FROM THE DESK OF THE DEAN

Previously I wrote to you in this column about our celebration of the 100th anniversary of Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson’s graduation from the College of Veterinary Medicine.

As of that writing, we were just in the planning stages of our celebration activities and while I was confident we would do justice to Dr. Patterson’s legacy, what we have so far accomplished has been beyond our expectations.

I could talk about several of these activities, but I would like to focus on two that have so far been the highlight of this memorable celebration.

Dr. Patterson was a champion for human rights, equality, and opportunity during his lifetime. That legacy continues to this day at Tuskegee University where he served as that institution’s president for 20 years, and at the United Negro College Fund, where more than 50 years after its founding, scholarships continue to fund Black students to attend private, historically Black colleges and universities.

The College of Veterinary Medicine has partnered with COVETRUS to create the Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson Spirit Award. Each month, we have sought nominations from our community to recognize individuals and organizations for their actions that have helped create a more inclusive community.

The recipients of the Patterson Spirit Award are a microcosm of the work our community is doing.

• Dr. Michael Pabon is a third-year cardiology resident in the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center who has diligently shown his passion for promoting diversity and inclusion throughout his time here through organizing DEI workshops and the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service for the college.

• The organizing committee for a semester-long visit by a group of visiting African Veterinary Scholars has worked tirelessly to make sure the eight faculty members from Africa were welcomed to Iowa, the Ames community, Iowa State, and our college.

• Third-year DVM student Lizeth Lopez and the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association shared their pride and humanity for their culture with a two-day celebration of Dia de Los Muertos in the college.

What has been so gratifying about the Patterson Spirit Award is the number of outstanding individuals we could recognize for their work that reflects Dr. Patterson’s legacy.

This fall, the college also posthumously recognized Dr. Patterson with the Stange Award, our highest alumni award. As part of that recognition, generations of Dr. Patterson’s family came back to celebrate with us.

This was such a wonderful experience for me. During the time I had with the Patterson family members, I learned so much more about Dr. Patterson and what he meant to them. His great-niece, Heather Brown, said “as much of a legacy that Uncle Fred left for the world, he left a legacy for our family. Our family is so privileged to have known him and to have been influenced by him.”

Heather’s brother, Chris, said, “it really warms my heart that Iowa State still appreciates who Uncle Fred was and what he accomplished.”

Chris, I’m humbled by what your uncle did in his lifetime, even more so after having the opportunity to learn more about him from your family’s remembrances.

I invite you to visit our website and learn more about Dr. Patterson, one of our the most influential and celebrated alumni, and also what we are doing to advance diversity, equity and inclusion not only within our college, but within the veterinary profession.

As always, thank you for your support of the college!

Dan Grooms, DVM, PhD

Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine

Zhang Named Mahr Chair of One Health

Dr. Qijing Zhang, a Clarence Hartley Covault Distinguished Professor in Veterinary Medicine, has been named the Dr. Roger and Marilyn Mahr Chair in One Health.

A faculty member in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine since 2003, Zhang was elected this past spring to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Zhang is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology as well as an Honorary Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists.

The Mahr Chair in One Health supports Iowa State’s visionary leadership in promoting and facilitating innovative multi-disciplinary collaboration that embraces the university’s land grant mission. One Health is the collaborative effort of multiple health science professions and their related disciplines working locally, nationally and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, plants and the environment.

CVM Hosting African Scholars Program

The College of Veterinary Medicine once again hosted the 2022-2023 Faculty Exchange Program in African Veterinary Science.

Eight African veterinary faculty scholars were embedded in CVM through early December. The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, is designed to help developing countries in Africa improve their university veterinary education, research and extension programs by providing one semester of training at U.S. land-grant agricultural universities.

The scholars spent time in CVM classrooms, clinics and laboratories, observing how faculty approach what they do while sharing insights from their own backgrounds and experiences.

Cow Calf Dedication

Dedication ceremonies were held last summer outside Veterinary Field Services for "Jersey Cow and Her Calf," a bronze cast replica of the artwork originally created by Iowa artist Duffy Lyon which was supported by donations. Replicas of the sculpture have also been placed at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and in Toledo, Iowa. Photo: Dave