A Highlight of Veterinary Students in Research

By Anna Massie, DVM, DACVS-SA

Research is critical to advancing veterinary medicine, and students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine are eager to “dip their toes in the water.” Some students enter veterinary school with a plethora of research exposure, while others use their summers to expand their understanding of this arena by joining one of the ten renowned research centers in the college. Students get to develop research ideas, prepare research proposals, perform biomedical research, and present the results in written, poster, and oral formats. Additionally, students participate alongside their mentors in extracurricular activities such as presenting case studies.

Andrew Dunlap entered veterinary school as a dedicated learner with the goal of contributing to groundbreaking advances in the field. As an economics major with broad academic interests, he utilized his multifaceted background and problem-solving skills to become a pivotal team member in orthopedic oncologic research. As a thirdyear veterinary student, he perseveres to understand the art of medicine to become a veterinary surgeon and provide animals with state-of-the-art care.

One method in which students can conduct summer research is through a scholarship sponsored by the NIH and Boehringer Ingelheim. The NIH/Boehringer Ingelheim Summer Research Program is designed to expose students in their first or second year of veterinary school to all phases of biomedical research. Students apply by outlining a research project they will work on under the supervision of a faculty member. Being interested in surgery, Andrew approached Dr. Anna Massie, an assistant professor of small animal orthopedic surgery at the Ryan Hospital. After discussing her research projects, Andrew decided to join an ongoing clinical trial using near infra-red imaging to evaluate the margins of osteosarcoma in dogs. He was accepted into the NIH-BI summer scholarship program and performed fulltime research during June, July, and August. Throughout the summer, he participated in weekly seminars covering various facets of clinical research. At the end of the summer, he presented his work at the program’s annual National Veterinary Scholars Symposium. To culminate the program, he will exhibit his research at the Penn Veterinary Student Research Day in March 2023.

Over the summer of 2022, Andrew joined the clinical team at Ryan Hospital while pursuing his research project. He participated in rounds and shadowed surgical cases while being involved in the clinical trial. As data was collected, Andrew discovered that the process for interpreting infrared imaging is not well-defined, which led him to delve into computer programing and “training” to interpret near infrared margins while accounting for ambient light and other confounding factors. Through this, he developed connections and mentors through the school of veterinary medicine and extended collaborations with the arts and sciences schools.

Andrew concurrently started a project evaluating the methods of hand sanitation used by veterinarians in practice and those taught at veterinary institutions. The PVMA assisted in distributing this questionnaire to veterinarians in the state, as did multiple other states’ Veterinary Medical Associations, allowing Andrew to collect data from across the country, including various practice types, sizes, and locations. While this data is continuing to be collected, it will be invaluable in shaping the education of future veterinary students to best match what is used in practice.

Andrew’s experience is just one of many veterinary students who seek to further their education through exposure to research projects. Other students worked in laboratories, farms, industries, and practices around the country to develop research skills to help advance education and science.

In many of these cases, including Andrew’s, exposure to research helps to shape their career in potentially unforeseen directions. Andrew is now considering pursuing a Master’s Degree in translational medicine, as the work he is completing in near infra-red imaging of osteosarcomas could influence imaging in other disease processes cross-species.

About the Author: Anna Massie, DVM, DACVS-SA, is a native of Illinois and completed her DVM at the University of Illinois in UrbanaChampaign. Following graduation, she completed a small animal rotating internship at Purdue University, a small animal surgical internship at North Houston Veterinary Specialists, and a surgical residency at the University of California-Davis. She remained at the University of California as an orthopedic surgery staff veterinarian and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2019. She then joined faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2019 as an Assistant Professor of Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Massie’s research interests include bone quality assessment and translation of the animal model to human implant design, specifically the unique properties of osteoporotic and brittle bone. Clinically, she enjoys angular limb deformity, joint resurfacing procedures, and fracture repair.