Ottimo Sabbatico Italiano By Rebekah Alford
Leon Spicer, Ph.D., was granted the opportunity to take a sabbatical for the second time in his academic career. The first time, he spent a year at Stanford University Medical School. This time his sabbatical spanned six months during 2018 and allowed him to visit three different Italian universities; the University of Naples Federico II, University of Milan, and University of Padova. Spicer was able to focus on different techniques regarding physiology at each university.
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Spicer has organized and led 12 OSU study abroad trips to Italy and has hosted various Italian faculty and graduate students in his reproductive physiology lab. Along with his ongoing research collaborations in Italy, this has given him experience with both the Italian language and culture. Spending time in Italy on a sabbatical allowed him to work closely with faculty members in the universities he visited. “While in Naples, I learned the art of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in
water buffalo and Holstein dairy cows,” Spicer said. “The laboratory I studied in was in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production with Bianca Gasparrini, D.V.M, Ph.D., a world-renowned IVF expert and member of the International Embryo Technology Society. I had the opportunity to visit local water buffalo and Holstein dairy farms assisting with breeding and pregnancy detection.” Spicer spent over two months at the University of Milan’s Department of Veterinary Medicine as a visiting
