SMALL ANIMAL CLINICAL SCIENCES (VSCS

VSCS has three major missions: innovative education, leading-edge veterinary care, and clinical research and therapeutic trials. Each of these activities is intended to improve the quality of life for companion animals and their owners. The VSCS department provides clinical education in canines, felines, and exotics.

The department’s researchers study health issues common to both humans and animals in areas such as cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, orthopedics, aging, and oncology.

VSCS has dedicated space for clinical trials and biobanking, and is focused on innovative teaching through collaborations with the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Center for Educational Technologies, and through departmental grants for the scholarship of teaching.

VSCS offers the following one-year internships and three-year residency programs:

• Internal Medicine Internship • Ophthalmology Internship • Surgical Oncology Internship • Surgery Internship • Anesthesiology Residency • Cardiology Residency • Emergency & Critical Care

Residency • Dermatology Residency • Internal Medicine Residency • Neurology Residency • Oncology Residency • Ophthalmology Residency • Surgery Residency • Clinical Trials Fellowship • Underserved Communities

Rotating Internship • Small Animal Rotating

Internship • Cardiology Internship

Highlights from FY21 include:

Research

• VSCS has completed strategic planning for the departmental biobank and clinical trials core, which will interface with investigators throughout the college. • The Dog Aging Project, led at Texas A&M University by Dr. Kate Creevy and funded by the National Institute on Aging, has enrolled its first dogs into their TRIAD Trial, a multi-institutional clinical trial evaluating the effects of the anti-aging drug rapamycin. • Investigators from Texas A&M and Northwestern Medical School recently published data from a clinical trial involving dogs with brain tumors, which has helped advance an immunotherapy into human clinical trials. • Faculty members in the oncology service have partnered with Volition to develop new tests to detect cancer in animals and humans. • The gastrointestinal laboratory continues to be highly active in developing new diagnostic tests for animals, including those to assess the gastrointestinal microbiome. • The cardiology team has validated new techniques for radiographic image interpretation and approaches to transesophageal electrocardiograms.

• VSCS has expanded collaborative research through a partnership with UT Southwestern Medical School funded through the National Institutes of Health CTSA mechanism. This program provides Texas A&M faculty with collaborative pilot grant opportunities, in collaboration with faculty at UTSW.

Patient Care

• A number of new, high-impact clinicians have joined the department. These include: • Dr. Genna Atiee, Clinical Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine and Interventional Radiology • Dr. Emily Gould, Clinical Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine • Dr. Kara Moreno, Lecturer in Anesthesiology • Dr. Erin Ray, Clinical Assistant Professor in Primary Care • Dr. Paula Giaretta, Clinical Assistant Professor in Gastrointestinal Pathology • Dr. Joao Cavasin, Clinical Assistant Professor in Gastrointestinal Pathology • Dr. Rebecca Eschmann, Clinical Assistant Professor in Small Animal Medical Education • Dr. Kathleen Aicher, Clinical Assistant Professor in Small Animal Medical Education • The SATH has opened an Interventional Radiology Service, which will perform leading edge procedures for pets throughout the state. The service is headed by Drs. Genna Atiee and Audrey Cook. • The Surgical Education Initiative supports pet owners with limited economic means and students' high-impact learning. Students learn high-impact surgical techniques under the mentorship of experienced veterinarians, while owners are able to access care. This program is generously supported by Dr. William A. Roach ’55 and his family. • The first underserved communities intern started in the summer of 2021. The program is a collaboration with Purdue University and provides trainees unique learning opportunities in an outreach setting, helping Texans who do not have sufficient access to veterinary care. • Dr. Lori Teller, President-elect of the AVMA and Clinical Associate Professor, directs the SATH's telehealth programs and has collaborations with the School of Public Health to expand veterinary care access in rural areas.

Other

• The department has strongly invested in clinician wellbeing and in programs partially sponsored by Purina. The VSCS has seminars focused on conflict management, mentorship, healthy habits, and team building. • The department is excited to have its first faculty members located on the VERO Campus. • Dr. Jörg Steiner was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2020, the first member of the department to receive this honor. The Texas A&M Veterinary General Surgical team

Dr. Lori Teller and fourth-year veterinary students