collaborative
Stephen Simpson, Richard Redding, Don Sorjonen
environment that allows powerful research teams
and Charles Knecht. The tradition of diagnosing,
to form and pursue some of the most relevant and
understanding the causes, preventing and treating
important questions facing human and animal
neurological diseases remains one of the pillars of
medicine today. The scientists and their science
Center research and translates to clinical care of
stand on the shoulders of administrators, laboratory
companion animals and human patients.
technicians and the gentle people who provide
This early research emphasis does suggest a limit to
loving care of the animals that are the primary subjects and beneficiaries of the Center’s science.
Dr. Hoerlein’s interests or imagination. In a 1979 brochure titled “The Scott-Ritchey Program,” a
Although a complete recollection of all of the
section on “Future Objectives” lists 10 goals for
discoveries creditable to Center scientists are too
the program, the second of which reads: “Genetic
18 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER studies of disk disease and the pathogenesis of
Veterinary medicine was slow to join the
other hereditable diseases where animals can serve
revolution in genetics and molecular medicine, but
as models for human disorders, e.g., Tay Sachs,
Scott-Ritchey Research Center scientists led the
Krabbe’s and Lafora’s diseases.” It was prophetic
profession by establishing a Molecular Medicine
that a decade later colonies of cats with examples of
Program in 1992, recruited scientists trained in
these very diseases would be brought to the Center,
this new discipline, trained new scientists skilled
not only to fulfill this visionary goal, but to make
in molecular technology and began an exciting
medical history when cats with these fatal diseases
series of discoveries that advanced the health
were cured by gene therapy. Maybe it was just a
of animals and men. It is revealing to read the
coincidence that Dr. Hoerlein listed this goal, but,
personal account of Dr. Bruce Smith, the first
when added to all of the unlikely series of events
appointee to the Molecular Medicine Program at
leading to creation of the Center and its accom-
Scott-Ritchey. “When I was finishing my doctoral
plishments, some might conclude otherwise.
degree at the University of Pennsylvania, I read an
Molecular Medicine
advertisement in Science magazine about the Scott-
All great medical discoveries begin with brilliant ideas that are often controversial because they contradict accepted dogma. Final acceptance of these revolutionary theories must await discovery of enabling technology which allows their translation to practice. So it was with medical genetics and molecular technology. Sir Archibald Garrod upended the medical establishment in 1908 by suggesting what he called “inborn errors of metabolism,” which was a new theory of disease that challenged the accepted germ theory. As late as the 1970s, 70 years after Garrod advanced his new disease theory, genetics remained the least popular medical specialty, because at that time this clinical science amounted to cataloging abnormal appearances, and molecular biology was being invented, but not widely practiced. By the 1990s, medical science embraced gene identification, amplification, and correlation with human diseases. Today, more than a century after Garrod’s startling revelation, genes are precisely defined and genetic errors are known to cause specific diseases that can be prevented and treated. Medical genetics has finally taken its rightful place in research and practice. For example, one institution, the Johns Hopkins Institute of Genetic Medicine, now has 40 faculty, roughly four times the size of the Johns Hopkins division of pediatric surgery.
Ritchey Research Center establishing a program in Molecular Medicine and recruiting faculty, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students. I was impressed by the idea that such a program was at a veterinary school and it was advertised in Science magazine. I applied for a faculty position and was invited for an interview. The two days of my interview are still clear in my mind, in part because the remnants of Hurricane Andrew swept through Auburn on my first night, but mostly because of the people I encountered, their interest in my science and the high level of the science ongoing at the Center. Several months later, Director Henry Baker called me to offer me a position with the Center. “I arrived at the Scott-Ritchey Research Center on Aug. 3, 1993, almost exactly one year after my first trip, to assume the role of an assistant professor, scientist in the Center and a member of the Molecular Medicine Program. My primary research focus was on identifying new gene mutations causing inherited diseases of muscle. As a Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, I had access to the latest gene sequencing technology of the time, including an automated DNA sequencer. Before I had even set foot at the Center, Dr. Baker and I had written and submitted a grant proposal to purchase this machine for the Center. Our proposal was not
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
19
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER funded, to my great disappointment. Imagine then my pleasure when, shortly after I arrived, Dr. Baker asked me to order the machine, in spite of the lack of extramural funding. And to top it off, the Center had already purchased a DNA synthesizer, so that we could make DNA primers needed for sequencing. “To the best of my knowledge, this made Auburn only the second veterinary school in the United States with this technology. Unlike many other academic institutions, these resources, as well as many other state-of-the-art research assets, were not the possessions of a single faculty member, but rather they belonged to the Center and were accessible by all Center members, as well as collaborators
A Portrait of Hope
throughout the university and beyond. Additionally,
Porter, center, with his parents, Sara and Michael Heatherly, standing left. Henry and Trudy Baker, standing right, were the founders and caretakers of the original GM1 cats. Seated at right is scientist Dr. Doug Martin and Jack, who is a carrier of GM1 gangliosidosis.
these resources were physically positioned near the laboratories of like-minded faculty, creating collaborative research clusters.” During the next 17 years, Center scientists
genetic diseases, and major strides have been made
discovered genes causing brain and muscle diseases,
in defining the human genome. Similar advances are
perfected gene therapy to treat these diseases,
not as extensive in animals, but are developed at an
conducted international screening to prevent genetic
impressive rate. It is natural for humans to believe
diseases, discovered new molecular methods to
that we are exceptional among all animals, and while
treat cancer and developed advanced vaccines using
that is true with respect to our gift of intellect, it is
molecular technology. Here are their stories.
not true with respect to susceptibility to diseases.
Gene Therapy of Inherited Diseases
That is the foundation of the now-popular One
For some reason, inherited diseases do not invoke
essential that we understand the causes and cures
the same fear that is characteristic of infectious
of all animal diseases so that this vital information
diseases. The common belief is that they are ‘rare’
advances the health of all living things. With
and affect other people. While the cases of genetic
increasing frequency, discoveries made by research
diseases may be numerically less than infections, the
on naturally occurring animal diseases translate to
children who will die from a fatal genetic disease and
improved human medical practice.
their parents do not consider these diseases rare. In have substantially reduced large scale deaths and
Fatal Inherited Diseases of Cats and Children
suffering from infections, medical attention is
This story actually begins in 1970 when veteri-
appropriately shifting to diagnosis, prevention
narian Rick Becker sought help from the faculty
and treatment of inherited diseases. Molecular
of Comparative Medicine at the University of
technology provides the tools needed to combat
Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to diagnose a
fact, now that vaccines, antibiotics and diagnostics
20 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Medicine concept: that all animals share similar, if not the same diseases. Therefore, it is possible and
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER previously unrecognized neurological disease
fact, there are few institutions able
in a six-month-old Siamese kitten. That kitten
to support scientists who conduct
made history by being the first case of GM1
studies like these. The unique
gangliosidosis described by Drs. Henry Baker,
environment of the Center has made
Russell Lindsey, and Johns Hopkins physician
progress possible toward diagnosing
neuroscientist Guy McKhann. GM1 gangliosidosis
and treating several inherited diseases
causes a progressive deterioration of the nervous
in companion animals and people.
system, leading to death in cats by eight-10 months
Gene therapy is still in its infancy, but
of age. An unexpected finding was that this cat
this technology will be refined with
disease was strikingly similar, actually identical,
time, and the research investment
to a disease in children who live only two to
will pay off richly in improved health
four years. The findings from this first cat led to
and welfare of all animals including
the discovery of other families of cats with this
humans.
and similar inherited, fatal, degenerative nervous system diseases that are exact counterparts of these diseases in children. With the nurturing hands of Trudy Baker, assisted by legions of animal care staff and veterinary students, colonies of these cats were established; and, in 1991, they were brought to the Scott-Ritchey Research Center, setting the scene that would make history. The next chapter of this story was written by then-Ph.D. student Douglas R. Martin, whose graduate research project conducted at Scott-Ritchey was recorded in his 1999 doctoral dissertation titled “Gene Therapy of the Gangliosidoses.” In that year, gene therapy was a grand idea without enabling
The gene therapy studies began in
Dr. Henry Baker with Peaches, a carrier of GM1 who played an important role in GM1 research and later retired in the Bakers’ home.
2006, and, today, treated GM1 cats are living longer with profound improvements in their quality of life. Highlights of progress over the past 10 years include: • Treated cats live six times longer than untreated cats, but that is only the longest period observed to date! • Their quality of life is dramatically improved, with some treated animals being entirely normal at more than five years of age, compared with death at seven-eight months of untreated cats. • Federal and industry support for this
technology. The cat models and the Center were
research amounts to $2.1 million since 2010.
poised and ready for Dr. Martin and his co-workers
That is exactly half of the amount of Miss
to conduct studies leading to the impossible: injecting
Ritchey’s bequeath to start the Center.
a “trojan horse” virus carrying working copies of the defective genes into the brains of kittens destined to die, but who were miraculously cured!
Consistent with the fateful events that led to the Center itself, the gene therapy chapter grew from the alignment of many interconnected events.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this achieve-
The latest of these was the birth of a child, Porter
ment marks the first time in medical history that
Heatherly, afflicted with the human example
a global, fatal brain disease has been cured by
of the cat disease. Porter and his parents, Sara
gene therapy. It is also not an exaggeration to say
and Michael, live in Opelika, Ala., and attend
that this historic event happened because Scott-
the same church with Scott-Ritchey scientist Dr.
Ritchey enabled Dr. Martin and all of the other
Doug Martin and his family, but they did not
contributors to achieve this remarkable success. In
meet until after Porter was diagnosed with GM1
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
21
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER
Ultra-high resolution (T Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in collaboration with the Auburn University MRI Research Center enabled the Center’s gene therapy research to discover fine details of brain function before and after treatment.
gangliosidosis. That tragedy brought these families together. It also brought together the discoveries made in gene therapy at Scott-Ritchey with hope of life for children dying with these diseases. That meeting also brought other families stricken with these diseases to join in their common goal of finding a cure. The Tay-Sachs Gene Therapy Consortium, made up of scientists from the ScottRitchey Research Center and the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, among others, has partnered with Lysogene, a French biotechnology company, to find a cure for children. Curing cats is a promising start, and human clinical trials will start soon, not in time for Porter, but perhaps for other children like Porter and their families.
Dr. Bruce Smith
Center scientists Drs. Bruce Smith, Kyle Braund, and Jan Steiss worked together to identify examples of Duchenne-like Muscular Dystrophy in Corgi and Labrador Retriever dogs, and established colonies of dogs to study the causes and potential cures for these diseases. This work led to the identification of two additional mutations, one in the Labradoodle, and the reemergence of muscular dystrophy in English Springer Spaniels, in collaboration with Drs. Kellye Joiner, Department of Pathobiology, and Andy Shores, Department of Clinical Sciences. This collection represents the single-largest research resource of canine models of DMD in the world.
Muscular Dystrophy in Dogs and Boys Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited disease affecting one in 3,600 boys, which causes muscle degeneration and death by age 25. This disease is caused by an error in the gene which codes for an important structural component of muscle. While both sexes can carry the mutation, females are rarely affected. Symptoms appear between the ages of two and three; by age 10, braces are required to walk, and most boys are wheelchair dependent by 12. No therapy is available. 22 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
To date, the research team has identified the mutation responsible for causing three of the four dog diseases. The development of these models has been supported by both grant funds and by the Center, and are being developed world-wide. Current studies are focused on identifying the mutation in the fourth dog disease and the molecular reason for the progressive heart disease seen with this disease, which is now responsible for nearly all the deaths of boys with DMD. There is reason to hope that viral vectors may provide effective gene therapy for these boys. As discussed
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER in the next section, “Preventing Genetic Diseases,”
reveals that the road to gene therapy provided
this research generates the essential tools needed
Scott-Ritchey scientists with the essential tools
to eliminate muscular dystrophies in multiple
needed to make it possible to eliminate gangliosi-
dog breeds.
dosis from two pure breeds of cats. It is likely that
Preventing Genetic Diseases
without gene therapy research, these two breeds
Inherited diseases may be more prevalent in veterinary medicine than in human medical practice. That apparent paradox results because there are no rules of society, laws or religious restrictions on animals mating with close relatives. In fact, pure breeds of agricultural and companion animals have achieved uniformity and enhanced performance as a result of systematic mating of relatives with desirable characteristics. While increased genetic uniformity is beneficial, it also increases the occurrence of genetic diseases. Recessive traits are especially dangerous because individuals that ‘carry’ the genetic disease are relatively normal in appearance and until they give birth to an affected offspring, the disease is not even suspected. Remarkably, half of all progeny of such carriers will also be carriers. As a result, over several years, a pure breed can become silently infiltrated by recessive diseases until the disease trait is so widespread that the very existence of a breed can be threatened. That silent stalking of the inherited fatal nervous system disease known as gangliosidosis came close to destroying the Korat and European Burmese breeds of cats. Before this disease was diagnosed in a kitten, the carrier rate among cats in 11 countries reached 25 percent. If the carrier rate for a human infection Beautiful Korat kittens
was discovered to be 25 percent, it would be declared a threat to world health.
If you read the story about gene therapy of gangliosidosis and wondered what it had to do with improving the health of dogs and cats, this section
might not exist today. If gene therapy is a cat’s gift to children, by nurturing this research, the ScottRitchey Research Center returned the gift to cats. Two modern technologies allowed Scott-Ritchey scientists to save these breeds from extinction. The first was molecular technology that enabled identification of the precise cat genes and their disease-producing errors. Using that information, transformative technology, gene amplification and gene sequencing provided, for the first time, the ability to these specific genes and tell which cats are normal, which are carriers and which have the disease. This information gave breeders exactly what they needed to eliminate carriers from their breeding stock. The second technology that made international screening possible is electronic communications, including web-based information and email. This instant world-wide communication allowed breeders in North America, Europe, Great Britain, and Asia to communicate easily with Center experts, compare experiences with these diseases with each other and provide rapid reporting of screening results on samples sent to the Center for molecular diagnosis. With financial assistance from an anonymous benefactor, the Center conducted an international screening program that accepted several thousand blood samples from Korat and European Burmese breeders, screened their cats for the defective gene, and provided an official document of the genetic status of each cat, all at no cost to the owners. This program told breeders which of their stock were carriers and, armed with that information, allowed them to systematically rid their catteries of these diseases. This program was so successful that some countries would only register Korats or European
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
23
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER Burmese that had documentation from Scott-
patient’s immune system to the therapeutic gene.
Ritchey that proved that they were normal for the
Because these patients had never made the normal
gangliosidosis gene.
muscle protein, their immune system treats it as
The significance of this achievement must be appre-
being foreign and works to destroy this mistaken foe.
ciated in the context of two historic facts: This was
While this is a terrible problem for the treatment of
the first time that, by examination of the affected
inherited disease because it causes the inactivation
genes themselves, the Center could determine,
of the very protein that could save the patient’s life,
with absolute certainty, which cats carried the
it holds great promise for the treatment of cancer.
deadly traits. Previous genetic testing was based
After all, the ultimate cancer therapy is to find and
on enzyme assays that, while useful, could not
destroy cancer cells, wherever they might be in the
diagnose carriers with the same certainty as the
body, without harming adjacent normal cells. What
molecular test. Elimination of numerous carriers
better way to do this than to harness the body’s
who might represent the best of these breeds could
own sentinel against disease, the immune system.
have resulted in the unintended consequence of destroying two beloved cat breeds. Instead, Center scientists suggested that carriers who had championship characteristic be bred with cats that tested genetically normal. Yes, that would result in half of the kittens being carriers, but which ones? The program offered to test all of the kittens from these matings, one quarter of whom would be genetically normal and provide new breeders, and the half that were carriers could be neutered and given or sold as pets. This is likely the first time in veterinary history that screening for a genetic disease saved two pure breeds from extinction. This achievement sets precedence for veterinarians to discover other inherited diseases, learn the genetic basis for them, and conduct screening programs that eliminate them, which will save lives and prevent suffering at a scale approaching the miracle of vaccines. Thus, the veterinary profession is given another opportunity to fulfill its mission of serving animals and their companions.
Molecular Targeting Cancer
Perversely, this approach has exactly the opposite problem as treating inherited disease. That is, because the immune system believes that proteins on tumor cells are “self”, the very mechanisms that protect us against destroying ourselves (e.g., autoimmune disease) also reduce the ability to recognize tumors as foreign invaders. For years, it was assumed that this mechanism, known as tolerance, was the reason that tumors grew without interference from the immune system. We now know this isn’t true. In fact, many proteins expressed by tumor cells would normally be expressed early in development and as a consequence are never recognized by the immune system. Other proteins present on tumor cells represent new proteins that are created by alterations in genes that cause the tumor. Ultimately, tumors grow, not because they are not recognized by the immune system, but because that recognition is suppressed by mistake. Based on this knowledge, the Center’s cancer initiative seeks to identify ways to enhance immune
The journey to research on cancer therapies was
recognition of tumor cells. Our initial effort
an accident of fate and coincidence. While actively
included two collaborators, Drs. David Curiel,
engaged in research on inherited muscular dystro-
director of the Gene Therapy Division of the UAB
phies, Dr. Bruce Smith studied the transfer of genes
Cancer Center, and UAB oncologist Marty Conry,
to skeletal and cardiac muscle. One of the major
who needed animal models for their human colon
complications to this approach is the reaction of the
cancer research. While dogs rarely suffer from this
24 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER
This research could not have been done without the resources of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center and collaboration with clinical scientists of the College of Veterinary Medicine and physicians at UAB. The Center has and continues to provide a collaborative environment that allows powerful research teams to form and pursue some of the most relevant and important questions facing human and animal medicine today.
Dr. Bruce Smith, senior scientist at the Scott-Ritchey Research Center and professor of Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Smith leads the university’s AURIC (Auburn University Research in Cancer) initiative.
particular cancer, their immune response is similar
them selectively. In addition, the virus causes the
to that in humans. Since their vaccine was revolu-
immune system to “vaccinate” treated dogs against
tionary, consisting of DNA instead of proteins,
its own tumor. This virus has been tested in clinical
the first step was to demonstrate that a prototype
trials in collaboration with Drs. Annette Smith and
DNA vaccine produced an immune response in
Stephanie Schleis of the Department of Clinical
dogs. Those experiments conducted in the Center
Sciences and the Oncology Service of the Wilford
became the first time that such a vaccine had been
and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital.
shown to work in dogs, or any species other than
Preliminary results show that the virus does cause
the laboratory mouse.
the expected immune responses to these tumors in
Since osteosarcoma in dogs share many features with their human counterpart, therapy of this fatal tumor became a focus of cancer research in the
some dogs, and the number of patients surviving for more than a year was doubled over standard treatments.
Center. In dogs, osteosarcoma typically affects large
This research could not have been done without the
breeds, and even with amputation of the affected
resources of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center and
leg and aggressive chemotherapy, this type of
collaboration with clinical scientists of the College
cancer is usually fatal within a year due to spread of
of Veterinary Medicine and physicians at UAB. The
tumors to lungs.
Center has and continues to provide a collaborative
Working in collaboration with UAB cancer scientists Drs. Curiel and Gene Siegel, a modified canine adenovirus vector, a molecularly-engineered cousin of the dog hepatitis virus, was developed for gene
environment that allows powerful research teams to form and pursue some of the most relevant and important questions facing human and animal medicine today.
therapy. This virus, which normally infects, but does not cause disease in dogs, was altered to only reproduce in growing bone tumor cells and kill
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
25
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER
The Miracle of Vaccines
Several promising
In the 1960s, Auburn’s small animal teaching
ceptive vaccines are
hospital included an isolation ward for dogs suffering from canine distemper and cats with panleukoplenia. Dr. Hoerlein called it the ‘crud ward’, where students volunteered to care for these very sick animals: not to cure them, because there was no cure, but to comfort them while they were dying.
solutions using contrabeing investigated by Scott-Ritchey faculty. Two Center research teams, led by Drs. Tatiana Samoylova and Henry Baker, are
That sad history is erased by the remarkable
developing vaccines
fact that the new Bailey Small Animal Teaching
that silence the master
Hospital has no ‘crud ward’ because vaccines
reproductive control
have eliminated these terrible diseases. These two
which prevents fertility
diseases exemplify, but are not the only lethal
and objectionable
infections of animals and people prevented by the
breeding behavior.
miracle of vaccines. In fact, vaccines have prevented
Gonadotropin Releasing
more suffering and deaths than any other medical discovery. Scott-Ritchey scientists have already produced and will continue to build on important advances in health by making vaccines even more miraculous. Vaccines are best known to protect against infectious diseases, and Scott-Ritchey scientists are working not only to improve this traditional application, but also to extend this powerful technology to solve other important animal and human health problems.
Hormone (GnRH) is the master control of all reproductive function, and making antibodies that inhibit this key controller suppresses all reproductive function, including fertility and undesirable breeding behavior. Therefore,
Euthanasia to control overpopulation kills more
the Center’s research
dogs and cats than all infectious diseases combined.
on population control
This capture-and-kill method of control was started
vaccine development
a century ago in desperation to prevent rabies.
targets GnRH.
Rabies vaccine solved this killer disease, but after
The focus of one project
all of this time the problem of unwanted dogs and cats is greater than ever because this failed method attacks the result, not the cause of the problem. Uncontrolled breeding is the root cause, and until that is solved, the greatest cruelty to our most beloved companion animals will continue and worsen. Surgical sterilization is effective and permanent, but is not up to the task of the overwhelming size of the problem. A non-surgical, easily administered method of controlling fertility and breeding behavior is needed. 26 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Vaccines that are a contraceptive also suppress objectionable breeding behavior and change secondary sex characteristics as show in the vaccinated male cat above, which contrasts with the age-matched intact tom cat on top, showing a characteristic attitude.
uses bacteriophages (phages) as unique anti-GnRH carriers. Phages are viruses that infect bacteria, not animals, and they can be genetically re-engineered to deliver antigen that can block the reproductive system.
Dr. Tatiana Samoylova, research professor and an expert in phage display technology, is a leader in Scott-Ritchey’s research efforts on contraceptive vaccines.
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER Phages can be produced in large quantities from
from the disease and prevented infection as well
bacterial cultures, making the cost much lower than
as virus shedding. Veterinarians would be using
standard vaccines. These vaccines are stable at room
this vaccine today except that the public resists
temperature, making them well suited for use in field
anything identified as DNA.
conditions without refrigeration. Recently, a study of phage-based vaccines against GnRH produced significant reduction of serum testosterone in mice, leading to evaluation in cats and dogs.
Results of the parvo vaccine discovery suggested ways that DNA sequences could stimulate the immune systems of dogs and cats. These experiments resulted in the first demonstration
A related project used a non-disease producing
that molecular stimulants are effective and safe in
human adenovirus vaccine as the “carrier” for an
enhancing vaccine response of both dogs and cats.
anti-GnRH antigen. This project has progressed successfully through pilot studies in laboratory mice and is ready for testing in dogs and cats. This product has been patented by Auburn University and will be ready for commercial development after completing tests required for regulatory approval.
Vaccinating puppies and kittens from common diseases requires guessing when passive protection from their mothers declines enough to allow active immunity induced by vaccines. That period varies as much as a month, and the wrong guess allows infection to occur. The currently accepted
A third technology uses DNA to target GnRH
practice is to cover this gap in protection with
hormone receptors (GnRHR); the technology
multiple doses of vaccines. Research ongoing in the
inhibits reproduction.
Center may be able to solve this problem and even
To date, genetically engineered DNA vaccines
eliminate the need for booster immunization to
produced promising results in laboratory mice.
achieve maximum protection.
These projects have a high potential to achieve
The Auburn University Interdisciplinary Research
the ultimate goal of a non-surgical alternative to
Grants Program is funding this important work at
eliminate the serious overpopulation of dogs and
Scott-Ritchey in collaboration with the Department
cats worldwide.
of Chemical Engineering.
DNA Parvo Vaccine
Healing Hands
Soon after the world panzootic caused by canine
Dr. Steven Swaim, Dr. Hoerlein’s protégé, was
parvovirus, several vaccines based on a modified
appointed the second Center director in 1984.
virus were approved by the federal government.
Although the Center’s founding faculty members
When Dr. Ronald Schultz, a former Auburn
were aligned primarily with Dr. Hoerlein’s interest
faculty member, evaluated these existing six
in neurological diseases, Dr. Swaim added his
vaccines he found that four were completely
interest and research program in wound healing
ineffective and, while two prevented clinical
and reconstructive surgery.
disease, one of those allowed infection and viral shedding. Center scientists Drs. Bruce Smith and Henry Baker, in collaboration with Dr. Larry Swango of the Department of Pathobiology and doctoral student Wayne Jiang, took a dramatically different approach by developing a DNA parvo vaccine, which they showed protected dogs
The Center’s program began a decade earlier when senior students returning from preceptorships reported that improved ways to manage severe wounds were needed by veterinary practitioners. During the 30-year history of this program, more than 84 projects were completed including reconstructive surgery procedures for wounds and
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
27
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER tumor management, medical and physical treatment
resulted in a method to inject silicone under foot
of wounds, salvaging severely injured limbs and
pads that provided physical and physiologically
preventing paw injury in performance dogs.
sound cushioning that restored function to these
Highlights of accomplishments of this work include: improved foot pad and paw reconstruction, methods to close large wounds, vascular stimu-
athletes. This method suggests similar padding for human diabetics with unhealed pressure-induced ulcers on their feet.
lation, bioactive materials, electromagnetic fields,
Dr. Swaim shared the successes of his research in three
fibrin sealents to reduce healing time, and unique
internationally-recognized definitive texts on wound
wound bandaging techniques.
management and reconstructive surgery of dogs and
Dr. Swaim’s research team developed reconstructive methods that could avoid amputation and restore function of dogs with severely injured limbs. Within a month after the team perfected a method to transplant footpad tissue, a puppy with extensive
cats, which emphasize the translation of research to patient care. During his 35-year career at ScottRitchey, Dr. Swaim inspired legions of veterinary students who learned newly-developed laboratory methods and applied them in their practices.
injuries after being hit by a train was treated by
He attracted and guided Summer Research Fellows
AUVCM. The puppy survived the accident, but
from Auburn and Tuskegee Colleges of Veterinary
one leg could not be saved and he suffered a severe
Medicine and mentored graduate students who
injury to another of his paws. Scott-Ritchey’s
have become leaders in the science of wound
newly-developed transplant method was used to
healing in industry and academia. In addition to
reconstruct his paw to full function and save him
what these students learned about wound healing,
from euthanasia. This lucky dog, Buddy, lived
they learned an equal measure about life from
a normal, long and happy life as the adopted
“Doc” and his countless inspirational “Swaimisms.”
companion of Dr. Swaim’s graduate student,
All of this says much about Dr. Swaim the man and
Dr. Dino Bradley.
professional, but it also reflects the inspiration of his Another study took the research team to Alaska to
Dr. Steve Swaim
mentor, Frank Hoerlein, and the ultimate enabler of his success, the Scott-Ritchey Research Center.
evaluate injuries to sled dogs’
In Dr. Swaim’s words, “I feel very fortunate that my
paws caused by strenuous
career in veterinary medicine provided me with the
running for long periods on
opportunity to be both a practitioner and research
ice and snow. Their solution
scientist. Dr. Hoerlein played a major part in that
was to design protective
because he required and allowed me to do both.”
boots that prevented injury, but did not interfere with
performance. They also studied methods to prevent painful, disabling and performance-interfering calluses on the paws of greyhounds. That study
28 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
The Next Generation
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER
Graduate education and research training have been
familiar with preventing
core functions of the Center since its inception. In
infectious diseases, proper
fact, the first funds contributed by Kenneth Scott
cat handling and restraint,
were for stipends that launched the research careers
recognition of diseases, and
of six veterinarians, including Center Director Dr.
feline pediatrics. I am sure
Steven Swaim.
that this was a once-in-a-
Over the next 43 years, that legacy of shaping the future of research by attracting and training the
lifetime experience and will be a great benefit to me in the near future.”
next generation of scientists has been preserved and
We highlight a few examples of the many trainees
expanded. For example, during the decade between
who have been touched by the Center who illus-
1992 and 2002, 19 graduate students earned the M.S.
trate how it contributed to the future of five highly
or Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Sciences supervised by
successful scientists and enabled them to reach
Scott-Ritchey faculty. During that same period, 110
heights of excellence in clinical neurology, wound
veterinary students were introduced to research in the
healing, molecular medicine, shelter medicine, and
Scott-Ritchey Research Fellowship Program. While
academic leadership.
the majority of these students attended Auburn, there
Dr. Tammy Gibb Beckham
were representatives from 10 other veterinary colleges including six American, two Canadian, one Scottish and one German. Numerous other veterinary students learned about the Center and research by working part time in Center laboratories and animal care facilities. While there is no formal information on the outcome of introducing veterinary students to this exciting research environment, at the very least they learned to respect and appreciate the essential role of discovery for progress of the veterinary profession and medical science.
Dr. Beckham was a Scott-Ritchey Summer Research Fellow during her veterinary education. After earning her DVM degree, magna cum laude in 1998, she pursued the Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences with mentorship by Dr. Henry Baker in the ScottRitchey Research Center. Because she was a captain in the United States Army, she did her research on Ebola and other Filoviral infections
Dr. Tammy Beckham
under the direction of Dr. Neal Woollen at the U.S.
A member of the Class of 2006 when her
Army Medical Research Command’s biological
advancement to the clinical years necessitated her
containment facilities. Later, she served as director
having to stop working part time as an animal
of the National Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic
caretaker in the Center’s cat colonies, said this
Laboratory at the Plum Island Animal Disease
about the impact that her experience in the Center
Center; director of the Institute for Infectious
had on her development as a veterinarian: “ This
Animal Diseases, a Department of Homeland
experience has been more than just a part-time
Security Center of Excellence; and director of
job: it has been a wonderful learning opportunity.
the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic
Through my many weekends at the cat colony, I
Laboratory. In 2015, was named dean of the College
have sharpened my clinical skills, become very
of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University.
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
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SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER Dr. Beckham used her intellectual gifts and drive
in the Laboratory Animal Medicine Department
to reach her current position of excellence and
and was promoted to associate director in 2013.
influence on our profession. We value her success as a reflection of the early influence that the faculty of Scott-Ritchey have on professional achievements.
Drs. Swaim and Bradley worked as a team, tackling wound problems as diverse as sled dog paw injury, burn and trauma wounds. Their mentor-student
She describes that influence: “My tenure at
relationship flourished and produced many
the Scott-Ritchey Research Center formed the
important advances in veterinary wound and recon-
foundation for my career in research and education.
structive surgery.
My research experience and the mentorship I obtained from scientists at the Center helped me understand the role that veterinary medicine and, more specifically, veterinary research plays in animal and public health. The experience gained throughout my time at the Center opened the door for the many career opportunities that followed. The role that the Scott-Ritchey Research Center plays in exposing veterinary students to quality research experiences cannot be underestimated.”
Dr. Dino Bradley After earning the DVM degree from Ohio State University in 1984, Dr. Bradley found her way to Auburn to earn the M.S. degree under the direction of Dr. Steven Swaim. Her dissertation research conducted in the Scott-Ritchey Research Center was on injury to sled dog paws associated with hypothermia and physical stress. Dr. Dino Bradley
She stayed on to complete her
research training by pursuing the Ph.D. degree, with Dr. Swaim as her major professor, doing research on topically-applied medication on healing of wounds with exposed bone. After earning her doctoral degree in 1998, Dr. Bradley joined Johnson & Johnson as a principal scientist in the Wound Healing Technology Resource Center. She was promoted to principal scientist for the Center for Biomaterials of the Ethicon Company. In 2005, she joined Janssen Research and Development first as a senior scientist 30 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
In her words, “Working with Dr. Swaim at Scott-Ritchey was the first time that I personally experienced the importance of research and its benefits to clinical practice. My experiences demonstrated how the direct application of our research findings improved the lives of our patients, allowing them to maintain a good quality of life. Restoring good health to a pet always brings a smile.”
Dr. Joan Coates In 1994, Dr. Coates earned the M.S. degree in Neuroscience in the Scott-Ritchey Research Center under the direction of Drs. Nancy Cox, Don Sorjonen (chair), Steve Simpson, Jan Steiss, Jim Wright
Dr. Joan R. Coates
and Dana Vaughn. She completed her residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at Auburn and earned Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, specializing in neurology. Dr. Coates is currently professor of Veterinary Neurology & Neurosurgery and also serves as Neurology & Neurosurgery Service Leader and Physical Rehabilitation Service, and co-director of the Veterinary Health Center Small Animal Hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri.
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER Dr. Coates recently commented on research and
Dr. Bradbury exemplifies the unique ability of the
Scott-Ritchey: “I consider research to be very
Scott-Ritchey Research Center and the faculty
challenging but also rewarding. Part of research
to reach the brightest minds and inspire them to
is being willing to accept the ebbs and flows that
pursue biomedical research and preserve that legacy
experimentation brings. It is important to seek
of the Center.
inspirational mentors, keep current and to present research results at scientific meetings. It is also important to be open to critiques and learn from others who have different opinions. This enables one to take their research possibly on a different or even better path. There was no better place to have my career begin in the specialty of veterinary neurology and neuroscience research. I will be forever grateful for the mentoring provided to me from the faculty in the Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Auburn University.”
Dr. Allison Baker Bradbury Dr. Bradbury served as a research assistant at the Scott-Ritchey Research Center in 2006 when she
career,” she said. “Dr. Douglas Martin welcomed me to his laboratory as a research assistant when I was just out of college with negligible laboratory skills. He taught me experimental methods, how to analyze and interpret data, and how to report results with clarity. That experience enticed me back to the Center as a Ph.D. student guided by this inspirational mentor. My research training prepared me for a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine where I continue to develop molecular therapies in animal models, leading to human clinical trials that will improve the outcome for devastating diseases. I am forever grateful and indebted to Dr. Martin and Scott-Ritchey for giving me a chance, inspiring me to grow professionally, and providing the sound training needed
helped discover the
to become an independent scientist.”
precise mutation
Dr. Brenda Griffin
responsible for the gangliosidoses in Burmese cats, Dr. Allison B. Bradbury
“The Scott-Ritchey Research Center shaped my
leading to the
Center’s international screening program that eventually eliminated that genetic disease from the Burmese breed. Building on this research experience, she entered the doctoral degree program in Biomedical Sciences in Scott-Ritchey under Dr. Douglas Martin. Her dissertation research focused on immune effects of gene therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. She earned the Ph.D. in 2014 and accepted advanced training at the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, where she is extending her research experience on other animal models of inherited metabolic and nervous system diseases.
After earning the DVM degree from the University of Georgia, Dr. Griffin interned at the Angell Memorial Hospital, followed by residency training at the Animal Medical Center of New York, and then as a Small Animal Medicine Resident at Auburn University. She earned the M.S. in Biomedical Sciences with Dr. Baker in the Scott-Ritchey Research Center in
Dr. Brenda Griffin
2001, where she remained on the faculty. While at the Center, she founded the Trap-Neuter-Return program to successfully control feral cats on the Auburn campus. She co-founded the Alliance for Contraception of Cats and Dogs and was a
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
31
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER co-investigator on several research projects to
Research encourages us to think critically, to apply
develop non-surgical contraceptives for animal
knowledge and evidence in new ways, and to
population control. She developed a noninvasive
create new knowledge through discovery. During
model for monitoring ovarian function in
the course of my work at the Center, I learned
laboratory cats, emphasizing the impact of housing
essential lessons about managing animal popula-
management practices on stress and behavior.
tions and their health while working with research
“I consider the years that I spent working with Drs. Baker, Cox, Smith and the other Scott-Ritchey faculty as the most valuable in my professional career. My mentors in the Center encouraged me to pursue work that others considered ‘too controversial’ or ‘not worthwhile,’ and this ultimately shaped my career path in developing a new veterinary specialty in Shelter Medicine.
32 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
animals, free-roaming populations, and shelter medicine. There have been so many seeds planted by my experiences in the Center, and I was able to return this favor by mentoring countless veterinary students who assisted with both bench and field research on contraception, population control and humane sheltering.”
Sharing the Dream
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER
From the outset, Dr. Hoerlein understood the
and scientists at the University of Massachusetts
wisdom of encouraging veterinary and other faculty
School of Medicine, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital,
outside the Center to solve companion animal
the Hospital for Sick Children at Toronto in
health problems. He did this by offering research
Canada, the University of Toronto, the University
grants for applicants not affiliated with the Center,
of Cambridge in England, Boston College, the
who proposed projects relevant to the Center’s
University of Florida, Siemens Health Care, the
mission of improving the health and welfare of
McKnight Brain Institute, and the Institute for
companion animals.
Organic Chemistry in Austria.
In addition to broadening the scope of topics
As a member of the College of Veterinary
and participants, this policy helped to soften
Medicine, the Center has contributed materially
the understandable envy of those not directly
to advance the College. For example: Dr. Buris R.
supported by the endowment’s advantages of
Boshell was a 1947 Auburn graduate, an Auburn
facilities, resources and financial support. During
veterinary student (1947-49), a medical student at
the 15 years between 1990 and 2005, the Center
UAB (1949-1951), and graduate of the Harvard
awarded 32 Interdepartmental Research Grants to
School of Medicine (1953). He became a medical
veterinary faculty doing research worth more than
specialist in endocrinology and established the first
$490,000, the largest number of these awarded
hospital at UAB dedicated to research and patient
to faculty in the Department of Clinical Sciences.
care for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.
The Scott Fund continues to be the prime source of funding for these extramural projects which are offered every year. However, the primary limitation of these awards is the dollar limit on the scope and number of research projects that can be supported. A special Center grant was established that honors the memory of Dr. Ivan Frederickson that is intended to provide salary support for young veterinary college faculty who wish to spend at least half of their effort over two years doing research in the Center. Sadly, lack of adequate funding has prevented the use of this important award to draw new investigators into the Center’s mission.
Dr. Boshell never forgot his roots as a farm boy, or his love of animals. In fact, he bred Jersey cattle, Boxer dogs, and, after he established his professional success in diabetes, he became an internationally recognized breeder (Bo-Mar Kennels is named for him and his wife, Martha) and a judge of Miniature Pinschers. With that background, it is not surprising that in 1998, Dr. Boshell gave $600,000 to Auburn University to establish the Boshell Eminent Scholarship in Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases. This gift was intended to be matched with $400,000
Center research has benefited from extensive collab-
of state funds that qualified for
orations. In one year alone (2005), Center faculty
the Alabama Eminent Scholars
collaborated with 16 faculty in the college, three
Program. Unfortunately, the state
faculty at Auburn University and 12 investigators
did not have the funds to match
at other institutions. During the past five years,
this gift, leaving the fate of this
one research program conducted by seven Center
important opportunity in limbo
investigators collaborated with faculty of every
for two years while matching funds
department in the college, three Auburn schools,
could be found elsewhere.
Dr. Buris Boshell
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
33
SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER With the intended use of this gift in jeopardy,
For the past 15 years, under the leadership of
Dean J.T. Vaughan secured the fate of this program
College of Veterinary Medicine faculty member
by allocating $400,000 from the Scott-Ritchey
Dr. Robert Judd, this program has flourished and
Research Center to establish the Boshell Diabetes
has become a leading national center for research
and Metabolic Diseases Research Program.
on the causes and cures of diabetes and other important diseases of humans, dog and cats.
In Memoriam
Trendsetter Dr. Nancy Cox Nancy Cox earned the DVM from
recognition. For example, when the celebrated
Texas A&M in 1972 during a time
Canine Performance Sciences successor program,
when most of her classmates were
which began in 1990, needed interim leadership,
male members of the legendary
Dr. Cox preserved that important program and
Cadet Corps. Her family was from
kept it moving forward to the pinnacle of success it
San Antonio, but she extended her
enjoys today.
professional range by attending Auburn as a small animal intern, where she came to know and Dr. Nancy Cox
admire Dr. Hoerlein, and earned the M.S. degree in neurology under his tutelage. That set a path for her to return to the Scott-Ritchey Research Center after earning the Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology from the University of Alabama’s School of Medicine in 1987. Dr. Hoerlein brought Dr. Cox home as the Center’s pathologist and neuropathology specialist where she served for the remaining 27 years of her career. Dr. Cox established the critically-important Pathology Service for Center scientists, collaborated with all of them, attracted funding for her own research and, during the last years of her tenure, served with distinction as the fourth Center director. As professor of pathobiology, she taught neuropathology to students in the veterinary curriculum and was a role model for women students. She was a mentor, counselor and friend to many graduate students, junior faculty and technical staff. Dr. Cox, the administrator, served wherever she was needed, without fanfare or special
34 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Drs. Nancy Cox and Henry Baker met in 1975 when she followed her husband James to Birmingham where he entered the Cumberland Law School, and she joined the faculty of the Department of Comparative Medicine at UAB. Their professional partnership spanned 39 years of research collaboration and friendship, and resumed when Dr. Baker became the third director of the Center in 1991. He sums up Dr. Cox this way, “Nancy and I worked well together and complemented each other as a research team. We frequently disagreed on some detail, but always ended in full agreement, because she found the solution. Somehow, this lady did what most women aspire to, she succeeded professionally, was completely devoted to James and their children, was a community leader, all of that accomplished seemingly without exertion.” Dr. Cox died in 2014 after a struggle with cancer. Her courage and service to the Center, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Auburn University, will be remembered with great admiration, respect and love. Well done, Dr. Cox.
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER
Lives Touched by the Center The success stories of the Center involve more
asked him what he expected of me. His answer was
than its scientists and students. Several other quiet
direct and simple, ‘When you see something that
heroes stand out. The stories of three individuals
needs to be done, do it. If you need my help or
who devoted most of their adult lives and careers
advice, ask, but otherwise, just do it.’ I welcomed
to the Center are highlighted. The fourth story is
his confidence and encouragement, but knew that
not about those who contributed to the Center, but
meeting his expectations would not be easy. There
families who have been touched by the Center’s
was never anything too small for Dr. Hoerlein
research contributions to One Health and the
to do. He would tuck his tie in his shirt, and we
discoveries that advance gene therapy.
would treat animals or even clean kennels together.
Ray Allen
After a particularly difficult week, he found me In 1986, Dr. Hoerlein needed a manager for his new laboratory building
and announced that it was time to go fishing. We launched at a local lake and spent the afternoon talking about almost anything or nothing at all. We just relaxed in the warm afternoon sun, fishing.”
and wanted someone
This year Allen retired, almost. He keeps the Center
who could learn the
humming by attending to things three days a week,
system his way. He
or whenever a need arises.
chose Opelika native
Karla Meadows
Lamar “Ray”
In 1990, Director
Allen. Ray Allen
Steven Swaim
Allen recalls Dr.
managed the admin-
Hoerlein this way: “I was working in animal
istrative affairs of
care at the College when I met Dr. Hoerlein.
the Center with two
He explained that he was building a research
secretaries, one being
center and asked if I would be interested in
Karla Franklin. When
helping him with animal care and managing
Dr. Baker assumed
the building. My answer was, ‘Sure, I would
the directorship the
like to try something new.’ For the next two
following year, he
years, after work, I visited with the workers
Karla Meadows and Dr. Swaim
at the construction site and learned about the
administrative assistant, a position she held until 2005
heating, plumbing, electrical and mechanical
when she was named the College’s Business Manager.
services. I knew every corner of that building. Dr. Hoerlein considered the Center his second home and did not tolerate anyone not respecting it. Every morning Dr. Hoerlein had coffee with the other faculty, exchanging mostly social things before they went their separate ways for the day’s work. I
promoted her to
Karla remembers how the Center touched her life: “Early in my life, I knew that I wanted to serve others but felt that a career in healthcare was not my calling. I realized that while I might not be the physician or nurse, I could help the community serve humans and animals.
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
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SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER “Dr. Swaim loved his animal patients and knew the value of research in promoting better health of
Scott-Ritchey Research Center in 1982 working for
animals. He taught me the value of honesty, hard
Dr. Hoff, the first Center neuropathologist. When
work and love of work. He was and still is a role
the new histopathology laboratory was completed in
model in my life.”
phase II of the Center building in 1984, Dr. Hoff
“Dr. Baker is my other role model. He joined the Center in 1991 and commanded dedication and accountability.” “The Scott-Ritchey Research Center touched my life through its fundamental role of service and I personally reaped the rewards. Somehow the table turned from my serving to my being served!”
Atoska Gentry During Dr. Nancy Cox’s 38-year-career at Scott-Ritchey, many faculty, students, and staff benefited from her guidance, encouragement and generosity. While it is not possible to name all of them, one stands at the top of the list of lives touched by Dr. Cox and the Center. Atoska Gentry
“I started my career with what would become the
Atoska Studdard Gentry is a certified histologic technician who helped Dr. Nancy Cox build the Center’s Pathology Laboratory. During her 33 years at Scott-Ritchey, Gentry has managed the Center’s necropsy laboratory, prepared tissue for microscopic examination, maintained the laboratory’s chemical and equipment inventory, and preserved a library of case records and teaching materials. Most of all, she has assisted a legion of faculty, students and technical staff about everything ‘histopathology.’
36 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
retired and in 1985, his position was filled by Dr. Nancy Cox, who was one of the most intelligent people I have ever known. Although she was very professional, at the same time, Dr. Cox was always approachable, personable and very easy to work with and for. She was not only my boss, she was my mentor, good friend, and sometimes it felt as if she was a big sister. She even helped us choose our youngest daughter’s middle name. Dr. Cox suggested Rose so we named her Allysa Rose. I have a wealth of memories of Dr. Cox which I’ll cherish forever and I miss her dearly. I often referred to our beloved Dr. Cox as a superwoman because she was always busy and involved with so many various facets of scientific research in addition to the routine diagnostic work and teaching both undergraduate and graduate students. Being a part of the Auburn family, more specifically, the College and Scott-Ritchey family, has been one of the greatest experiences and honors of my life. In addition to the many benefits afforded me and my family, I wouldn’t trade the experience of working with so many great faculty, research technicians and students. Scott-Ritchey was my second home while I raised my two daughters, who are both Auburn graduates and starting their own careers. I hope that they will enjoy their life’s work as much as I have loved being a member of the Scott-Ritchey family.”
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER
Michael, Sara and Porter Heatherly
Sara Heatherly, Christine Waggoner and Dr. Doug Martin
Doug Dooley and Iris
The Heatherly and Waggoner/Dooley Families Two families with a common bond, linked with
On the West Coast, Christine Waggoner and her
hundreds of others, and with the Scott-Ritchey
husband, Doug Dooley, received a similar diagnosis
family. The Heatherlys, who live in Opelika, Ala.,
in 2013 for their five-year-old daughter, Iris. It was
and the Waggoner/Dooley family, who live in
a Google search on GM1 that led Waggoner to
Berkley, Calif., would have likely never met if it had
Scott-Ritchey.
not been for the devastating disease GM1 gangliosidosis and Scott-Ritchey.
Since Iris’ diagnosis, Waggoner has created the non-profit foundation, Cure GM1, to raise money
Michael and Sara Heatherly learned about the
for research, and through it has connected with
research into a cure for GM1 in 2013,
families affected by GM1 worldwide. Last year,
soon after their infant son, Porter, was diagnosed
the Cure GM1 Foundation granted $422,000
with the disease.
towards GM1 intravenous gene therapy research
Once the Heatherlys learned about the GM1 research at Scott-Ritchey, they met the researchers,
being conducted by Dr. Martin at Scott-Richey and consortium partner UMass School of Medicine.
and have graciously allowed the college to tell their
Said Christine Waggoner: “We are so grateful
story to help spread the message of GM1 research.
to Auburn University and Dr. Martin and his
Sara Heatherly said, “The research at Scott-Ritchey brings hope to everyone affected by GM1. The wonderful work they have done and are continuing to do will forever change the lives of GM1 families, and we are blessed to be a small part of their journey. We truly believe there will be a cure for this disease in the future because of their hard work
team for being at the forefront of GM1 research. The medical research being conducted offers tremendous hope to children and affected families who face a truly devastating diagnosis of GM1 gangliosidosis. This condition was first identified over one hundred years ago, yet we believe Auburn will contribute to the cure in the near future.”
and dedication.”
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
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SCOT T-RITCHE Y RESE ARCH CENTER
Looking Ahead By Drs. Frank F. Bartol and Calvin M. Johnson
The remarkable history of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center now sets the stage for what is to come. The mission of the SRRC is perfectly congruent with the research mission of the College of Veterinary Medicine—to advance understanding and catalyze technological innovation in basic and clinical sciences in order to improve the health and well-being of animals and, through them, the health, stability and economic development of mankind. While it is true that the number of SRRC scientists has declined in recent years, their work is focused, mission-driven and competitive, and the time is right for growth. Dedicated to conducting cutting-edge basic and translationally important research involving companion animals, and with a focus on molecular medicine and mechanisms of disease, the SRRC is well positioned to leverage emerging institutional research priorities as a mechanism for growth. The Auburn University faculty Cluster Hiring Initiative (CHI) includes programs in Omics and Informatics and Pharmaceutical Engineering. In the coming year, through this program, the CVM will recruit four new faculty members with potential for appointments (full or partial) in the SRRC. Scientists working in these CHI domains will be charged to advance the research mission and, in concert with an already productive research group, enhance competitiveness of the SRRC for extramural funding. Expansion of the SRRC faculty through such appointments will also enable essential enhancements of SRRC research infrastructure and technical capacity, from incorporation of modern functional genomics, to state-of-the-art gene editing technologies now revolutionizing discovery and innovation in health science research. New programs and partnerships, led by SRRC faculty, are also expanding opportunities for advancement of our mission. Included is the
38 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Auburn University Research Initiative in Cancer, AURIC, which engages researchers campuswide and beyond in this important domain and encourages use of translationally important companion animal models. These and related efforts allow SRRC faculty to participate formally as members of the NIH-funded Center for Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. By consequence, beginning in the summer of 2016, research-motivated veterinary students will be able to participate in the CaRES (Cancer Research Experiences for Students) program. Thus, through the SRRC, CVM research programs continue to gain recognition and value. The Center for Comparative Genomics and Translational Research, a partnership with the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology established in 2014, promises to enhance our ability to recruit and retain new faculty members and has already removed technological barriers to research. Other SRRC-led partnerships, including the Tay-Sachs Gene Therapy Consortium and new connections with federal laboratories such as the National Wildlife Research Center, are extending and expanding the impact of SRRC programs and patented technologies. These endeavors further integrate the SRRC into the fabric of the research enterprise at the College, the University and well beyond. The future always places demands upon us if we are to compete. For the SRRC, this includes demands to grow our faculty in order to better realize our mission; demands to maintain and improve research infrastructure and to advance our technological capabilities; and demands to lead as scientists and scholars in service to society. The SRRC will continue to lead through discovery and innovation. If, indeed, the past is prologue to the future, then the future of the SRRC is bright.
Keeping the Dream Those of us who inherited Dr. Hoerlein’s dream of creating a leading companion animal health research program assume responsibility for preserving, protecting and enhancing the Scott-Ritchey Research Center. Health is the greatest gift of all, and the Center shares that gift every day through the endless efforts of talented scientists who prevent suffering and restore health for our companion animals and for us. The next time your pet receives a vaccination, heartworm prevention medication, or treatment for a wound or disease, think about how these gifts of modern medicine, often accepted as routine, were discovered through research and translated into practice. For a half century, the Center has been the crown jewel of the College’s companion animal and comparative medical research achievements. That mission continues today despite challenges, both financial and in permanent leadership, following the tragic loss of its most recent director, Dr. Nancy Cox. The Center is preparing to reenergize under new leadership who will take its scientists, and those who will be recruited, to a new level of achievement. We “keepers of the dream” can fulfill our responsibility by supporting the Center through the Auburn spirit of giving by being engaged and providing the financial support essential for its continued success under new dynamic leadership. Dean Calvin Johnson has expressed his commitment to advancing the Center’s strength and vitality. In his words, “When the founders joined together to establish this unique research Center, their grand vision came to fruition through generous foundational support. Now, its continued growth and evolution in support of the college’s strategic plan deserves the full support of another generation of supporters. It is time for the Auburn Family and the many people we engage in promoting animal health to come together to ensure that its promising future becomes reality. We will soon identify and recruit another visionary leader like Frank Hoerlein and his successors as the next director of the Center. This person will have an international reputation of research excellence and will be dedicated to
SCOT T-RITCHEY RESE ARCH CENTER
continuing the Center’s historic mission and accomplishments. In support of this plan, Auburn is marshalling its resources to recruit an outstanding leader, to attract new scientists, and provide the tools required to engage nationally and internationally in extramurally funded research.” Dr. Johnson proposes to achieve this new support partially through the current university-wide campaign, Because This is Auburn — A Campaign for Auburn University. Dr. Johnson has directed the college’s development team, led by Diana Turner, to identify friends of the college who would be interested in contributing to this renewal effort. Turner will work closely with Sam Hendrix, former development officer for the College; Dr. Henry Baker, director emeritus of the Center; and Dr. Frank F. Bartol, interim director, to identify new supporters. “There are other Kenneth Scotts, Ivan Fredricksons and Eleanor Ritcheys who share their devotion to the mission of the center and who will support its work as generously as these founding benefactors,” Dean Johnson said. There are several ways to give to Scott-Ritchey. A tax-deductible donation can be made through the Auburn University Foundation and earmarked for the Scott-Ritchey Research Center (SRRC) Future Fund online at because.auburn.edu or by sending a check made out and mailed to the Auburn University Foundation, Attn: Gift Processing, Re: Scott-Ritchey Research Center Future, 317 South College Street, Auburn, AL 36849. Additionally, Diana Turner is available to assist donors who wish to bequeath support to Scott-Ritchey through an estate plan. Please give generously to keep Dr. Hoerlein’s dream alive as Auburn enters its 125th year of veterinary medicine. For a discussion of the Center’s mission, its history, and its plan for the future, please contact Sam Hendrix at 334/332-6639 or samhendrix@auburn. edu. All questions related to gifts in support of the Center should be directed to Diana Turner, senior director of CVM Development, at 334/844-1274 or by e-mail at milesdi@auburn.edu. Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
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AROUND THE CVM
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, left, meets with the Chilean and AUCVM delegation.
Chilean Ambassador, Delegation Visit The Honorable Juan Gabriel Valdés, ambassador of
Participating in discussions during the ambassador’s
Chile to the United States, visited the College of
visit were Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley; Alabama
Veterinary Medicine this past November, meeting
Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard; Alabama
with officials to review and propose expansion of
Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries
the College’s successful exchange program with
John McMillan; Alabama State Veterinarian
veterinary colleges in Chile, most notably Austral
Tony Frazier; Auburn Mayor Bill Ham; Auburn
University in Valdivia.
University President Jay Gogue; Provost Timothy
The exchange program, founded and coordinated by Haroldo Toro, professor of Pathobiology, has facilitated the exchange of more than 50 students and 10 faculty since its inception in 2005. Accompanying Ambassador Valdés during his visit to Auburn were Néstor Tadich, provost of Austral University, and Jorge Arenas, professor of engineering. During the visit, proposals were initiated to pursue funding for expanded collaborations in science, technology, innovation, and economic development across multiple disciplines.
40 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Boosinger; and faculty members from the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, and the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
AROUND THE CVM
Neurology and Neurosurgery Service Offering Stereotactic Surgery
Dr. Amanda Taylor
The Neurology and Neurosurgery Service in the Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital is offering stereotactic surgery to treat animals with brain disease, one of the few veterinary teaching hospitals to do so.
Dr. Amanda Taylor, a faculty clinician in the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service, says this technology is indispensable for clinicians in the teaching hospital because it allows them to achieve a level of precision that wasn’t possible before “In the past, diseases of the brain have been diagnosed in pets by looking at all available information, but even when the answer is clear, veterinarians cannot always know how quickly an animal’s tumor will grow or make them sick,” Dr. Taylor said. “Stereotactic surgery is a new option that can help veterinarians and owners decide the best course for their pet.”
of digital imaging and a handheld pointer, clinicians can see precisely where they need to make an incision to remove a tumor or address another issue. “Previously with brain surgery, if the lesion or brain disease was small, we wouldn’t be able to access it without interfering with the rest of the brain,” Dr. Taylor said. “With this system, I can pinpoint something as small as two millimeters and go straight at it.” Using this process, surgeons are able to operate to the millimeter level of accuracy, ensuring that healthy tissue is preserved while treating the patient’s ailment. “One of the things that makes the software we use unique is that it was designed with veterinary patients in mind,” Dr. Taylor said. “Similar systems on the market are designed for human patients and have to be adapted, but this is made for us right out of the box.” Currently, the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service maintains funds to provide financial assistance for clients that consent to using stereotactic surgery to treat their pet. Financial support is available at the discretion of the hospital administration and Dr. Taylor.
Stereotactic surgery is a computer-guided method to conduct surgery with great precision. It works by taking an MRI or CT of the patient and then transferring the image to a computer program, Brainsight®, which generates a three-dimensional model of the patient. Using “landmarks,” or particular points of the patient’s affected anatomy as referenced in the 3-D model, clinicians can “paint” the particular areas they are targeting for surgery. With a combination
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
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AROUND THE CVM
Donors Fully Fund Three CVM Projects Through Tiger Giving Day Auburn University donors contributed more than $411,000 during the university’s first-ever Tiger Giving Day, a 24-hour university-wide crowdfunding initiative on Dec. 1, with all three projects involving the College of Veterinary Medicine being fully funded. The university set out to raise $327,500 for 24 unique projects based in Auburn’s colleges, schools, and units. Of those 24 projects, 18 met or exceeded their goals, some by as much as 350 percent. “Members of the Auburn Family made a big statement on Tiger Giving Day,” said Auburn President Jay Gogue. “In addition
The projects funded for the CVM included: • One year’s worth of specialized food can be purchased by the Southeastern Raptor Center for Auburn’s beloved eagles Nova, a male golden eagle officially known as War Eagle VII, and Spirit, a bald eagle. • Building materials, including fencing, and labor will be provided to build a training course for the detector dogs in Auburn’s Canine Performance Sciences. Because its goal was exceeded, the program also will be able to build an enclosure for female breeding dogs. • Imaging software with licenses for two CVM faculty members leading the Auburn University Research Initiative in Cancer (AURIC) will be purchased to assist researchers in determining how cancer treatments interact with cells, thus aiding in the identification of treatments that have less adverse impact on healthy cells.
to supporting projects
Tiger Giving Day donors made a significant
important to the life of
difference for many of Auburn’s students, faculty,
Auburn, they stepped
and programs. Additional projects funded included
forward to help drive
scholarships for students, travel and student endow-
up Auburn’s national
ments, equipment for research and the Ralph
rankings that use
Brown Draughon library, and a scholarship for a
alumni participation as an indicator of a university’s
veteran who wants to become a member of the
health and vitality.”
Auburn family. Tiger Giving Day was part of Giving Tuesday, a national day of philanthropy held on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
42 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Emergency and Critical Care Service Earns Highest Certification The Emergency and Critical Care Service in the Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital has earned a Level I rating by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, the highest rating that can be awarded to a veterinary emergency and critical care facility. It is Alabama’s only Level I service, one of three in the Southeast and 18 nationwide approved by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS), which has a mission statement of promoting the advancement of knowledge and high standards of practice in veterinary emergency medicine and critical patient care. The certification is for two years.
AROUND THE CVM
The VECCS describes a Level I facility as “a 24-hour acute care facility with the resources and specialty training necessary to provide sophisticated emergent and critical patient care. This facility is open to receive small animal emergency patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Level I facility must have a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care employed full time and available for consultation either on-site or by phone 24/7.” The Emergency and Critical Care Service has two board-certified Diplomates, Dr. Bacek and Dr. Kendon Kuo; four residents; six interns; 24 veterinary technicians, four of whom are boardcertified in emergency critical care; and fourth-year veterinary students in a clinical rotation.
“It’s an honor to receive this certification and to be acknowledged at this level of performance,” said Dr. Lenore Bacek, a faculty clinician in the Emergency “It’s great for us to be acknowledged for the high and Critical Care Service. “It also shows the level level of care we provide for people’s beloved pets,” of hard work and dedication that our faculty, Dr. Bacek said. technicians, and administrators give to make our service successful.” The VECCS has three levels of certification based on factors including hours of operation, facilities and equipment available to treat patients, workflow, veterinarians available for treatment and consultations, and the level of education and training that veterinarians have. Level III is the lowest certification, Level I is the highest.
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AROUND THE CVM
Class of 2017 Receives White Coats Students in their third year of professional education at
Dr. Dan Givens, associate dean for Academic Affairs,
the College of Veterinary Medicine participated in the
reviewed the traditions and goals of the profession
traditional White Coat ceremony Saturday, Jan. 31.
and the significance of the veterinary profession in
The 117 members of the Class of 2016 received their
sustaining a healthy society.
white coats during a ceremony which acknowledges
“The white coat is a symbol of medical professionalism,”
the point of transition from classroom study to
Dr. Givens said. “This ceremony signifies the beginning
clinical work.
of your clinical apprenticeship to sustain and restore the health of animals and people.”
Dean Calvin Johnson congratulates third-year student Christine Garrett.
44 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Dr. Dan Givens speaks to the large audience.
ALUMNI NOTES
Britt Inducted into Cattle Production Hall of Fame
Stephenson Family has Important Reason to Love Dogs
Dr. Jenks S. Britt ’70 is
Michelle Hall Stephenson ’98,
the 2015 dairy inductee
loves dogs, no surprise for any
to the Cattle Production
veterinarian. Stephenson and
Veterinarian Hall of
her family, however, have a more
Fame. Each year, the hall
important reason—they are in the
inducts one beef veteri-
process of receiving a dog to help
narian and one dairy
detect dangerous blood levels in
veterinarian who have
son Kelton.
made lasting impacts on
The seventh-grader was diagnosed
the profession.
in 2014 with Type 1 Juvenile
Kelton and Axel
Following graduating from the AUCVM, Dr. Britt
Diabetes and, since then, the family has been on
joined the Logan County Animal Clinic where he
a roller-coaster with his healthcare. “In one day
was a partner until 1993. Simultaneously, he and his
he had a low blood sugar level of 56 and a high of
partners established Bov Eq Embryo Transfer Service
472,” said Stephenson.
and Animal Health Management. In 1993, after a
Kelton currently wears a Continuous Glucose
diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Britt joined the
Monitor 24/7, which will alarm to his lows and
faculty at the University of Wisconsin College of
highs, but it requires a perfect wifi, data or Internet
Veterinary Medicine until 1998.
signal to work. “It isn’t perfect and we still battle
He then returned to Western Kentucky University
dramatic swings,” Dr. Stephenson said. Plus, Kelton
and became a professor of the Department of
has “Hypo-unawareness”, meaning he can’t feel his
Agriculture, serving as chair until 2004 and then
blood sugar dropping until it hits near seizure level.
professor until his retirement in 2008. He has
Stephenson’s veterinary training helped her to
continued to work as a private consultant to many
find Diabetic Alert Dogs, which led the family to
dairy farms throughout the United States and Mexico.
a professional dog trainer. With his help, Kelton
The Hall of Fame is sponsored by Merck
will receive a canine companion, Axel, following
Animal Health, the American Association of
about 18 months of intense scent training. Once
Bovine Practitioners, the Academy of Veterinary
the training is complete, Axel will be able to alert
Consultants, Bovine Veterinarian magazine and
Kelton long before a sudden drop occurs.
Osborn Barr.
To learn more about Kelton, and to help the family, go to the family’s Facebook page, Diabetic Alert Dog for Kelton.
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
45
ALUMNI NOTES
AUCVM Practitioner Sabbatical Program Horton Celebrates Birthday with Sky Dive
Dr. Lynn Hagood ’88 isn’t letting the fact that he earned his DVM a few years ago stop him from continuing to learn and grow as a veterinarian. A general practitioner at North Florida Animal Hospital in Tallahassee, Fla., Dr. Hagood has an interest in oncology. In order to learn more and keep up with the constantly evolving field, Dr. Hagood took advantage of the Practitioner
Dr. Charlie Horton ’65 recently celebrated his
Sabbatical Program offered through the college’s
birthday with his first-ever sky dive. “What better way
Office of Continuing Education.
to ring in your 75th year? What an adrenalin high!”
“Oncology cases involve interacting extensively with
Horton, from Huntsville, was joined by his
clients, and constantly following up with them on
18-year-old grandson, Pete Szabo of Cumming,
their pet’s status,” Dr. Hagood said. “That is my
Ga., on the dive. The two jumped in Tullahoma,
favorite part of veterinary practice.”
Tenn. on Dec. 20, 2015, three days after Horton’s 75th birthday. “The real high was greeting my grandson once we
The sabbatical program allows a licensed veterinarian to “shadow” a faculty clinician at either the Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital or the J.T. Vaughan
returned to the ground,” Horton said. “I’m looking
Large Animal Teaching Hospital, observing cases
forward to jumping on my 80th. George H.W. Bush
and interacting with staff and students.
made his last jump at age 90.”
Applicants to the program select the specialty field they want to study during their time at the college and pick their schedule. The program allows up to five days of hands-on experience in their chosen field while also earning continuing education credits. The program is open to any licensed veterinarian, and costs
Tell Us About You!
depending on the chosen field of
The College of Veterinary Medicine wants to
study. Applications are due at least
learn about your career achievements. Email Janet
45 days in advance of the proposed
McCoy at janet.mccoy@auburn.edu; be sure to put
starting date, along with a $25
Alumni Notes in the subject line.
registration fee.
46 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
range from $125–$200 per day,
Dr. Hagood, right, with Oncology Service staff.
ALUMNI NOTES “I much prefer it to a classroom or lecture session for getting my credits, because it’s hands-on, practical experience, and it allows me to stay close to the college and the veterinarians I refer patients to,” Dr. Hagood said. “Because of the relationships I’ve made during my time at Auburn and on sabbatical, I’m very comfortable referring my clients there.” The benefits of the sabbatical program are mutual to both parties. Dr. Stephanie Schleis, an associate clinical professor of oncology, was Dr. Hagood’s sponsor for his sabbatical and said that having the veterinarians complete the program offers value to all participants. “The program is great because you’re building rapport with your referring veterinarians and the veterinary community while they gain additional experience,” Dr. Schleis said. “It’s been awesome having Dr. Hagood with us; he actively listens and asks relevant, applicable questions while doing whatever he has to do to help us out and get the most out of his time with us.” Dr. Hagood has completed several sabbatical sessions at the college, including a rotation in cardiology. “What sets Auburn apart to me is the level of priority that patient and client care is given,” Dr. Hagood said. “The clients here leave feeling like both they and their pets have been taken care of. That’s always been a tradition here, and that’s not a bad thing.” To learn more about the Practitioner Sabbatical Program at Auburn, go online to vetmed.auburn. edu/ce.
Clark Promoted to Rear Admiral Dr. Terri R. Clark ’88 has been promoted to rear admiral, becoming only the second female veterinarian in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to achieve the senior officer rank. Dr. Clark is director of the Office of Animal Care and Use at the National Institutes of Health, where she oversees the intramural animal research programs and their compliance with the USPHS animal welfare requirements and national accreditation standards. In addition to her NIH position, Dr. Clark was the chief veterinary officer for the USPHS from 2011 to 2015 and was responsible for providing leadership and coordination of USPHS veterinary professional affairs for the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the Department of Health and Human Services. Before working with the USPHS, Dr. Clark served 12 years in the Army Veterinary Corps with tours at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado, and the Academy of Health Sciences at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. She went on to manage animal research programs at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, San Diego Naval Medical Center, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C., and was the deputy program director at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2000, Dr. Clark transferred to the USPHS Commissioned Corps and spent more than a year at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as a clinical and facility veterinarian before transferring to the Office of Animal Care and Use. Dr. Clark became a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine in 1996.
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IN MEMORIAM ’45 Dr. John William Morgan, of Richmond, Va., died Nov. 16, 2015. After Dr. Morgan received his DVM from Auburn University, he opened a veterinary practice in Williamsburg, Va. He later worked for Levinson Livestock, treating horses and cattle, and eventually opened his own cattle auction business. When Dr. Morgan went back to veterinary medicine, he operated Galloway Brothers Clinic until 1958 when he founded Cary St. Veterinary Hospital and Poodle Parlor, which he owned and operated for 50 years before retiring. Dr. Morgan owned and raced thoroughbred horses before he found his passion in owning and training Labrador Retrievers. He won the 1971 National Derby Championship and served as an officer and board member of the Labrador Retriever Club. Dr. Morgan also founded the James River Retriever Club and was president of the National Amateur Retriever Club. He was the official veterinarian of the Richmond SPCA for more than 40 years and was elected into the Retriever Field Trial Hall of Fame in 1997. Dr. Morgan is survived by his wife, Debarah, four children, and 11 grandchildren. ‘50 James W. Newberne, 91, of Cincinnati, Ohio, died Oct. 20, 2015. Dr. Newberne spent his career working in drug research. He participated in the vaccine for measles and polio. He also worked on the development of Clomid and Allegra. He retired from Marion Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as global vice president and chairman of the Corporate Drug Safety Committee. Dr. Newberne also taught as a volunteer professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati. He was a member of the IRB at Good Samaritan Hospital and worked with the Hatton Research Institute. He was a veteran of World War II, a Navy pilot, flying PBMs for convoy protection and submarine reconnaissance. He was also a flight instructor and a reserve pilot after the war. While attending Auburn, he played in and led both the Auburn Plainsmen and the Auburn Knights. One of his greatest joys in life was jazz music. He is survived by three children, three grandchildren, and a great grandchild. ’59 Dr. R. Douglas Hawkins, 80, of Troy, Ala., died Sept. 5, 2015. After graduating from Auburn, Dr. Hawkins and his wife moved to Troy where he purchased a veterinary clinic and practiced for 52 years. He was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Troy State University in 1980 and served for 35 years. Dr. Hawkins served as president and a charter member of the Pike County Pioneer Museum board and chartered the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at Troy University, where he served as chapter advisor for 25 years. He was a Rotarian for 52 years, served as
48 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Winter 2016
Pike County Chamber of Commerce president, was named Greek Man of the Year by Troy University, and served on the Troy-Pike Cultural Arts Center Board of Directors. Dr. Hawkins is survived by his wife, Dean, eight children, 11 grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. ‘59 Thomas Ervin Royal, 86, of Hattiesburg, Miss., died Dec. 8, 2015. Dr. Royal attended Mississippi State University and received his DVM from Auburn University. After serving in the Air Force during the Korean War, he moved to Greenville where he established Greenville Animal Clinic in 1958. He was affiliated with numerous charitable, religious, fraternal and political organizations. He held positions with St. Vincent de Paul, Knights of Columbus, and the Exchange Club. His hobbies included hunting, fishing and gardening. Dr. Royal is survived by his wife, Sara Jo, three children, and nine grandchildren. ’61 Dr. John Harris Tamplin, 79, of Ozark, Ala., died Sept. 27, 2015. While at Auburn, Dr. Tamplin was a member of Kappa Sigma social fraternity and Alpha Psi veterinary fraternity. After serving as an officer in the Army, Dr. Tamplin returned to Ozark where he practiced veterinary medicine for more than 40 years. He enjoyed his association with the Ozark Rotary Club, where he served as president and was recipient of the Paul Harris fellowship award. He was a long-time member and past president of Vivian B. Adams Board of Directors and the Commercial Bank of Ozark Board of Directors. Dr. Tamplin was named Alabama Hospital Association’s 2004 Trustee of the Year for his devoted service to the health care community. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn, two children, and three grandchildren. ’62 Dr. Robert Mcllwain, 87, of Cookeville, Tenn., died Oct. 9, 2015. Dr. Mcllwain served in the Air Force and received his DVM at Auburn University. He moved to Cookeville in 1965, where he spent 45 years at Cookeville Veterinary Clinic on East Winter Street. He was always singing and whistling, enjoyed dancing, music, and playing the guitar. He is survived by two sons and extended family. ‘63 Frank Morrow Bunnell, 81, died May 28, 2015. Dr. Bunnell was a member of Rotary Club and was a U.S. Army veteran. His survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, three children, a stepson, seven grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. ’63 Dr. William Reinhard Rippey, Sr., of Daytona Beach, Fla., died Oct. 23, 2015. Dr. Rippey attended the University of Florida and received his DVM from Auburn University. He founded the Colonial Animal Clinic in 1968 in South Daytona, where he practiced for 44 years. Dr. Rippey was a member of Central
IN MEMORIAM Baptist Church, serving as Lifetime Deacon and on the Board of Trustees. He served as president of the Halifax Area Kiwanis Club and served in the Naval Reserves for seven years. When Dr. Rippey was not practicing veterinary medicine, he enjoyed spending time with his family, boating, skiing, gardening, and photography. He is survived by his wife, Alice, two children and three grandchildren. ’67 Dr. Edwin M. Odor, 74, of Tavares, Fla, died Aug. 21, 2015. Following graduation, Dr. Odor practiced mixed animal medicine in Richmond, Ky., for 12 years. He later directed the Poultry Diagnostic Center at the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Lasher Laboratory for 20 years and served as Delaware state veterinarian. He was a Diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. He is survived by his wife, Dora, two sons, a daughter and three grandchildren. ’68 Dr. Nola Jean Young Headrick, 72, died Sept. 25, 2015. After completing her pre-vet work at Mississippi State University, Dr. Headrick attended AU CVM, where she received her DVM. At the time, she was the only practicing female veterinarian in the state of Mississippi. She practiced in several Jackson area clinics and finished her career. Dr. Headrick is survived by her husband, Charles, two children, her brother, and three nieces.
’68 Dr. James Anthony Mayer, 73, of Elizabethtown, Ky., died Sept. 10, 2015. Following graduation, Dr. Mayer operated Radcliff Veterinary Clinic for 32 years. He served on the Hardin County Board of Education for 17 years and served as Optimist Club president. Dr. Mayer also served 10 years as a bank director at North Hardin Bank & Trust, was a little league coach for four years and was the St. Christopher Parish Council president. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, six children, and 18 grandchildren. ’90 Dr. Desiree Lynn Lipscomb, 56, of Huntsville, Ala., died Oct. 7, 2015. Dr. Lipscomb earned five degrees from Auburn University, including multiple bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree in Clinical Pathology, a Ph.D. and her DVM. She was a clinical pathologist at IDEXX Laboratories in Norcross, Ga. She is survived by her mother and father. ’91 Dr. Darla Brown, 52, of Birmingham, Ala., died Nov. 19, 2015. Through her illness she continued to treat sick and wounded animals, touching the lives of their owners and families. Dr. Brown is survived by her husband, Ronald, and three brothers.
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
49
apocrypha Egypt. She was popular as a special protectress against contagious diseases and her statues were consecrated in large numbers. Great cemeteries of mummified cats were erected near her temples. These roles are not to ignore their more useful if prosaic purposes of rodent control.
By Dr. Tom Vaughan ‘55 Dean Emeritus
Small Animal Medicine and One Health The major emphasis of veterinary history has been on large or agricultural animal medicine for the obvious reasons of its importance to food production, transportation, commerce, and warfare, up until the turn of the twentieth century. However, this is not to overlook the significance of the smaller species, in particular dogs and cats, to man’s progress and even survival. Dunlap and Williams call attention to the domestic dogs, not wolves, in the Americas, as identified in rock art dating to 12,000 years ago. As noted by Schwabe, in large areas of the Eastern hemisphere, the initial mutualistic relationship between wild canines, such as wolves, and man, both preying on herds of wild sheep and goats were the beginnings of the closest relationship ever known between any two higher species. Two other relationships of note were the significance of dogs and cats in early religions and in medicine. The Egyptian canine god Anubis was a guide to the dead in their afterlife and was credited with inventing funeral rites including embalming. Other beliefs of such supernatural powers are found in the ancient Greek god of healing, Asklepios, and his dog in the temples of Crete, Athens, Piraeus, Epidaurus, and Cyprus. Cats in general were worshiped in Egypt from at least the first dynasty. Bastet was the cat-headed totem animal of Bubastis, capital of Lower
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The historical record is full of accounts of valid contributions of dogs and cats to medicine. Rabies was described in Mesopotamia 2,300 BC, in 1565 AD Greece by Dioscorides, and frequently ever since. The human:animal bond’s salutary effects on the ill or depressed is scarcely a modern concept. Emphasizing the importance of comparative medicine for its mutual benefits, medical experimentation into the pathophysiologies of the dog made hallmark discoveries such as the cause of diabetes mellitus by research spanning two continents and four centuries. Research by deGraaf and Swammerdam of Holland in the 17th century and by von Mering and Minsky of Strasburg in 1889 paved the way for Sir Frederick Banting and medical student Charles Best working at the University of Toronto to discover insulin by ligating the pancreatic duct of dogs, causing the autolysis of the pancreas, leaving the insulin-producing cells intact. This led to the purification and first use of insulin to correct diabetes in a young boy. That historic advance in animal and human health was celebrated with the 1923 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Elucidation of the causes and prevention of purely canine diseases such as distemper had been described by Carre (Le Virus de Carre) in 1905, but it was not until after Laidlaw and Dunkin’s classic work at the National Institute for Medical Research of London, reported in 1926, that an effective vaccine was developed by 1930 and later refined by James Baker, his coworkers at the Baker Institute of Cornell University and others that this killer was erased from our lexicon on clinical canine medicine (see section on the miracle of vaccines). In spite of this legacy of human-animal symbiosis, the emergence of veterinary clinics specifically dedicated to the care of dogs and cats seems to be of more recent vintage, circa 18th century. The clinic of Delabere Blaine (1770-1845) and William Youatt (1776-1847) in London was devoted largely to horses and dogs, and they greatly enhanced the stature of small animal medicine in its own right. Edwin Mayhew experimented on the use of ether anesthesia in dogs and cats and introduced the use
apocrypha of urinary catheter in both male and female. John W. Hill wrote The Management of Diseases of the Dog in 1878. Henry Gray (18651939) translated an important French publication by Nicholas on veterinary ophthalmology. Hugo Schindelka operated the canine clinic in Vienna from 1893 to 1911 and is considered the founder of veterinary dermatology. His influence passed to David Wirth of Berlin and Vienna and F. Kral of Brno University who brought this specialty to the University of Pennsylvania in 1953. Progress of small animal medicine in North America proceeded apace with the establishment of formal education in Canada and soon thereafter in the United States, under the governance of the American Veterinary Medical Association. However, the use of anesthesia and antisepsis in veterinary surgery as practiced in the field continued to lag behind that of human medicine. The quality of small animal medicine in the U.S. was ultimately boosted by the efforts of such individuals as J. C. Flynn of Kansas City, Frank Miller in New York City, and J. V. Lacroix in Evanston, Illinois, culminating in the establishment of the American Animal Hospital Association in 1933. Other luminaries such as Mark L. Morris were soon added to the list. Early leadership in small animal medicine was provided by clinician-innovators at the Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston, founded by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Gerry B. Schnelle in radiology, E. F. Schroeder in orthopedics, David L. Coffin and T. C. Jones in pathology, Lawrence Blakely in surgery, Todd Munson in internal medicine, Jean Holzworth in feline medicine, Margaret Petrak in diseases of pet birds, and many others accounted for 100 years of progress in companion animal health at “The Angell.” Carl F. Schlotthauer of the Institute of Experimental Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Jacob Markowitz of the University of Toronto, and James Archibald of the Ontario Veterinary College are all deserving of special recognition. The University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and the new Animal Medical Center in New York City (in 1962) further strengthened the discipline.
Into this pantheon of pioneers stepped one Benjamin Franklin Hoerlein, recruited by the charismatic Dr. Jimmy Greene in 1952 to the Department of Small Animal Surgery and Medicine at Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Hoerlein, a native Coloradoan, had just completed the Ph.D. under the legendary Ellis Leonard at Cornell, not a bad launching pad! Head of Small Animal at Auburn for twenty years (1958-1978) and Director of the Scott-Ritchey program until 1984, Dr. Hoerlein’s influence extended in every direction, even beyond his discipline. But its focus was on small animal research, the fruit of which was the Scott-Ritchey Center and its multidisciplinary branches. No better illustration of these benefits can be found than in the dramatis personae. The cast of characters reads like the profession’s honor roll. Not surprising, its graduates have gone on to positions of leadership and great responsibility at other institutions. Notable are its directors, Dr. Steven Swaim (1984-1991), Dr. Henry Baker (1991-2005) and Dr. Nancy Cox (2005-2014). Dr. Swaim’s work added wound-healing and reconstructive surgery to Hoerlein’s emphasis on neurology, and before that, cardiovascular disease. Dr. Baker, former head of the departments of comparative medicine at two medical schools (UAB and Wake Forest) introduced inherited diseases of dogs and cats, pathogenesis and therapy of lysosomal diseases and molecular medicine. Dr. Cox specialized in pathogenesis and therapy of neurological diseases and neuroendocrine-immune interactions. Reading the history of the Center since its inception as the Scott Research Grant, and in truth since Dean Redding Sugg (3rd Dean, 1940-1958) revitalized the College’s research program, is a fascinating account of what a few inspired souls can accomplish with vision and determination. The battle plan for the future of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center has been laid out, the gauntlet has been thrown down: our challenge is to pick it up and follow orders. Respectfully, Yr hmbl & obdt svt, JTV
Winter 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN
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