         TUFTSVOLUME 6, NO. 2 WINTER 2004   Landmark Philanthropy Cummings Foundation Gift Heralds a New Future for Veterinary School

PLUS: ANIMALS AS SENTINELS N RECORD OF GIVING from the dean

Amazing, Historic, Wonderful T UFTS VETERINARY a few weeks ago, the Boston Red Sox won the World MEDICINE Series. What has seemed impossible forever (well, for any of us younger than 86!), has been achieved. The Red Sox are vol. 6, no. 2 winter 2004 number 1. Their fans—here in Massachusetts and from Executive Editor points around the world--are elated. Dr. Philip C. Kosch, Dean Here at Tufts Veterinary School, we’re on top of the School of Veterinary Medicine world for another reason. Cummings Foundation has made an extraordinary gift to Tufts Editorial Advisor University, the largest in the history of the university and, we believe, in the history of vet- Shelley Rodman, Director Veterinary Development and Alumni Relations erinary medical education. It is our cause for celebration. Editor/Writer started the veterinary school because it was the right thing to do—for Cynthia B. Hanson Tufts, which had, and still has, extraordinary strengths in the life sciences, and for New Art Director England which had had no operating veterinary school since the 1940s (Middlesex Margot Grisar Veterinary College operated on what is now the Brandeis University campus from 1938 to Tufts University Publications 1947; it was never accredited). Jean Mayer, a world-renowned nutritionist, championed the Graphic Designer Kelly McMurray/2communiqué establishment of the school, first mentioning the possibility in his September 1976 inaugu- ral speech as President of Tufts University. Mayer knew how much richer the university Photographer Andrew Cunningham would be, and how well positioned to understand and support all aspects of the life sciences, with a school devoted to animal health. He understood the interdependence of human, ani- Tufts Veterinary Medicine is funded in mal, and environmental health. part by the Edward Hyde Cox Fund for The road, however, hasn’t been easy. Our school operates on a unique model, receiving Publications. It is published three times a year and distributed to key university the smallest amount—both in absolute terms and as a percentage of our budget-- of public personnel, veterinary students, operating support of any accredited veterinary school in North America. It is also the only veterinarians, alumni, friends and others. one without any public capital investment. We have survived by being strategic and entre- We welcome your letters, story ideas and suggestions. Send correspondence to: preneurial, two qualities that attracted the respect and interest of Bill Cummings, who got to know intimately the financial challenges of our school serving as a member of the uni- Editor, Tufts Veterinary Medicine Tufts University School versity’s board of trustees from 1986-1996. of Veterinary Medicine Cummings Foundation’s gift will provide a total of $50 million dollars to the school over 200 Westboro Road North Grafton, MA 01536 the next fifteen years.This gift provides stability that our school has never enjoyed before. Our Telephone: 508-839-7907 Website: www.tufts.edu/vet budget will remain tight, and we will remain entrepreneurial, but we will have a bright future. Email: [email protected] To all of our alumni, friends, students and clients, let me say that this is a wonderful time to be involved with our veterinary school, which will be named Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University at a celebration this spring. The Cummings gift does not eliminate our need for your ongoing support; in fact, it makes this the best time to invest in Tufts. To Bill Cummings, his wife Joyce, his family, and the trustees of Cummings Foundation, I say THANK YOU. Your gift is as amazing, historic and wonderful as a Red Sox World Series victory! on the cover William S. Cummings, A58, president of Cummings Foundation, says he is honored to support the vision of this world-class institu- tion of higher learning. contents

WINTER 2005 N VOLUME 6, NO.2 features 4 Animals as Sentinels by Cynthia B. Hanson They’re an excellent barometer for human and environmental health — our wildlife and pets

COVER STORY 12 Landmark Philanthropy By Barbara Donato Vision and generosity combine to mold the school’s future

departments 2 In Brief 13 Thank You

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD HOWARD in brief

Waldau Appointed Director of the EQUINE VETERINARIANS Center for Animals and Public Policy ASSIST IN OLYMPIC More than any other veterinary school, Tufts has an investment GAMES in the combination of best science and best ethics. With this com- Two Tufts Veterinary School alumni provid- bination, we can ask again and again, ‘How do we best discov- ed essential support for horses at the er and then reach out to the world?’ ‘How do we best act?’ These Olympics this summer. Dr. Tim Ober, V90, questions are what the Center for Animals and Public Policy is of Virginia was the team veternarian for the good at. US dressage and equestrian show-jumping The real cutting edge thinking these days — and ethics as well teams. Dr. Fotini Emiri, V02, a veternarian — seeks to understand the broader whole in order to understand from Athens, Greece, was the Olympic yourself because you’re a piece of that broader whole. And that’s so Equine Hospital administrator and a mem- consistent with so many of the insights of compassion in veteri- ber of the surgical/anesthesia team. nary medicine. Ober describes his experience as —paul waldau “fairly intense” because of some medical assistant professor, environmental and population health issues with the horses. One horse was director, tufts center for animals and public policy injured during the jump-off for the silver medal and had to settle for the bronze. aul waldau has been named director of the Tufts Center for Animals and Public Another horse developed symptoms of Policy. An assistant professor of ethics at the veterinary school, Waldau holds a colic on the day of the veterinary Pdoctor of philosophy degree from the and is a former senior inspection. fellow at Harvard University’s Center for the Study of World Religions. He also has a “We had to get him better within the juris doctor degree from UCLA Law School and a master’s from in hour of when he had to present for the religious studies. veterinary inspection. But he went on to In addition to his duties as director of the Center, he teaches two classes in the vet- be a significant factor in our team silver erinary curriculum, has written two books on the topic of religion and animals, and is medal in show jumping,” he recalls. The president of the Religion and Animals Institute. Waldau is also a principal contributor to US also won a bronze in dressage. the Great Ape World Heritage Species Project, which is seeking United Nations-level Ober’s biggest test came after the protection for gorillas, orangutans, and . Games closed. He found himself strug- gling with one horse’s case of anterior enteritis with little support because the NEW DESIGN ONLINE clinic staff had departed. “During the past By now, many of you have surfed the Tufts web- 10 years, if there was one moment I had site (www.tufts.edu) and have noticed the new to rely on my Tufts education, that was it,” design, more informative content and improved he said. “I appreciated the solid back- navigation. ground of my training,”says Ober, who A collaborative project of WebCentral, Uni- works for the US show-jumping team versity Relations and others across campus, the every year. website was reconfigured to better showcase Tufts For Emiri, the Olympics were “a magi- and its people. cal experience” in which she worked with The new site features a lead photo and feature some of the best veterinarians, riders and story on a member of the Tufts community that changes weekly. Biologist Barry Trimmer’s work on horses in the world. “Everything went a caterpillar that may inspire a new generation of robots inaugurated the new site, and the smoothly,”she recounts. veterinary school’s Dr. Mark Pokras and the wildlife clinic were featured last month. In addition to her duties at the equine On the new site, internal and external audiences are served by two distinct homepages. hospital, she was sector veterinarian for “InsideTufts” provides the latest news, events, announcements and other information for faculty, the cross-country phase of the three-day staff and students. Prospective students, alumni, parents and other external users can now find eventing and competition veterinarian information more tailored to their needs. for dressage and show jumping. Emiri “In the coming months, you can look forward to even more content, photos, tools and features continued on as equine hospital adminis- as we continue to develop a website that reflects the vibrancy and excitement of the Tufts com- trator for the Paralympic Games for the munity,”said Mary Jeka, vice president for university relations. physically handicapped. Feedback on the site is welcome. E-mail your comments and ideas to [email protected].

2 tufts veterinary medicine winter 2004 Program Promotes Dog Sterilization/ FIRST NORTHEAST VETERINARY CONFERENCE Rabies Eradication in Nepal HELPS RAISE SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS FOR TUFTS ufts veterinary school is work- VETERINARY STUDENTS ing to establish a dog sterilization and T vaccination clinic in Chitwan, Nepal, More than 1,000 veterinarians and veterinary to help stem the growing problem of canine technicians from 35 states, Canada and the West overpopulation. Indies attended the first Northeast Veterinary Under the direction of Dr. Gretchen Conference (NEVC) in Providence, RI, from Kaufman ( J76, V86), assistant professor in August 8 to10. The theme of the conference was the Department of Environmental and Pop- the veterinary-technician health-care delivery ulation Health, Tufts surgeons are conduct- team. ing faculty and student training sessions on The event featured renowned experts pre- dog sterilization techniques at the Tribhu- senting more than 150 hours of seminars, hands- van University Institute for Agricultural and on wet labs and the largest veterinary products Animal Sciences Veterinary School. Other trade show in the Northeast. Topics included participants include Nepal’s National clinical care advances, infectious disease preven- Zoonoses and Food Hygiene Research Cen- tion and treatment, and animal welfare concerns. tre, the Humane Society International Net proceeds from the conference were used to (HSI) and the Baker Trust. The long-term create a new scholarship fund for Tufts Veterinary goal is to create a clinic that will instruct School students. Tufts hosted the NEVC with the future Nepali veterinarians on sterilization Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association. techniques. The first faculty training session will be conducted this winter (2005). “We hope this type of health-care delivery Nepal has one of the highest reported per-capita rates of human rabies deaths in the team will become standard in private veterinary world. So in conjunction with these same universities and organizations, Tufts has pro- practice because it will help enhance both posed a national program to gain control over rabies in Nepal’s domestic dogs within a patient care and practitioners’ economic suc- 10-year period. The plan recommends the development of a National Rabies Database, cess,” said conference executive director dog registration/vaccination, a humane population-control program for stray dogs, bet- Anthony Schwartz, DVM. Dr. Schwartz is the ter diagnostic testing and improved access to health care. If successful, it could serve as a associate dean for Continuing Education and model for similar programs in other developing countries. Outreach Programs at Tufts Veterinary School.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

NIH Funds Tissue Engineering Resource Center With a $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Tufts University has established a Tissue Engineering Resource Center. The grant is funded through the NIH’s National Institutes of Biomedical Instrumentation and Bioengineering. The center’s laboratories will offer researchers from the U.S. and around the world full access to the latest techniques to solve complex challenges in the field. The center’s research will focus on two areas: studying and designing biodegradable and biocompatible tissue engi- neering “scaffolds” to optimize stem cell responses toward new tissue formation, and designing and building novel bioreactors. The core laboratory at Tufts includes experts from Tufts’ schools of engineering, arts and sciences, medicine, dental medicine and veterinary medicine including Dr. Carl Kirker-Head, who holds the Marilyn Simpson Chair in Equine Medicine and is Director of the Orthopedic Surgery Laboratory. It also includes colleagues from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Division of Health Sciences and Technology. The center hopes to close the gap between clinical needs and available tissues and organs.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK MORELLI winter 2004 tufts veterinary medicine 3 feature story

Wildlife can act as a barometer for human and environmental health by helping us gauge levels of risk from toxins, emerging diseases, or bioterrorism Animals as Sentinels

  . 

five pairs of binoculars pivot in unison as they track two juvenile semipalmated plovers riding the crisp ocean breezes that waft over Goose- berry Neck Beach in southern Massachusetts. But suddenly their focus shifts to a great black-backed gull posed on the beach like a sentinel soldier as it eyes them from a distance. fDespite its regal appearance, there’s something off-kilter about its con- tour—the soft down of feathers on its underbelly looking oddly distorted. As it takes flight, the little group of birders follow its path, concurring on what is becoming startlingly apparent: A large mass is dangling from its abdomen like an omen in the wind. “Right there you see a bird that could end up [dead] on the beach, and that’s data,” says Jamie Bogart, a research assistant at the Lloyd Center for the Environment in South Dartmouth, Mass., a nonprofit organization involved in environmental education and research focusing on marine biol- ogy and coastal ecology.

   

4 tufts veterinary medicine winter 2004 nels

winter 2004 tufts veterinary medicine 5 feature story

Bogart is leading this sneaker-clad group biotoxins [red tides],” she says. habited shoreline while scanning mounds of on a three-mile bird identification walk After their successful launch with the seaweed for clumps of feathers, Sally Hand along the rocky beaches of Gooseberry Lloyd Center, Tufts started a second recalls a recent oil spill in Buzzards Bay that Neck as part of the Seabird Ecological SEANET collaboration on Cape Cod in left hundreds of birds dead on the beaches. Assessment Network (SEANET) project. 2003 with the Mass Audubon/Wellfleet Bay She points to a shadow of black residue still In 2002, Tufts Veterinary School started the Wildlife Sanctuary [Funders for the clinging to some of the larger boulders. program in conjunction with the Lloyd SEANET project include the Geraldine R. “We found a dead loon on the point,” she Center to instruct volunteers on how to col- Dodge Foundation, NOAA Coastal Ser- says, while waving to a stony spit of land lect information for a database on coastal vices Center, GIS Integration and Develop- protruding into the bay. “Every bit of him birds. Equipped with satchels containing ment Grant, National Fish and Wildlife was covered. It was like somebody held him data sheets, rubber gloves, rulers, calipers, Foundation, International Fund for Animal by the bill and dipped him in oil.” scissors, cameras and plastic sacks, citizen Welfare, Gulf of Maine Council on the Hand walks Gooseberry Neck monthly scientists are instructed on how to identify Marine Environment, Fuller Foundation, with another volunteer with data sheets and live birds and gather information from bird Davis Conservation Foundation, Tufts binoculars in hand. If the seniors find a bird carcasses. The information is then entered Institute of the Environment, Lynn Trayser carcass, they mark it by clipping the wing, into a database that researchers at the Tufts Mitchell Memorial Bird Fund, and Massa- and then they photograph, measure, and bag Wildlife Clinic can use as indicators for chusetts Environmental Trust]. From there, it if it isn’t too decayed. The carcass is then human and environmental health. SEANET quickly proliferated into a net- popped into a freezer at the Lloyd Center, “Seabirds are very good sentinels because work of 300 volunteers working with vari- and eventually it’s sent to Tufts Wildlife ous environmental groups along the Clinic for necropsy to determine the cause Atlantic from New Jersey to Canada. Tufts of death and levels of toxins. The informa- has started to talk with groups in Florida as tion is entered into the Tufts database and

What’s unique about this is the recruitment of citizens as scientists.

well in an effort to extend the project down also ends up in a collection of data from the entire east coast. around the United States at the National In addition to monitoring the impact of Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis., a they’re high up on the food chain,” explains oil spills on coastal marine life, SEANET government-run agency. Tufts’ Dr. George Saperstein, department is acquiring data on the effects of oil-laced “What’s unique about this is the recruit- chair for Environmental and Population bilge waste and ballast water from boats. ment of citizens as scientists,” says Saper- Health. “Since the seabirds are eating the Some 70 percent of the birds collected stein. fish, over time they’re potentially bioaccu- from Atlantic Canadian beaches had oil on It’s an indispensable ingredient to its suc- mulating toxins. Or if there was an [infec- their feathers and died from oil pollution, cess, agrees Harris. “SEANET gets the pub- tious disease such as West Nile or a Harris says. “We thought it would be a lic involved in the monitoring, which I think bioterrorist] event, we might see a die-off in good idea to use the same methods and is a very key piece of this because it’s got the the seabirds,” he adds. extend that kind of monitoring down the educational component as well.” “Fish-eating birds are exposed to the east coast of the US because it hasn’t regu- “And it’s a great opportunity for our vet- same contaminants that we are through the larly been done here.” erinary students,” adds Tufts’ Dr. Flo Tseng, fish that they eat. So you may get similar Although she hopes the project will assistant professor in the Department of levels of bioaccumulation, which makes involve long-term monitoring, which is Environmental and Population Health. them good sentinels for human health in dependent on continuing grant money, the “Other beached-bird projects don’t have the terms of seafood consumption,” says information obtained over the last few years same level of analysis — they’re only doing Rebecca Harris, Ph.D., G01, a biologist at has already proved useful. For example, visual examinations. We’re taking that one the clinic and the SEANET coordinator. “If researchers were able to determine from the step further and doing x-rays and gross you’re interested in shellfish, you would data that so far there appears to be less necropsies [internal exams], as well as saving monitor eiders [sea ducks], for example. chronic oiling of birds on the east coast of tissue samples for other kinds of testing.” Other species like gannets and terns are the US than in Canada, probably due to exclusively fish eaters,” she notes. stricter laws and larger fines, Harris says. among those fishing and other beachgoers “They also provide valuable geographic Additionally, the project has provided “base- on this warm September morning is a man in data on where contaminants are located. line data on what sort of background levels green swim trunks launching a canary-yellow And there also are a lot of health risks and of mortality you can expect to see in differ- kayak into the bay. He asks what our little pathogens that we share in common, ent species.” band of beachcombers is doing and then including those resulting from marine As our group hikes over miles of unin- points to a cluster of islands on the horizon

6 tufts veterinary medicine winter 2004 Leptospirosis: a Growing Concern for Dogs and Their Owners

all is often a busy time for Dr. Linda Ross at the Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small F Animals. That’s because she sees a signifi- cant increase in the number of emergency cases of dogs suffering from kidney failure. “Hemodialysis is one of the special services that we offer here. It’s only available at about half-a-dozen hospitals in the US. And it’s used to treat animals with severe kidney failure,” explains the specialist in small animal internal medicine, who has just come from treating a dog with kidney failure. “We don’t cure the kid- neys with dialysis, but we try to support the ani- mal in hopes that the kidneys will be able to repair themselves.” The dog probably has leptospirosis, a bacter- ial organism passed in the urine of wild animals, she explains. “If dogs come in contact with that urine either on moist ground or in lakes or ponds or stagnant water, then they can become infected. A lot of dogs probably are exposed to the bacteria and have a low-grade infection that they don’t show clinical signs of. But this dog is a very tough, strong dog — so I think it’s very individual. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an animal that’s older or sicker.” Contracted through the mucus membranes, dogs infected with advancing stages of lep- tospirosis are lethargic, experience a loss of appetite, can vomit and have diarrhea, and occa- sionally exhibit fever. Animals can be treated with antibiotics, but if the disease goes unchecked, the infection can cause severe inflammation of the kidneys and kidney failure. “It’s not a terribly common disease. But we see a lot of it here because we are a referral hos- Another successful treatment — Dr. Linda pital. So we probably have in the hospital 3 or 4 Ross shows off a yellow dogs that are suspected of having the disease. lab after he underwent This is sort of peak season at this time,”she says. hemodialysis for kid- Found more commonly in the late summer ney failure caused by and fall, leptospirosis is most prevalent in the leptospirosis Northeast down to the mid-Atlantic coast, the Great Lakes states, Texas, northern California and the central US, she says. Cases of the disease declined at the middle of the last century because of the development of a vaccine for dogs and the population shift from farms into cities. But veterinarians have seen a rise in cases over the last 10 to 15 years. “We call it a reemerging disease .… It was and continues to be a signifi- cant problem for livestock, cattle, sheep, pigs,”she says. Although the organism can live in dogs’ kidney cells, it’s very rare for leptospirosis to be passed from a dog to a human, and Ross says she’s unaware of this ever happening in Massachusetts. But since dog owners and their pets are often in the same locations, it’s possible for humans themselves to contract it from nature. Several years ago, a number of people participating in a swimming triathlon in Illinois contracted leptospirosis from an infected lake, she says. And some homeless people living in the inner city have been infected by certain strains carried by rats and mice. In humans, the disease can cause flu-like symptoms and kidney failure if not caught in time.

winter 2004 tufts veterinary medicine 7 feature story

where he says he found beaches so strewn a joint program with the Massachusetts school whose faculty, staff and students have with bird carcasses several years ago that he Department of Public Health. The clinic a deep and sincere collective respect for ani- had to step gingerly among them. also is developing a system to necropsy ani- mals. Since most of these diseases occur Massive die-offs are not uncommon mals and transport them to state biosecure naturally in animals, we understand them among seabirds, but researchers are paying labs that can handle select agents in the and are used to working with their causative closer attention to such incidents these days event of a bioterrorist attack that shows up agents,” he points out. because they can involve large numbers of first in wildlife. endangered species and can be indicators of “What we are trying to do is get a han- one of the most daunting zoonotic dis- an emerging disease, toxic algal blooms or dle on the background rate of zoonotic dis- eases is tularemia, a rare bacterium that even a bioterrorist attack. Harris cites an eases in Massachusetts and identify any recently resurfaced on the island of Martha’s example last summer when a large group of potential early-warning signs of changes Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. Common Terns suddenly died on that could affect human health,” says Dr. Nicknamed “rabbit fever,” tularemia is Monomoy Island off of Cape Cod. Fredric Cantor, V84, the state public health highly infectious and may be environmen- “At a certain fledgling stage, right when veterinarian for the Massachusetts Depart- tally stable. It has been shown to naturally they were ready to fly and migrate with their ment of Public Health. “We’re looking at contaminate water and soil, but the bacteria parents, the fledglings were all dying. Tufts the frequency of appearance and also the also can become aerosolized. The disease, has been involved in doing necropsies and geographical hot spots, when it occurs and carried in animal excrement and by ticks sampling for a lot of the birds,” she explains. how often it occurs” with emerging diseases and fleas, infects landscapers on the Vine- “What turned up in most of the cases was a such as West Nile virus, Eastern equine yard after they kick it into the air during encephalomyelitis, tularemia, and tick- mowing and leaf blowing. borne illnesses, he adds. Tularemia is easy to produce and spread

What better place to work on these diseases than at a veterinary school — a school whose faculty, staff and students have a deep and sincere respect for animals

In addition to working with the state, around. The CDC lists it as a Category-A Tufts received $23 million in grant money disease, meaning it’s a serious potential salmonella culture — bacteria that can cause and contracts several years ago from a range bioterrorist agent. fatal disease in young birds. of federal government agencies to do research Tularemia was included in military “It’s been documented many times that on emerging diseases. And last year, the bioweapons research from the 1940s to the [beached birds] may be immune compro- National Institutes of Health awarded Tufts 1960s, mainly by the Soviet Union and the mised [from bioaccumulated toxins], and $25 million for a seven-year research pro- US, explains Sam Telford, Ph.D., a maybe that’s the case with these terns,” she gram on food- and water-borne pathogens researcher and associate professor in the adds. “We’re going to do contaminant test- and to create a Botulinum Therapies veterinary school’s Division of Infectious ing on them, too. Maybe they could have Research and Development Center, the first Diseases in the Department of Biomedical handled the salmonella load if they hadn’t of its kind in the United States. The CDC Sciences. But in 1969, President Richard had other issues.” has identified the botulinum toxin as the sec- Nixon signed legislation banning biowar- It’s still unknown where the birds picked ond most serious potential bioterrorist agent, fare research in the US. However, the US up the bacteria. “It’s something we’re work- next to smallpox. government still supports research on ing on with the Massachusetts Department Of the emerging infectious diseases in bioterrorist agents for biodefensive pur- of Public Health. The key to this project is the world, 75 percent are zoonotic, meaning poses, which means the research is accept- collaboration — working with the Environ- that humans can contract them from ani- able if done to protect US citizens in the mental Protection Agency, state agencies, mals. And 90 percent of the agents most event of a biological attack. US Fish and Wildlife Service, National likely to be used by bioterrorists are animal Because most of the bioterrorist agents Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, diseases, Saperstein says. “It’s only smallpox on the CDC’s list are zoonotic, Tufts and United States Geological Survey, to that’s strictly human. So the human and recently built a specialized laboratory for name just a few,” she adds. public health infrastructure needs to be working with tularemia and other highly Tufts is increasing its alliance with state working closely with veterinarians, and in infectious agents. This is what inpart lured and federal agencies on several fronts to cre- particular veterinary schools. Because most Telford to Tufts two years ago from Harvard ate databases and coordinate information on of these diseases are zoonotic, we may be the University’s School of Public Health, where public-health issues. For example, Tufts ones that detect it first,” he adds. he specialized in tick-borne diseases. Wildlife Clinic will soon be monitoring “What better place to work on these dis- Among other things, he is trying to deter- wildlife populations for emerging diseases in eases than at the veterinary school — a mine the factors that allow tularemia to

8 tufts veterinary medicine winter 2004 With the help of a frozen library of germplasm, Dr. George Saperstein helps pre- serve heritage breeds of cows, sheep, and goats threatened by extinction

Animal ‘Archivists’ Safeguard Rare Livestock Breeds

f Noah were here today, gathering two of every livestock breed for his and in this case it’s the Tennessee Myotonic goat,”Saperstein says. “So ark would be tough. That’s because of the approximately 65,000 live- now we’re moving on to other breeds, and we’ll do similar quality-control I stock breeds in the world, about one a week is going extinct, according measures with each breed.” to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. And 80 breeds Cryopreserved (frozen) embryos are viable for more than 50 years from North America are in decline or facing extinction. using current methods and could some day help solve disease or parasite But researchers from Tufts Veterinary School are working on a partial problems because natural resistance may be hidden in their genetic code. solution. In conjunction with the nonprofit SVF Foundation of Newport, For example, a major challenge in the sheep industry is internal parasites. R.I., they implanted a frozen embryo from a rare Tennessee Myotonic goat If the drugs stop working, we might decide to reawaken the Gulf Coast into a common Nubian doe to produce a healthy Myotonic baby goat sheep breed, which is naturally resistant to such parasites, says Saperstein. named “Chip,”born last spring. “They don’t grow as quickly, but we don’t have to worry about deworm- “We proved that should there ever be a need for this germplasm, it’s ing them.” viable in a frozen state,”says Tufts’ Dr. George Saperstein, Amelia Peabody Another possibility 50 or 100 years from now would be to insert Chair in Agricultural Sciences and assistant dean of research. genetic blueprints from frozen cells in the library into valuable commer- Chip was selected from a frozen library of some 12,000 embryos, doses cial breeds to confer immunity to certain diseases or to improve their har- of semen, cells and blood samples gathered from rare breeds of food- and diness. fiber-producing cows, sheep and goats. The purpose of the library, which But Saperstein quickly notes that the project isn’t a commercial ven- SVF started in 2002, is to protect genetic diversity and the nation’s food ture. “It’s really a historical project. The genetics we’re dealing with and supply from catastrophic loss, including agroterrorism. preserving are the same as they were 100, 200, 300 years ago. If we’re pre- “Chip the goat represents the closure of the first chapter of this effort, serving a breed that was present in Thomas Jefferson’s day, we’re preserv- and that is the completion of the first breeding library in the frozen state, ing part of Americana,”he says.

winter 2004 tufts veterinary medicine 9 Whether in the class- room or in public, Dr. Mark Pokras finds birds persist in the environment year after year. helpful when educat- “Raccoons and skunks are very heavily ing people about the exposed to tularemia. So maybe we can use dangers of toxins in them as sentinels because who among us the environment doesn’t have a skunk or raccoon visiting our yard every night?” says the intense, but affa- ble, researcher with circular glasses and an eccentric bow-tie. “They’re scavengers — nosing around in people’s trash, picking up ticks in people’s yards. They have lots of opportunity to serve as little detectives and get exposed. If we had a program where we assayed them for expo- sure — people do that for example with rabies — then maybe we’d have a warning when an outbreak starts to happen,” he adds. “So animals do play a really important role in telling us what’s out there in nature.” Maxene Armour, bioterrorism education coordinator for Massachusetts, agrees that animals are important indicators for disease. Armour offers workshops to the public “to help animal caregivers recognize when Getting the Mercury and Lead Out something is out of the ordinary with their animal. We ask them to look at a group of hen the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife started to reintroduce bald clinical signs that may alert us that a bioter- eagles and peregrine falcons into the state in 1983, Dr. Mark Pokras, V84, was among a rorist agent or pathogen has been released,” W group of wildlife specialists who met the birds at the airport to examine them and take she says. blood samples before they were released into the wild. Cats can show signs of plague; dogs can The specialists resampled the birds two month later and found their mercury levels had sky- be indicators of tick-borne diseases that are rocketed by nearly 500 times. Those tests offered the first evidence that New England had a mer- spreading in an area. And chickens are cury problem, says Pokras, director of the Wildlife Clinic at Tufts Veterinary School. excellent sentinels for emerging diseases “Since that discovery, Tufts Wildlife Clinic has done a lot of work specifically on heavy metals. such as West Nile virus and Eastern equine We focus mostly on mercury and lead because there’s a lot of regional and national concern encephalomyelitis. with them,” he adds. Public-health officials received early “The mercury is airborne. It comes from factories, coal-fired power plants, municipal incinera- warning signs of West Nile virus when tors and the tailpipes of cars” and is turned into an organic form in lakes and streams by microor- exotic birds started dying at a ganisms in the sediments, he explains. The microorganisms get eaten by plankton, which get City zoo, Telford points out. “Emerging dis- eaten by fish, and eventually the toxins end up in the bellies of birds. “It’s a classic case of bio- eases and biodefense really should be one magnification,”he says. and the same. They’re identical, and in fact “I can’t show you a single animal that’s died from mercury. But I know a lot of them are being anyone who has followed the West Nile epi- affected subtly, sub-lethally, with behavior changes, immune suppression or as endocrine disrup- demic can see the lessons that it has for tion. But I can show you two freezers full of animals that died from lead,”he adds wistfully, while biodefense,” he says. referring to a study he started in 1988 on mercury and lead levels in common loons. The result- “We were completely unprepared for an ing 16-year-old database has served as a model for the Seabird Ecological Assessment Network introduction of a foreign virus which swept (SEANET) project. through [the US] like wildfire. We’re lucky During the study, Pokras began to see the connection between loon mortality and lead that it was West Nile virus, essentially sinkers in fishing gear. Sinkers are easily ingested by wildlife because they may be mistaken as because there are far worse agents,” he pebbles, which birds swallow to grind up their food. notes. “For example, Rift Valley fever – not He worked with a variety of environmental groups to start education and lobbying cam- only does it have human public-health paigns, reining in the use of lead sinkers in Massachusetts and bringing about partial bans in implications, but it would devastate our Vermont, New York, Maine and New Hampshire, as well as Canada. “We also got Wal-Mart to agricultural industry because it affects sheep agree to carry nonlead fishing gear made out of tungsten, steel or tin nationwide,”he notes. and cattle and goats.” But the problem goes beyond national borders, he quickly points out. Unprotected workers Carried by the same mosquitoes that in countries such as India and China are melting heavy metals including lead, cadmium and transmit West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever arsenic off of recycled computer circuit boards. “They’re exposing tens of thousands of low-paid appears to be following in the footsteps of workers to toxics from us and turning lead into sinkers and sending it right back,”he explains. its predecessor — it’s creeping up from cen-

10 tufts veterinary medicine winter 2004 PHOTOGRAPH BY KATHLEEN DOOHER tral Africa into the Middle East and cumulative mortalities ranging from 40 to 90 bility and resistance to taura syndrome virus, Mediterranean. Scientists can only speculate percent in shrimp culture populations. Alcivar-Warren started a database in 1998 on how West Nile virus leapt across the “We don’t know how this outbreak to document genetic diversity, viruses and Atlantic — perhaps intentionally, or more occurred because the shrimp came from cur- levels of chemical pollutants in wild shrimp. likely accidentally, via hitchhiking mosqui- rent stocks produced in the US that were sup- Eventually she plans to create a computer toes in an airplane cargo bay. posed to be virus-free,” she says. “The US has model that integrates these factors with the “The issue with diseases like Ebola and an excellent breeding program in Hawaii with status of mangrove forests, intensity of West Nile and Rift Valley fever has to do taura syndrome virus-resistant and virus-free shrimp farming, water temperature and with how we’re moving plants and animals animals. Similar breeding programs have been salinity data gathered from shrimp-produc- around the globe - more and more and used by private industry.” ing countries. In addition to conserving and faster and faster,” says Dr. Mark Pokras, While she hasn’t ruled out the possibility protecting wild shrimp populations, she director of the Tufts Wildlife Clinic and that the virus was spread intentionally, she hopes the database will provide the shrimp Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine. suspects the real culprit may have been industry with information that can help “In the olden days of horseback and ship frozen shrimp imported from other coun- them select animals for breeding based on travel, somebody got on a ship to sail to the tries. “Gulls are vectors for these viruses. high levels of genetic diversity and low new world and if they were sick, they either They could be transferring it from water, the prevalence of disease and pollutants. got better or they died before they got here. garbage or from farm to farm,” she points Alcivar-Warren collects shrimp and sea- It was relatively unlikely that they’d be car- out. water samples around the world to have rying the disease across with them. Alcivar-Warren believes the Texas out- them tested in an EPA-approved laboratory. break highlights a much bigger problem: “The heavy metal I find of most concern in “Shrimp are exported all over the world shrimp is cadmium,” a cancer-inducing pol-

Shrimp may be more susceptible to viruses today because of chemical pollutants, declining immunity, climate change, salinity, or lower levels of genetic immunity.

without veterinarian-mandated quarantine lutant, she says. regulations. Some experts believe that the “Cadmium may affect the development “But now with instantaneous transport US Department of Agriculture should have and survival of animals … Chronic exposure you can get on a plane in South Africa in the an inspection program for all of the shrimp leads to kidney dysfunction in humans,” she morning and get off the plane anywhere in coming to the US the same way it inspects adds. the world in the evening. And transporting beef, chickens and pork chops.” Global emissions of cadmium com- any of these diseases — and I’m not even Seafood imports generate the second- pounds arise principally from point indus- talking about bioterrorism, I’m talking largest trade deficit in the US, after oil. And trial sources including combustion of fossil about accidental transport - is a real serious shrimp is a significant slice of that market fuels, waste slag, phosphate fertilizers and possibility,” he says. — it recently topped tuna as America’s sewage sludge. The sources for human expo- Pokras then offers a startling example: favorite seafood. Most shrimp imported sure are air, water and food, with shellfish The US recently introduced equine infec- into the US comes from Asia and Latin representing the major route of uptake for tious anemia from North America to South America, and US shrimp farms produce less the general public. Africa, “a serious horse disease that never than 10 percent of that market. “Shrimp may have been dealing with was on the African continent before. We just The white spot syndrome virus presents viruses for centuries” but may be more sus- introduced it by shipping racehorses over an even greater threat than taura syndrome to ceptible to them today because of chemical there,” he says emphatically. the shrimp industry because it can cause 100 pollutants, declining immunity from toxic percent mortality, she adds. Researchers exposure, climate change, salinity, or lower the possibility of disease being spread by recently found the virus in imported frozen levels of genetic immunity, she states. the movement of species around the globe is shrimp in Massachusetts supermarkets, and “So what is the potential effect of these something Tufts’ Dr. Acacia Alcivar-Warren it has been found in other crustaceans as well. levels of pollutants … We don’t know,” she thinks about daily. For several months the While shrimp viruses don’t present a says with intensity. molecular geneticist and associate professor threat to human health, Warren says she’s But she hopes to find out with the help of Environmental and Population Health concerned that they could spread to native of this tiny ocean sentinel that could provide has been trying to determine the cause of an crustacean populations in the US, especially valuable information for human and envi- outbreak of taura syndrome virus on Texas with the impact of climate change. ronmental health. TVM shrimp farms. The disease is of great concern In addition to a USDA-funded grant to in the shrimp industry because it can cause identify the genes responsible for suscepti-

winter 2004 tufts veterinary medicine 11 cover story

Landmark philanthropy

Cummings Foundation to invest $50 million in veterinary school   

ummings foundation inc. has committed to investing $50 million in Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine over the next 15 years — the largest gift Cin the history of the university. It also ranks among the largest gifts ever to a Massachu- setts college or university. In recognition of the gift, the school will be renamed Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in a ceremony to be held in spring 2005. “Tufts is enormously grateful to Cummings Foundation for this extraordi- nary gift,” Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow said. “One measure of a just society is how well it takes care of those who cannot take care of themselves. People who devote their lives to animals are among the most From left, Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow, William S. Cummings, A58, president of Cummings caring and unselfish among us. Cummings Foundation, and Dr. Philip C. Kosch, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. Foundation’s gift appropriately recognizes their selfless commitment.” support of major research proposals and Alumni Association. “Tufts was an excellent “The mission of Cummings Foundation greatly strengthen the educational and clinical experience that definitely helped me and is to invest in organizations that make con- mission of the school,” Dean Philip C. Kosch prepared me for the business world,” he said tributions to our society,” said William S. said. “I cannot thank Cummings Foundation at the time. “I paid my own tuition through Cummings, A58, president of the founda- enough for its vote of confidence in the facul- Tufts, but I have always felt a major sense of tion. “We were moved to recommend this ty, staff and students who make Tufts obligation, which is why I have given to the commitment due to the practical, entrepre- Veterinary School the special place that it is.” university every year since graduation.” neurial spirit of Tufts University in general Cummings is the founder of Cummings Also in 1998, he was named Real Estate and Tufts Veterinary School in particular. Properties, LLC, which operates eight mil- Entrepreneur of the Year for New England This collaboration will help to provide the lion square feet of office, laboratory and by Ernst & Young. Cummings was the resources necessary for the school to sustain research space in eastern Massachusetts, founder and publisher of three community its vision. We are honored to support this that it leases to 1,700 tenants. He is an newspapers in Woburn, Stoneham and world-class institution of higher learning,” alumnus and a trustee emeritus of Tufts. Winchester, and has been involved in many he said. In 1998, at his 40th reunion, Cummings philanthropic activities, including serving as “This gift will help fund needed capital received the Distinguished Service Award, a director of the Woburn Boys and Girls improvements, provide matching funds in the highest honor of the Tufts University Club for 25 years. TVM

12 tufts veterinary medicine winter 2004 PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICHARD HOWARD OUR FRIENDS RESPOND Virginia “Jinny” Gaffey, of Green Harbor, Mass., a good friend of the veterinary school sent a letter to Tufts upon reading two articles about Bill Cummings and Cummings Foundation’s gift. “I was thrilled to read the two articles…. What a wonderful contribution that gentleman has made to the world. He can honestly say he will have left the world richer and not just in a financial way, but also in ways we can’t see at this point in time. Who truly knows what great accomplishments may come to light because of this contribution as the years pass by.”

winter 2004 tufts veterinary medicine 13 thank you

2003–2004 TUFTS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

CAPITAL GIFTS Corporations, Foundations and Other Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Foundation Audrey Noreen Koller George I. Alden Trust Fort Dodge Animal Health Gertrude Lanman $50,000,000 Humane Society of the United States Edith L. Sacco Corporations, Foundations and Other Jane’s Trust John A. Seaverns Estate Cummings Foundation $25,000-$99,999 Individuals Nestlé Purina PetCare Company Anonymous Friend Edward G. Bohlen and Donna Sharkey Wingwalker Initiatives/Lynn Trayser $5,000,000 Mitchell Memorial Fund Corporations, Foundations and Other Individuals Frederick W. Howarth, III UnumProvident Corporation American Kennel Club Agnes Varis, H03-O Norman J. MacLeod Constance F. Barrett Spencer Estate Palisades Fund at the Boston Foundation $1,000,000-$4,999,999 Crystal W. Towns Estate $5,000-$24,999 Brian E. Boyle Charitable Foundation Individuals Individuals Bull Terrier Club of America Lawrence Hewson Estate Corporations, Foundations and Other Virginia and Thomas Adams Dedicated to Paws American Foundation Laurette Bradley Eastern Dog Club, Inc. $100,000-$999,999 Bafflin Foundation Barbara and Richard W. Brewer George F. & Sybil H. Fuller Foundation Individuals Biogen Idec Judith H. Cook HESKA Henry L. Foster, V83, H92-O-T and Lois Foster Rosemary Davis Memorial Fund/ Terry B. Eastman New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Elizabeth Anne Baldwin Estate Greater Worcester Community Navroze F. and Nina Eduljee Dr. Scholl Foundation Anonymous Estate Foundation, Inc. Bernard M. Gordon, H92- and Sophia Gordon Elmina B. Sewall Foundation

14 tufts veterinary medicine winter 2004 Waltham Foundation John G. Lacombe Canicula Foundation TUFTS The Westminster Kennel Foundation Irwin and Lois Leav, A92P Connecticut Morgan Horse Association VETERINARY FUND Douglas W. Meade, V95 Good Dog University $1,000-$4,999 Frank and Suzanne Mieso Saintly City Cat Club Show COTTON TUFTS SOCIETY Individuals Howard W. Rashba, A72, M76 The Studio of Dance Arts PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE $25,000+ Lisa D. Allen and Susan Rashba, J69 Individuals Sherron Ritchie Charles Beeler Herbert Allen Dana and Susan Shaw NEW ENDOWMENTS Corrine Buttell Estate Louise I. Doyle John B. Shealy Grenville Byford The following endowments will provide Henry L. Foster, V83, H92-O-T Carol Suitor Diane Calabro permanent support for Tufts Veterinary and Lois Foster Thomas and Beverly Sullivan Stammy Coniaris School Steven G. Marton, E06P-O Lynda Tracey Nancy Carroll Draper The Elizabeth A. Baldwin Endowed and Susan Marton, E06P Katherine S. Vagliano, V03 Seymour Edelberg Scholarship Fund Agnes Varis, H03-O Rarie T. Dye Tom Watjen The Elizabeth A. Baldwin Endowed Fund Sandra and Bruce Hill Karen C. Watkins for Wildlife Medicine Corporations, Foundations and Other Gretchen Kaufman, V86 John M. Wood The Norman J. MacLeod Endowed Charles River Laboratories, Inc. and Michael Court, VR83, MG00 Anonymous Friend Scholarship Fund Jane’s Trust Raymond B. Larter Charles “Doc” Sedgwick Library Fund Lucia H. Shipley Foundation Mark and Patricia Leinonen Corporations, Foundations and Other Bayer Corporation Sandy Lerner SOCIETY OF TUFTS FELLOWS Jonathan R. and Anne Longley Bobby’s Ranch, Inc. $10,000- $24,999 Susan Gotsis-Martone and Bradd J. Martone Individuals George E. Maurice Philip DuBois-O Joerg Mayer $116 MILLION ACHIEVEMENT: TUFTS and Jennifer DuBois Andrea Resciniti V. Duncan Johnson-O Lauren and Sander A. Rikleen SETS YET ANOTHER RECORD FOR and Diana Johnson-O Raymond G. and Diana M. Roy David J. McGrath, III, G83, V86-O-T Henry and Sharon Sears FUND-RAISING and Donna Maretsky McGrath, N85 Gabriel Schmergel, V98P-O J. H. Sonneborn Turetsky, V83 For the second year in a row, Tufts University set a record for institu- Michael T. Wedge and Valerie Schmergel, V98P Natalie Wells tional support, raising $116 million during the fiscal year that Dean K. Webster-O Judith Wolfberg ended on June 30. The university raised $94 million during the pre- Anonymous Friend John C. and Laura Woschenko vious fiscal year, also a record year. Anonymous Friend (2) Corporations, Foundations and Other “It is a tribute to the many individuals and organizations who Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Corporations, Foundations and Other invested in the intellectual and civic pursuits of our community, ” Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Animal Hospital of Sussex County said Brian Lee, vice president for advancement. “This magnanimous The Bay Foundation PATRONS Eastern States Veterinary Association, Inc. support sustains and strengthens Tufts’ commitment to making a $5,000-$9,999 Individuals Fanwood Foundation difference in the world through its teaching, research, public serv- Kindy French French Foundation Trust ice advocacy and community initiatives,” he noted. Raymond G. and Jane Gizzi The Fuller Foundation, Inc. Jeffrey Glatzer, V07P IAMS Company Philanthropic highlights at the School of Veterinary Medicine Dennett W. Goodrich Kelly Foods Corporation include: Catherine C. Lastavica-O National Wildlife Rehabilitators I A commitment from Cummings Foundation Inc. to invest Mary J.P. Moore Association, Inc. Edith L. Sacco New England Farm and Garden Association $50 million over the next 15 years—the largest gift in the history Elizabeth Arnold Stevens Newman’s Own, Inc. of the university. Eileen F. Sullivan William and Charlotte Parks Foundation I Agnes Varis’ $5 million commitment to the School of Veteri- Josephine Paul & C. Michael Paul Corporations, Foundations and Other Foundation nary Medicine to support programs in biomedical science and pub- Marie G. Dennett Foundation Pet Memorial Park lic health. Fort Dodge Animal Health Pete’s Bluebird, Inc. McKesson BioServices I New scholarship funds established by Norman J. MacLeod, a Schering Plough Animal Health long-time friend of the school, the estate of Elizabeth Anne Bald- Anonymous Foundation SUSTAINING MEMBERS win, and the estate of an anonymous friend. $2,000-$4,999 Individuals $500-$999 I An exceptional year for the school’s annual fund, the Tufts Individuals Sawkat and Ursula Anwer, A02P, J04P, V08P Katrina B. Anderson and Michael Denomy Veterinary Fund, with achievement of $1.18 million. James W. and Barbara Calvin, V03P R. Olds Anderson Neil L.Chayet, A60, A84P-O Jerome Beller Every gift makes a difference. In fiscal year 2004, July 1, 2003- and Martha Chayet Constance C. Bodurow Judith H. Cook Eleanor C. Bristol Estate June 30, 2004, the School of Veterinary Medicine received more Clark and Margaret Farley Victoria D. Brown than 9,000 gifts for the Tufts Veterinary Fund, the Travis Fund, the Frederick K. and Nancy Gale Catherine C. Davies Fund for Companion Animal Health, scholarships and other purpos- Patricia Moseley, J86P-O Dianne M. DeLorenzo, V88 Mark Pokras, V84 Abbie Eremich es. Behind each of these gifts was a story – they were made in Martha Pokras Diana L. Garmus memory of beloved pets, in honor of respected Tufts alumni, and in Shelley and Todd Rodman Monica Graham gratitude to clinicians in our Foster Hospital for Small Animals, Anthony and Claudia Schwartz, A91P Carmine A. Greco Richard J. and Jane Sheehan, V88P Romona J. Haebler and Paul Selvitelli Hospital for Large Animals and Wildlife Clinic. Hope N. Smith Michelle Haroules, V87 Here we recognize donors of $500 or more. We thank all sup- Richard L. and Elisabeth Sperry, V01P Peter C. and Eileen C. Jachym porters of the School of Veterinary Medicine. You are our partners, Brenda M. Stowe, J85, V89 Matthew W. and Kirsten Kilbourn and David Stowe, V88 Daniel J. and Julie Killips making our best work possible. Regina M. Tierney-O Peg and John G. Koomey Anne Wachtmeister

Donor Key Code: Board of Trustees Member T Board of Overseers Member O Deceased * winter 2004 tufts veterinary medicine 15 thank you

Elisabeth R. Wineberg Henry T. Wiggin Katrina Anderson and Michael Denomy Janet E. Edman, V91 Katherine B. Winter Wendy F. Wolff R. Olds Anderson David H. Ellsworth Robert A. and Susan Yurkus, V00P Frank W. Zak, VV42 Dorothy T. Arnold, V86 Gladys Eisenstadt and Leocadia Zak David and Jane Askew Beth Essington, V83 Corporations, Foundations and Other Robert and Margaret S. Barbour Richard Furlong Ardboe Stable Corporations, Foundations and Other Andrew and Linda Becher Kelly B. Griffin Leonard Bosack & Bette Kruger Foundation Endicott Charitable Trust Julia Wallace Bennett, V88 Romona Haebler and Paul Selvitelli Rosemary B. Fintor Special Property Trust Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Daniel and Nancy S. Borkowski Elizabeth E. Hartman, V91 IAMS Company Barnard and Margaret Fink Foundation Paul J. Bowron, Jr., V95P Kathleen Herbert Clara L. Jeffery Charitable Trust Kennebunk Veterinary Hospital Kimberly J. Boyanowski, V95 Robin W. Hession Pfizer Inc. Kovak Foundation Frank T. Bumpus, M51 Marjorie E. Kenney Elizabeth Laws Kilgallon, V89 Ruth M. Kramer “This magnanimous support sustains and strengthens Bernice Lawrence Robert A. and Elana Levine, V96P Tufts’ commitment to making a difference in the world Joan L. Lyman George R. and Nancy Mathey through its teaching, research, public service advocacy Margaret A. McLellan Kathryn E. Michel, V83 and community initiatives.” —brian lee Catherine Morrell Wallace Murray Richard and Pamela Nolan, V05P Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Lorna Canfield Roy J. and Linda Pera, V08P AMELIA PEABODY ASSOCIATES Association Fredric L. Cantor, V84 Dana and Millicent M. Percy DEAN’S CIRCLE Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Daryl Carlow Mark T. Reilly, V91 $1,000-$1,999 Nevada Veterinary Cardiology Sara M. Carn Katherine A. Reiner, V84 Individuals North Country Dermatology Clinic Karen Carpenter Irene Rogers Susan Avery Patton Family Fund Francine H. Carrier John R. Rosseel, V86 Lawrence S. and Adele Fleet Bacow Russo Family Charitable Foundation Evelyn Carstensen Steven Rowell, V83, E05P Marie D. Baylis Varian Medical Systems, Inc. Lucy G. Carter and Trudy Roybal, E05P William and Jane Blake Edward H. Chen, V94 Marilyn and Jay Sarles Judith B. Bramson BENEFACTORS Peter A. and Susan Cheney Peter C. and Cynthia Amadon Schliemann Karl L. and Dorothy M. Briel $500-$999 Margaret P. Connelly, V85 Leonard J. Schwartz Janice S. Calkin, J51 Individuals Mary Costello Dianne Sequoia, V87 Melvin C. and Hazel Cant Harold and Lynn Abelson, V05P Simon Coulson Stephanie J. Shuman Desiree Carlson Deborah Ackles, V87 Helen H. Davenport Ellen R. Singer, V87 Richard A. and Sally Charpie David and Sara Adelizzi Robert J. and Ann Eckenrode Charles R. Smith John F. Flagg*O Mark and Judith Solomon, V06P and Georgia Flagg Elizabeth Stearns Diane Garthwaite Gilbert L. and Sally Steward Joan R. Golub, M71 Arthur F. Strohmer Monica Graham VETERINARIANS CARE PROGRAM Sheryl R. Swankin, V87 Arlene Handshuch and Steven A. Kaufman John L. Thorndike Naomi Herzfeld Through gifts to the Veterinarians CARE (Companion Animals Gary S. and Donna Tracey Peter C. and Eileen C. Jachym Remembered) Program veterinarians extend condolences to Molly Vogel Robert and Elizabeth L. Johnson Marilyn E. Wales Timothy E. Knight, V99 clients who have lost beloved pets. Tufts Veterinary School is Mary-Ann Walker and Peter Strong Stan H. Kovak, V98P grateful to the following practices and practitioners for their par- Bonnie Weiner Lawrence J. Kunz, Jr., A69 ticipation in the CARE Program: Mary A. Wetzel Mary A. Labato, V83 Joan R. Wicks, V88 Judy Leerer William B. Wilmot, V83 Michael F. Leverone, V84 Abingdon Square Veterinary Rose City Veterinary Hospital and Joan M. Taylor, V83 Susan Leverone Clinic Southern California Veterinary Leda Zimmerman and Joe Blatt Sarah Locher Marilyn R. McKenna Baker-Wells Animal Clinic Hospital Corporations, Foundations and Other Stephen and Linda Myott, V07P Baystate Animal Clinic, Inc. Starwood Veterinary Clinic J. Loring Brooks Foundation Betsy L. Newman Boxford Animal Hospital Suffield Veterinary Hospital The Eaglemere Foundation, Inc. Caroline Patton Greenwich Kennel Club, Inc. N. Scott and Deborah Pierce Bristol Veterinary Associates Sheryl R. Swankin, V87 Mill River Foundation Patricia T. Poitras Dean Gebroe, V89 The Veterinary Clinic of The New Guinea Singing Dog Priscilla Potter Gentle Vet Inc. East Hampton Conservation Society John M. Roberto Cornelia C. Roberts Goodfriends Veterinary Clinic The Visiting Veterinarian Matching Gift Companies Amy Rossi Main Street Animal Hospital Tramway Animal Medical Center Alcoa Foundation Devette Russo, M05P Mill Plain Veterinary Clinic & VCA New London Veterinary Anderson, Kill & Olick, P.C. Thomas J. and Wendy Russo Bridgestone/Firestone Trust Fund Margaret A. Shively, V84 Animal Hospital Hospital Colgate-Palmolive Josephine S. Siders Natick Animal Clinic Veterinary Ophthalmology of Fidelity Foundation Robert W. Silk Newington Veterinary Clinic New England Ford Motor Company Fund Sandra Sill Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Carol Stocker Norton Animal Hospital, Inc. Warner Center Pet Clinic Intel Foundation Theresa Goularte Taylor, V90 Old Canal Veterinary Clinic Weston Veterinary Clinic Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance and Michael Taylor Old Tappan Veterinary Wignall Animal Hospital SBC Foundation Richard M. Wall Verizon Foundation Stanley and AnnaBell L. Washburn Palmer Animal Clinic United Technologies Carrier Corp. Ellen Westheimer, AG80 UnumProvident Corporation

16 tufts veterinary medicine winter 2004 Donor Key Code: Board of Trustees Member T Board of Overseers Member O Deceased * 2005 Applications Due

applications for admission to the 2005 Adventures in Veterinary Medicine program are now being accepted! ADVENTURES IN VETERINARY MEDICINE Currently entering its 15th year, our pro- gram continues to attract bright, moti- DO YOU LOVE ANIMALS? vated individuals who are seriously con- sidering a career in veterinary medicine. DO YOU LIKE SCIENCE? Adventures in Veterinary Medicine provides a comprehensive introduction to COME EXPLORE CAREERS IN the profession, with lectures, demonstra- VETERINARY MEDICINE AT tions, panel discussions, admissions TUFTS UNIVERSITY’S advice, case studies, field trips and more! ADVENTURES IN VETERINARY Although there is no deadline for apply- MEDICINE PROGRAM! ing, it is highly recommended that appli- cations be submitted by early February. We are currently enrolling students for The admissions selection process begins our spring and summer sessions. February 1, 2005 and continues until the sessions are full. (Note that middle school stu- Space is limited ~ Apply Now! dents are accepted on a first-come, first served basis.) We encourage you to visit our website at www.tufts.edu/vet/avm for more information. 508-839-7962 Applications can be submitted online via our website or printed out and mailed in with the www.tufts.edu/vet/avm other supporting materials. If you have any questions about our program, please contact Kasey Kobs at [email protected] or by phone at 508-839-7962.

Adventures in Veterinary Medicine encourages you to visit our website at www.tufts.edu/vet/avm for more information about our programs.

HOW TO REACH US

Main hospital switchboard and after-hours emergencies ...... 508-839-5395 Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals, appointment desk ...... 508-839-5395 Hospital for Large Animals, appointment desk ...... 508-839-5395 Wildlife Clinic ...... 508-839-7918 Directions to Tufts ...... 508-839-5395 (ext. 84650) Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine Administration ...... 508-839-5302 Veterinary Student Admissions Office ...... 508-839-7920 Veterinary Alumni Relations ...... 508-839-7976 Tufts Veterinary Fund ...... 508-839-7909 Tufts Pet Loss Support Hotline ...... 508-839-7966 Continuing Education ...... 508-887-4723

Web site: www.tufts.edu/vet

If you are interested in learning more about how you can support Tufts Veterinary School, please contact: Shelley Rodman, director of veterinary development and alumni relations 508-839-7907 or e-mail: [email protected] BIRDERS ON ASSIGNMENT These binocular-clad beachgoers on Gooseberry Neck Beach in southern Massachusetts are searching for more than a beautiful view or a glimpse of an endangered piping plover. As members of the Seabird Ecological Assessment Network (SEANET), they’re on a mission with the Lloyd Center for the Environ- ment in South Dartmouth to identify live birds and gather information from bird carcasses. Information from this group and over 300 other SEANET volunteers down the east coast is then entered into a database that researchers at Tufts Wildlife Clinic use as indicators for human and environmental health. SEANET is just one of several projects where Tufts researchers are using birds and animals as sentinels to detect emerging infectious diseases, environmental toxins, or even a bioterrorist attack. The research includes state and federal agencies in a collaborative effort to coordinate information on public-health issues (see page 4).

tufts veterinary medicine NONPROFIT ORG. Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine U.S. POSTAGE 200 Westboro Road North Grafton, Massachusetts 01536 PAID http://www.tufts.edu/vet NO. GRAFTON, MA PERMIT NO. 9 Address Correction Requested